Liverpool in Europe, Part 5

Return to Rome, With a New Manager

Back to our series on Liverpool’s long European history after winning in Paris in 1981. Now it’s time to look at Joe Fagan’s first season as manager in 1983/4, culminating in a treble of League title, League Cup and another European Cup in Rome.

After Bob Paisley’s retirement, Liverpool’s Boot Room tradition continued with the appointment of Joe Fagan as his successor. To say he started quite well would be an understatement - Liverpool winning the League title, League Cup and European Cup in his first season.

The European campaign began with a comfortable start against the Danish amateurs of Odense, a 1-0 win in Denmark followed by a 5-0 home win. Round 2 saw a sterner test, against Athletic Bilbao, who achieved a goalless draw at Anfield with some resolute British-style zonal marking instead of their customary man-to-man, and not a little hard tackling, time-wasting and theatricals, and a general masterclass of the dark arts and skulduggery. Bilbao responded as though they thought their job was done. It wasn’t. The sides were separated by the only goal of the tie in the San Mames Stadium, and it was Ian Rush who scored it.

A quarter-final against Benfica beckoned, as supporters began to detect the old whiff of European glory in their nostrils once again.

A single goal win at Anfield was followed by a majestic showing in the Stadium of Light, with an emphatic, commanding 4-1 victory. As in 1977, the semi-final seemed lacking in lustre in comparison to the round before. But Dinamo Bucharest were no pushovers, with a reputation for, shall we call it ruggedness, to accompany their good technical skills.

Four yellow cards swiftly came the way of the visitors at Anfield, and they were lucky it wasn’t worse, and whilst another left with a suspected broken jaw after a ‘coming together’ with Graeme Souness. Liverpool emerged with a hard-fought and narrow 1-0 lead to take to Romania. It was described as a ‘sour and joyless’ encounter.

In a hostile and highly charged atmosphere in Bucharest, a special welcome was reserved for Souness, who was jeered and booed every time he touched the ball - in other words, exactly the sort of situation Sounesss thrived on. After just 11 minutes a brilliant touch from Souness and a dinked finish from Rush took the steam out of the opposition. Dinamo equalised on the night, but another late goal by Rush clinched a 3-1 aggregate and a fourth final in eight seasons. We were going back to Rome, scene of the club’s finest hour seven years earlier. But this time, against Roma - nobody’s idea of a neutral venue! The Italian club’s first-ever appearance in a major European final would take place on their own home ground in their own city - and we were cast in the role of demons, the bad guys out to spoil the party and slay the dragon in its own lair.

By the time the final came round and the fans had dusted off their ‘Emperors of Rome’ T-shirts, Liverpool had already parked another league title, their third in a row, and another League Cup, their fourth in a row. Fagan was looking for, and achieved, a treble in his first season in charge, something even his illustrious predecessors had not managed.

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