goal 25 yards out, he swivelled and fired an unstoppable
volley past Ray Clemence. Three-three!
The strike won the BBC’s Goal of the Season
competition that season. Forty years later, in February
2020, it was honoured by Norwich fans again before the
Premier League home fixture with Liverpool, with a giant
rainbow banner of Fashanu, the first professional footballer
to come out as gay, unfurled before kick-off.
Back to 1980, and Liverpool finally settled that truly
memorable encounter thanks to Dalglish’s 88th-minute
strike and another from Jimmy Case a minute later.
By the Monday morning, though, it wasn’t the result that
was making headlines but Kevin Keegan’s shock return
from SV Hamburg to join Southampton.
Liverpool’s patchy form continued throughout February
with their bid to win a first League Cup stalling after a 1-1
draw with Forest in the semi-final second leg at Anfield.
Then Bobby Robson’s impressive Ipswich Town picked
up a league point in front of the Kop before Liverpool
suffered another away defeat, this time at Wolves.
Even so, there was a saying in the Seventies that one of
the first signs of spring was Liverpool disappearing over
the horizon, and the Reds duly put together a run of five
straight wins in the league, starting with a 2-1 victory at
Goodison Park.
Bob Paisley’s side also reached the last four of the FA
Cup with a 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur in their quarter-
final at White Hart Lane. Midfielder Terry McDermott
grabbed the only goal with a long-range piledriver that
almost ripped the net off.
Terry Mac would go on to become
the first ever player to be named PFA
Player of the Year and Football Writers
Footballer of the Year in the same
season. He was at his all-action best
and his eleven goals (16 in total)
were a crucial factor in Liverpool’s
league success.
A return to Tottenham for a
league outing at the end of the
month saw the Reds suffer a 2-0
defeat as a Glenn Hoddle penalty
and a goal from John Pratt gave
the home side the points.Liverpool’s lead at the top was still four points and a tense
Tuesday-night win over Stoke City at Anfield thanks to a first-half
strike from Dalglish meant the Reds then headed to Manchester
United with a six point advantage over their arch-rivals, albeit
having played a game more.
Paisley’s squad knew a victory at Old Trafford would virtually
sew up the title, leaving the Red Devils eight points adrift with only
a possible 14 left to play for.
Liverpool played well on the day, dominating possession and it
came as no surprise when Dalglish opened the scoring in the 14th
minute after giving his Scotland team-mate Gordon McQueen the
slip.Arsenal, FA Cup, bring suppliesGoals goals goals
One for the Spion Kop