In 2019, Liverpool collected the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the World Club Cup. This was an unprecedented ‘world treble’ for the Reds, but back in 2001, the club got its hands on another treble. Three years into Gerard Houllier’s reign as manager, his team lifted three pieces of silverware, precuring the League Cup, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup. Born in 1995, I was too young to watch or appreciate this marvellous trio of trophies at the time, though have since seen highlights and heard stories of them. I have recently sat down and watched full reruns of the finals (available on YouTube) and the roads to those finals too. This is the first part of my story of re-watching the 2001 treble, nineteen years on…
League Cup
A goal-laden journey to the League Cup final (at this stage of its life, it was known as the Worthington Cup) started with a dramatic win over Chelsea at Anfield, Robbie Fowler striking an extra-time winner after Danny Murphy had scored in normal time. Upon re-watching, you can see how much that goal meant to Fowler – he had earlier hit the post and was on a barren run of nearly a year without scoring. In Round Four, Liverpool demolished Stoke City 8-0 at the Britannia Stadium, Fowler’s hat-trick complemented by goals from Murphy, Christian Ziege, Vladimir Smicer, Sami Hyypia and Markus Babbel in a result which still stands as Liverpool’s biggest ever away win. Though I had seen highlights of that match before, I had never seen the moment where Alisson Becker-wannabe Pegguy Arphexad loses the ball and presents Peter Thorne with an open goal, which he missed – how different things could have been! It was also amusing to see the scoreboard at the Britannia accidentally show the full-time score as 0-9.
Fulham were next in the quarters, and I particularly enjoyed Smicer nonchalantly telling the Fulham supporters in the Anfield Road end to ‘fuck off’ after the Londoners showed little sympathy for a missed chance. A flurry of extra-time strikes from Michael Owen, ironically Smicer and Nick Barmby (a fabulous solo goal) on an Anfield pitch containing more mud than a tabloid newspaper’s celebrity gossip column meant that Houllier’s men were in the semis, where they faced Crystal Palace. Selhurst Park was in dreamland when Andrejs Rubins and Clinton Morrison scored in the second half before Smicer gave Liverpool hope at 2-1. Ahead of the second leg at Anfield, Morrison went public, criticising Liverpool’s strikeforce, claiming that he would’ve scored chances that Owen and Emile Heskey missed in the first leg. This, unsurprisingly, was a big mistake.
Liverpool were 3-0 up inside eighteen minutes. Smicer had opened the scoring before Murphy fired home a gorgeous volley and Igor Biscan notched his first Liverpool goal, after a lovely ball from Fowler. Gary McAllister smashed the post from distance and then in the second half, Murphy capitalised on some truly horrendous defending for his second and Liverpool’s fourth. Fowler made it five late on with his first strike in a while, but my favourite moment of the entire game was Morrison, so scathing of Liverpool’s attackers and so confident in his own ability, completely miscuing and striking the air when presented with a scoring chance, right in front of the Kop. Palace tried everything – mind games, a war of words, turning Liverpool around at kick-off, but they were the latest in a long line of fall victims of a superb second-leg comeback at Anfield.
With the new Wembley Stadium still under construction, cup finals between 2001 and 2006 were hosted at Cardiff’s stunning Millennium Stadium, which itself had only been open four years. The Reds met Birmingham City of the Championship in the final, who had defeated Ipswich in the semis to get there. The final was played three days after a vital UEFA Cup game against Roma at Anfield, which Michael Owen started. Despite being the club’s top scorer, Owen was benched for this final – a huge decision from Houllier but also an indicator of the strength in depth of Liverpool’s forward line that he could afford to do this for a cup final – Fowler and Heskey started up front, while the surprise selection was Biscan on the left flank in a 4-4-2. Danny Murphy and club captain Jamie Redknapp sadly missed the final through injury. This was actually the first time I had watched the final in full, so didn’t realise that kick-off was delayed because of congestion around the ground.
When the time finally arrived, it was quite a nervy start from both, but Liverpool put their top-flight stamp on the game and controlled proceedings without being particularly penetrative. It was ironic that despite all of Liverpool’s possession, their two main chances in the first half came from long balls – the first to Fowler, which he rifled home with a beautiful volley after half an hour, and the second to Smicer, who hit the side netting when he really should’ve scored. Fowler’s goal was a stunner and worthy of winning any cup final. It was the Englishman’s terrific goal that was the difference at half time, Liverpool 1-0 to the good and deservedly so – the Reds were on top and though it was a cagey game, they had had far the better chances and looked defensively strong.
It was noticeable how much pressure Liverpool were under in the early stages of the second half, with Birmingham ramping up their attacking tempo. It was also strikingly bizarre to see Andy Johnson with hair. God this was a long time ago. Gerrard was battling with an injury through much of the match, and on 48 minutes, commentator Alan Parry says that the midfielder had signalled to the bench that he was struggling. However, in typical Gerrard fashion, he soldiered on until the 78th minute. He limped off though and was replaced by McAllister. As he left the pitch, Gerrard was serenaded with chants of ‘Steven Gerrard, Steven Gerrard!’ Inventive. I’m not even sure what tune it was to but it sounded vaguely similar to the penultimate line in the song Sheffield Wednesday currently sing for Steven Fletcher.
Fowler had a great chance to finish things in the 83rd minute after good work from Heskey, but he couldn’t find the target. As well as the little matter of a trophy at stake, Fowler and Heskey were both trying to impress the watching Sven Goran-Eriksson, who had been appointed as England manager just weeks earlier. Heskey had a brilliant game against his future club and put in a performance full of grit, work-rate and quality. Four minutes of injury time were added at the end of the 90 and Liverpool successfully negotiated the first two. But, with just 89 seconds left on the clock, disaster struck. The usually reliable Stephane Henchoz clumsily brought down Martin O’Connor in the box and Birmingham had a penalty. Darren Purse took a confident spot-kick to equalise and send the final to extra time.
Birmingham were the better team for much of extra time. Sander Westerveld had looked shaky in goal all day and got a little lucky when Bryan Hughes spotted him off his line and aimed fire from 40 yards. It appeared that lady luck was not just on Liverpool’s side, but had entered a full-blown marriage with the Reds when their opponents were denied an absolutely stonewall penalty towards the end of the first half of extra time, Henchoz again going to ground carelessly. Liverpool had chances through Fowler, whose header was saved brilliantly by Ian Bennett with eight minutes left, while Hyypia also forced a save from Bennett, but the Reds came closest with Didi Hamann, who rattled the post with a fierce drive from outside the box. That was it though, and the final would be decided by penalties.
This was the first time a League Cup Final had gone to a penalty shootout in the competition’s history, though it has been decided with spot-kicks four times since. Of the five finals to go all the way, three have involved Liverpool (2001, 2012, 2016). Liverpool won the toss and the shootout would happen in front of the Reds fans. McAllister was first up and made no mistake. Martin Grainger took Birmingham’s first and put his fingers in his ears as he was walking up to take his kick. Somewhat inevitably, Westerveld saved his kick, guessing the right way and getting both hands to it. The next four penalties were all scored – Barmby and Ziege for Liverpool, Purse and Marcelo (not that one) for the Blues. Hamann was the first man in red to blink. He hit his strike with power but little placement, and Bennett saved it. Stanley Lazaridis made it 3-3, before Fowler and Hughes ensured it would go to sudden death at 4-4. A superb penalty from Carragher (far better than his one for England at the 2006 World Cup) made it 5-4 to Liverpool, which is how it finished, Westerveld saving Johnson’s penalty. Liverpool had done it.
Incredible celebrations ensued on the pitch and in the stands. This was Liverpool’s first trophy since 1995 and my God, it meant something. In the absence of injured captain Jamie Redknapp, Robbie Fowler lifted the trophy. The scorer of Liverpool’s goal in the final also won man of the match, though it could have easily gone to any of Heskey, Babbel, Hyypia, Carragher, Gerrard or even Westerveld for his penalty saves. Gerard Houllier was rightly ecstatic to have won his first piece of silverware in England, the 2001 Worthington Cup (it will always be the Carling Cup to me). The victory over a resilient Birmingham meant the Reds had now won the trophy a record six times, a number that has been extended to eight with further victories in 2003 and 2012. This final reminded me a lot of the 2012 showpiece: Liverpool overwhelming favourites against a Championship side in blue, the Reds looking to end a trophy drought, making their first appearance at a new stadium, struggling against a mammoth effort from the lower-league team and just when it looked like the deal was sealed, a late equaliser takes it all the way, where Liverpool finally win in the lottery of the shootout.
The first trophy had been won. But little did we know what was to come later in the season. Join me soon for parts two and three, where I’ll look back on the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup victories.
Daniel Daykin
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