FOOTBALL LEGENDS - CLASSIC MATCHES - EPISODE 68:
1965/66
Liverpool -v- Chelsea
League Game
30/04/66
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FOOTBALL LEGENDS - CLASSIC MATCHES - EPISODE 68:
1965/66
Liverpool -v- Chelsea
League Game
30/04/66
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Two League matches left to play in the 1965/66 season, and Liverpool required just one more victory to secure the League Championship, their second under manager Bill Shankly. Chelsea were the opposition in the final home game, with Liverpool looking to mop up the title in front of their own fans.
The full Liverpool line-up for the match, managed by Bill Shankly, included Tommy Lawrence, Chris Lawler, Gerry Byrne, Ron Yeats, Tommy Smith, Gordon Milne, Willie Stevenson, Peter Thompson, Ian Callaghan, Roger Hunt and Ian St John.
The Chelsea side, managed by Tommy Docherty, included John Dunn, Joe Kirkup, Ron Harris, John Hollins, Marvin Hinton, John Boyle, Peter Houseman, Bobby Tambling, Peter Osgood, Bert Murray and Tommy Robson.
Close to 54,000 fans crammed inside Anfield to witness the historic occasion. Liverpool did most of the attacking in the first half, but couldn't get the ball in the net during the first 45 minutes, despite coming agonisingly close when a Roger Hunt shot rebounded off the inside of the post and into the arms of Chelsea's keeper John Dunn.
3 minutes after half time however, Liverpool did break the deadlock, when legendary full back Gerry Byrne broke forward and slid a through ball into Hunt's path, who faked a cross to deceive the Chelsea keeper and fire the ball in at the near post.
Liverpool had further chances to extend their lead, continuing to pile on the pressure, until a breakaway by Chelsea saw them snatch an undeserved equaliser through Bert Murray 2 minutes after the hour mark.
They were level for just seven minutes however, with Liverpool re-taking the lead through Roger Hunt again, who turned the Chelsea defence inside out before firing a left foot shot low past the keeper.
Liverpool then cruised through the last 20 minutes, creating more chances and controlling the game.
When the final whistle blew to confirm Liverpool as Champions, the celebrations began.
The League Championship trophy, which had been won the previous season by Everton, could not be presented straight away, as Everton, in an early show of their famed bitterness, refused to hand over the trophy until the very last match of the season had been played, even though mathematically they were no longer Champions, they insisted on remaining pretenders to the crown for one more week.
A temporary substitute was instead presented after the Chelsea match, when a young fan ran onto the pitch during the aftermath, and handed a replica trophy to Liverpool's captain Ron Yeats.
During the celebrations the crowd chanted the name of Geoff Strong, another integral part of the Championship squad. Dubbed the 12th man in Shankly's great team of the 60's, Strong was called onto the pitch by his team-mates, eventually joining them on the field to be a well deserved part of the celebrations in taking his bow to the crowd.
Roger Hunt went on to play an important role for England that summer, helping them to win the World Cup, by appearing in all 6 matches and scoring 3 goals on route to the final. Gerry Byrne and Ian Callaghan were also part of the England squad, although neither featured during the tournament.