The last goal scored under Liverpool's Spion Kop was a strike worthy of the occasion - but it came from a player in the wrong coloured shirt.
Jeremy Goss drilled a fine shot into the top right-hand corner of the Kop end net after Liverpool only half-cleared a 35th minute free-kick from Ian Crook. Norwich had clearly not read the script of this historic Anfield occasion and always looked the more likely scorers with their quick, incisive football on the break.
Steve Nicol had seen his attempted clearance from Efan Ekoku's cross rebound off the underside of the bar and somehow stay out after 15 minutes of a first half dominated by the visitors. David James twice had to race out of his area to clear, once with a diving header from Ekoku and more conventionally with his boot from Chris Sutton.
Sutton saw a snap-shot dip over the bar and James made a fine reaction save as Sutton met Ekoku's header with a sweet low volley.
Jamie Redknapp shot wide from a tight angle for Liverpool and Robbie Fowler glanced a header wide after fine work from John Barnes, but Norwich keeper Bryan Gunn did not have a save to make in the first 45 minutes.
After the break, with Liverpool attacking the Kop end for the last time, by prior arrangement with Norwich, veteran Ronnie Whelan volleyed over from close range. Later a Neil Ruddock shot took a deflection but Gunn reacted superbly to save.
Ekoku was halted by a last-ditch Ruddock tackle and Crook curled a free-kick narrowly wide as the visitors provided the more potent attacking force.
Three minutes from time Don Hutchison's shot was well held by Gunn and moments later at the other end James did well to beat Ekoku's shot away.
Liverpool boss Roy Evans paid tribute to the "magnificent" Kop fans, but admitted that his players had let them down. "We feel we have been the party poopers," said Evans. "Everyone in the dressing room is very disappointed at the result and the way we played. This is a crowd that over the years has seen teams win things. Just imagine what they would have been like today if we had been challenging for the championship. It was a taste for some of the younger players of what this crowd is like. I think they are the best crowd in the world. It was about the Kop today and all our fans, and I thought they were magnificent. It's a pity we weren't in the same class."
Norwich boss John Deehan said: "We were worthy winners. I always thought it was a game of football where we had to divorce ourselves from the periphery and all that was going on. We had the right mental approach from the start and everything fell into place."
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