Liverpool 4 v 1 Aston Villa
First Division
May 3rd 1980
Just two days after the culmination of a marathon cup semi final against Arsenal, Liverpool clinched their 12th league championship against the same team that had been the opposition in the previous years title triumph. The day belonged to Avi Cohen, who managed to score twice in front of the Kop, albeit one of the goals being past his own keeper.
Liverpool had very little chance to get worried about this game, as on the Thursday night they had been playing Arsenal at Coventry in the 3rd replay of the FA Cup semi final. Unfortunately they lost 1-0 and were determined to make amends at Anfield, where victory over Villa would guarantee the title, regardless of what nearest challengers Manchester United did at Leeds.
Injuries to Alan Kennedy and Colin Irwin had given Israeli international Avi Cohen only his second senior start in the cup game and he retained his place for the title decider, which marked his full Anfield debut. Cohen had signed a year earlier from Maccabbi Tel Aviv in the days when foreign players in the English game were rare. Nobody told him this in the dressing room however and when he couldn't decipher Kenny Dalglish's Glaswegian accent, he said to the Scot 'you me same, both learn English'.
Liverpool got off to a dream start after just three minutes when Dalglish's effort was only half cleared as far as McDermott. He chipped the ball back into the area were David Johnson scored from all of two yards. However, on 26 minutes it was 1-1 when Cohen stuck his foot out to block a Linton shot only for the ball to sky over Ray Clemence into the Kop goal. At half time the crowd were boosted by the news that United were losing at Leeds and with Liverpool kicking into the Kop, it was hoped they could roar the team on to victory.
Six minutes after the restart Cohen made up for his earlier mishap when he fired the ball through a crowd of bodies to restore Liverpool's lead. The Reds then continued to dominate the game and with eighteen minutes remaining the result was sealed with a long range effort from Johnson. A late own goal from Noel Blake meant the result was even more emphatic.
After the game Alan Kennedy and David Faiclough took the Championship trophy onto the pitch for the customary lap of honour. Bob Paisley quipped that Cohen's goal showed how versatile he was, but unfortunately he was unable to claim a championship medal, not having played in enough games. He was never able to gain a settled place in the side due to the form of Alan Kennedy and after fourteen league appearances in 1980-1 he returned to Israel.
Liverpool: Clemence, Neal, Cohen, Thompson, R. Kennedy, Hansen, Dalglish, Lee, Johnson, McDermott, Souness. Att: 51,541
Scorers: Johnson 3,72, Cohen 50, Blake (og 78)