Liverpool 7 v 0 Tottenham Hotspur
First Division
September 2nd 1978
Liverpool sent out a clear message to the rest of the 1st division with a hammering of a Spurs side that contained two players who had been World Cup winners just two months earlier. The victory, the biggest in the league since the 2nd World War, was the high point of a season when Liverpool created superlative after superlative.
The Reds had won their first three league games of the season, but suffered a shock League Cup reverse at Sheffield United earlier in the week. In that game Liverpool had dominated throughout but just couldn't put the ball in the net.
Despite having only just come back up from the 2nd division, Spurs had made their intentions known with the capture of Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa, both members of the Argentine World Cup winning squad. They didn't have the best of introductions to English football, losing one and drawing two of their first three games and after their visit to Anfield they must have yearned for a return to the Pampas.
Liverpool went 1-0 up after 10 minutes when Kenny Dalglish beat Steve Perryman to the ball to fire home with his left foot. 11 minutes later Dalglish was on the mark again and on the half hour Ray Kennedy made it 3-0 from a McDermott cross.
Still Liverpool weren't finished however and they continued to attack the Kop goal, twice coming close to extending their lead before the break. First, Barry Daines saved a rasping 25 yard shot from Jimmy Case and Steve Perryman cleared off the line from Ray Kennedy.
In the second half, the injured Emlyn Hughes was replaced by David Johnson, meaning Liverpool were destined to be even more attacking with Jimmy Case still getting forward regularly from his new right back position. Johnson soon added goals four and five, the first being a right footer from fifteen yards on 48 minutes and the second coming from his left foot on 57 minutes after being set up by Kenny Dalglish.
The sixth goal came from a Phil Neal penalty, after Steve Heighway was upended in the area on 64 minutes.
The final goal was an all time Anfield classic. Spurs showed their naivety by sending everyone up for a corner with 15 minutes left, despite their predicament. The ball was cleared by Ray Kennedy to Dalglish and passed to Johnson, who sent Heighway clear on the left wing. His cross into the middle was headed into the net by McDermott, who had began the move by defending the far post and ran the length of the field in fourteen seconds.
Although Bob Paisley had some praise for his players, he still continued to exercise caution, telling the press 'we must keep our feet on the floor'. The Reds magnificent start to the season continued as they won ten and drew one out of the first eleven games, before losing 1-0 to Everton of all teams. By the end of the season though Liverpool were champions, setting a record of most points achieved the top division (68 2 points for a win) and least goals conceded (16) for all four divisions. These records still stand today.
Liverpool: Clemence, Neal, A.Kennedy, Thompson, R.Kennedy, Hughes ( Johnson ), Dalglish, Case, Heighway, McDermott, Souness. Att: 50,705
Scorers: Dalglish 8,20, R.Kennedy 28, Johnson 48,58, Neal pen 64, McDermott 76