2010–11 Liverpool F.C. season
Encyclopedia
The 2010–11 season was the 119th season in Liverpool Football Club's
existence, and their 48th consecutive year in the top flight of English football. Liverpool were sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank
, after their deal with long-running sponsors Carlsberg finished after 18 years of sponsorship. Pre-season saw a change of manager for Liverpool, with Rafael Benítez
leaving the club by mutual consent on 3 June 2010.
On 1 July 2010, Roy Hodgson
was officially announced as new manager.
On 22 September 2010, Liverpool exited the Football League Cup
, going out at Anfield
to Northampton Town
of League Two
on penalties after a 2–2 draw. They also exited the FA Cup
losing 1–0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford
in the 3rd round. In the last competition in which they were active in, the UEFA Europa League, they were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Portuguese side Braga, losing 1-0 on aggregate.
On 8 January 2011, Liverpool announced that Roy Hodgson
had left the club by mutual consent, and Kenny Dalglish
was appointed as manager until the end of the season.
Under Dalglish, the squads' fortunes improved, taking popular wins against top sides Chelsea
and Manchester United
, and the resurgence saw Liverpool rise up to fifth in May. Despite their resurgence Liverpool eventually finished sixth in the Premier League, having failed to qualify for the Europa League.
The season also saw Liverpool's record purchase and departure, as Fernando Torres
left for Chelsea, being replaced by Newcastle United
's target man Andy Carroll
. Liverpool received £50 million for Torres, and paid £35 million for Carroll's services. Both transfers occurred during a busy transfer deadline day on January 31, where Liverpool also broke its previous transfer record, paying £22.5 million for Luis Suárez
.
During the season, John Flanagan
and Jonjo Shelvey
both made their top flight debuts.
on 24 July thanks to a first half goal from Iliyan Mitsanski. Liverpool completed their pre-season programme with a 1–0 defeat to their 1977 European Cup Final
opponents Borussia Mönchengladbach
on 1 August. Karim Matmour
's early goal meant that Liverpool completed their pre-season without victory.
of Macedonia already on 29 July. In front of a largely empty stadium, the side won their first competitive fixture under Roy Hodgson
, 2-0 being the final score, following a double salvo from David N'Gog
. In the return leg, Steven Gerrard
scored from the penalty spot
, and N'Gog scored another to make it 2-0 once more.
On August 15, Liverpool entertained title contenders Arsenal
on Anfield
. The away side had the lion's share of the possession, and looked to be well on their way to gaining control of the fixture, when Joe Cole
got sent off on his Liverpool Premiership debut for a late tackle on Laurent Koscielny
. In the second half, want-away star midfielder Javier Mascherano set up N'Gog, who made a blistering run, before firing the ball into the back of the net. At the end of the game, the one-man deficit took its toll, and despite several spectacular saves from Pepe Reina, he eventually fumbled in an equaliser, in a rare mistake from the Spanish international. Koscielny then got sent off for a second yellow, before Gerrard fired a stoppage-time free kick just inches wide. Fernando Torres
returned from injury and was greeted with a standing ovation while coming on.
On the Thursday that followed, Trabzonspor
came to Anfield
for the playoff round of the UEFA Europa League. A less than convincing first half-display from Liverpool turned into a sudden success, as Cole assisted Ryan Babel
, who made no mistake with the finish. Cole then had the chance to score from the spot in the second half, but blew it, the shot going right at the grateful goalkeeper. Cole later admitted it was his first ever penalty kick as a professional. Christian Poulsen
made his debut for the club, the Dane international being signed from Juventus
for £4.5 million. At the same time, Italian playmaker Alberto Aquilani
went in the other direction, in his case on loan with a public buyout clause.
On August 23, Liverpool travelled to Eastlands
to face Manchester City. Prior to the match, Mascherano handed in a transfer request and was dropped from the squad. Just days afterwards, he was presented at FC Barcelona
. In the wake of the Mascherano saga, Liverpool struggled against the cash-boosted blue club of Manchester. City won 3-0, a score that could have been even higher. The goals were scored by Gareth Barry
and Carlos Tévez
, two former Liverpool transfer targets.
The poor season start looked to go from bad to worse as Trabzonspor scored the opener in the return leg thanks to Teófilo Gutiérrez
, but thanks to a late own goal and a strike from Dirk Kuyt
, Liverpool managed to just scrape through to the group stage.
On the Sunday, Liverpool capped the week off with a second win, narrowly defeating West Bromwich
, who surprisingly dominated the possession in the first half. Liverpool got out of jail thanks to a moment of genius from Dirk Kuyt
and Fernando Torres
, Kuyt playing a nice cross in, which Torres rifled into the corner for the winning goal. In spite of the victory, the performance was criticised by the fans, not content with the way Hodgson set up his tactics. The response was the signing of Raul Meireles for half of the money the Mascherano transfer brought in. The Portuguese international made his first foreign foray, following four league titles with Porto. On deadline day, Liverpool landed Paul Konchesky
from Fulham
for a couple of millions + young players Lauri Dalla Valle
and Alex Kačaniklić.
having his penalty claims waved away in the first half.
Four days later, the side started the group stage phase of the Europa League with a comfortable victory against Steaua Bucharest at Anfield
. Inside the first minute, Joe Cole
took advantage of a defensive slip to score the opening goal. Despite Steaua drawing level within a quarter of an hour, Liverpool cruised to victory in the second half, with N'Gog scoring twice, including his first ever penalty goal for the club. Lucas Leiva
also scored his first of the season.
The following Sunday, September 19 was the first North West derby of the season, with Liverpool travelling to Old Trafford
to face Manchester United. Two goals from Dimitar Berbatov
, including a bicycle kick, saw United go into a 2-0 cushion with half an hour left, when Fernando Torres
won a penalty
, being pulled down by Nemanja Vidić
. With Steven Gerrard scoring from the spot, Liverpool's hopes were reinvigorated, and when Torres was pulled down outside of the box, Gerrard took the free kick with great precision, drawing Liverpool level, kissing the TV camera in celebration. The Liverpool joy was short-lived, as Berbatov scored his third goal from a header less than ten minutes from time. This meant Liverpool had only five points from five games, but with two home matches against unfancied sides coming up next.
In mid-week, Liverpool lost to minnows Northampton Town in the Carling Cup on Anfield
. It was the first time ever Liverpool had lost to a fourth-tier team, and the team was heavily criticised by the fans, following the display from what essentially was the second XI. The loss was on penalty kicks, following 1-1 at full time and 2-2 after extra time. Following David N'Gog
's late equaliser, Liverpool was lucky to scrape through to the shootout, where N'Gog himself missed his penalty and the side went out in humiliating fashion.
As courtroom battles over the right to sell the club to new investors intensified, Liverpool at least got a gift against Sunderland
at home, as a brief touch on the ball by a Sunderland player was deemed enough for the play to have started. Torres snapped up the ball and assisted Dirk Kuyt
for a controversial goal, ironically in the same minute as the controversial beachball goal the previous season between the sides on the opponent's ground. The referee was not awarded with any more Premier League matches for the rest of the calendar year, as a result of the goal. Sunderland turned the deficit, thanks to a brace from Darren Bent
, one of them from the penalty spot. Liverpool was spared the embarrassment of a third consecutive defeat thanks to a header from Steven Gerrard, following Torres's second assist of the afternoon. Controversially, Gerrard and Torres celebrated the goal on separate locations, sparking further rumours of differences between the two. A few days later, Liverpool claimed a clean sheet and a point away from home against Utrecht in the Europa League.
At the end of the month, the prospect of the club going into administration was dismissed, and even if Royal Bank of Scotland
had to take over the shares, the side would not be docked the nine points as stipulated by the Premier League.
, where Fernando Torres
limped off with a groin injury in the first half. One penalty kick and a defensive mistake caused a 0-2 deficit at the interval, and in spite of Sotirios Kyrgiakos
header, and a big chance for Joe Cole
a minute later, the pressure faded, and Blackpool had no problems holding on. The defeat left Liverpool in the relegation zone.
The imminent takeover looked to stall, in spite of Fenway Sports Group
agreeing a fee with chairman Martin Broughton
, who along with Christian Purslow
and Ian Ayre
had a majority in Kop Holdings, the group in charge of selling the club, where co-owners Tom Hicks
and George Gillett also held seats. Hicks and Gillett took the other board members to court, and on the Friday prior to the Merseyside derby
, the High Court in London, declared that the process was against British law, and that the juridical process in Texas
was not going to stop the affair taking place. New owner John W. Henry
immediately travelled to Liverpool, watching the derby in attendance, being joined by future chairman Tom Werner
.
The derby itself saw Liverpool sink deeper into the relegation mire, with Mikel Arteta
and Tim Cahill
scoring Everton
's goals. Following the defeat, Hodgson praised the performance in the second half, which led to demands of his resignation from prominent supporter groups. Henry and FSG gave Hodgson a vote of confidence, in spite of fan demands of Kenny Dalglish
to be appointed in a clean slate following the shift of ownership.
A deeply pressured manager went to Naples
to face Napoli
, with a B-spec side. Napoli was fighting in the top of Serie A
. In spite of Liverpool being tipped by fans and media alike to lose heavily, a goalless draw was eventually a fair result. Three days later, the side also turned a corner, by winning against Blackburn
at Anfield. It was not quite enough to escape the relegation zone, but the performance was relatively convincing, and Torres's winner came as an immediate response to an own goal from Jamie Carragher
that took Blackburn right into the match.
October ended with Hodgson's only domestic away victory with Liverpool, when the side scored a late winner at Bolton
. The match did not provide much spark until a flick with the heel from Torres put Maxi Rodríguez through five minutes from time, and the Argentine blasted the ball in with a toe-hit. In the same match, Cole got injured and was set to miss out on a whole month. The most important effect of the two-match streak was that it meant Liverpool left the relegation zone for good, albeit they were never in a safe distance from it until 15 matches later.
However, the recovery was halted somewhat after a surprise 1-1 draw against Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium just a few days later. Torres was once again on the score sheet with a well taken opener, before Charles N'Zogbia equalised for the Latics.
There would be further frustration for the Reds on the road, after a dismal performance and a deserved 2-0 loss to Stoke City on a Saturday evening. Liverpool recovered from the defeat though, with a deserved 3-0 victory against West Ham at Anfield thanks to 3 first half goals from Glen Johnson, a penalty from Dirk Kuyt, and header by Maxi Rodriguez.
Liverpool ended the month in disappointing fashion. Despite leading Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at half time, thanks to a rare goal from Martin Skrtel, Liverpool collapsed in the second half and lost thanks to an injury time winner through Aaron Lennon.
Liverpool played only one Europa League game in this month. A 3-1 win over Napoli was not as easy as it looks on paper. Liverpool went in to half time losing 1-0, but Steven Gerrard rescued his team in the second half with an excellent hat trick. A penalty, and a superb chip over the Napoli goalkeeper, as well as capitalizing on a dreadful error by former Liverpool player Andrea Dossena guided Liverpool to 3 points in their group.
On another Saturday evening game, Liverpool were torn apart by Newcastle and beaten 3-1 at St James Park. Ironically, future Liverpool player Andy Carroll scored the third goal for Newcastle. Dirk Kuyt managed to draw the Reds level after Kevin Nolan had fired Newcastle in front, but Joey Barton put the Geordies in front.
Liverpool played only three games in December, after the scheduled game at Bloomfield Road against Blackpool was canceled. Liverpool ended the month with the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers to Anfield, although Liverpool had lost their last game, fans were reasonably confident of a good result in this game. Raul Meireles should have put Liverpool in front after 9 minutes when presented with a one-on-one opportunity after a quick free kick from Fernando Torres and this proved to be by far Liverpool's best chance of the night. Wolves gradually grew in to the game and restricted Liverpool to long, and hopeful hoofs from Pepe Reina to give them a chance. Stephen Ward deservedly put Wolves in front after an hour and Liverpool fans visibly became more distressed. Chants of "Dalglish" grew louder, and ironic chants of "Hodgson for England" (in reference to Roy being linked with the position after England's disastrous World Cup campaign) were echoing round the stadium. Some home fans even joined in the away supports chants of "You're getting sacked in the morning" and booed when David N'Gog was substituted for Ryan Babel, despite the Frenchman being Liverpool's best player on the night. As well as cheering ironically when Paul Konchesky was substituted for Fabio Aureilio, the faas booed at the final whistle and the content for Roy was stronger than ever.
Liverpool drew both of their Europa League games in this month, a 1-1 away draw against Steau Bucharest and a 0-0 draw against Utrecht at Anfield meant that Liverpool qualified comfortable for the knockout stages of the Europa League.
In what would prove to be Roy Hodgson's last ever game as Liverpool F.C manager, his team were torn to shreds by a stunning performance from Blackburn Rovers. First half goals from Martin Olsson and a rare goal for Benjani, set the tone for the rest of the evening. Things went from bad to worse for Liverpool after Benjani got his second goal, and Blackburn's third to make the score 3-0 after just 58 minutes. Liverpool were clearly shell shocked, but did manage to pull a goal back through Steven Gerrard. Liverpool also got a penalty with only a few minutes to go, but Steven Gerrard uncharacteristically skied the ball miles over the bar. Gerrard appeared to show little emotion after missing the penalty that would have got Liverpool back in to the game, sparking rumours that he missed the spot kick on purpose to get Hodgson sacked.
On 8 January 2011, just one day before Liverpool were due to kick off their FA Cup campaign against bitter rivals Manchester United, the club announced Roy Hodgson had left by mutual consent. Kenny Dalglish was due to take charge on a temporary basis until the end of the season. The news was welcomed by most Liverpool fans and the FA Cup game somewhat took lesser importance given Dalglish had not even had a days training with the squad he had inherited.
Liverpool lost their third round FA Cup game to Manchester United at Old Trafford thanks to an early penalty from Ryan Giggs, the spot kick was awarded after Berbatov had gone over from a Daniel Agger challenge. The debate still rumbles on as to whether Berbatov had actually dived to win the penalty. Steven Gerrard was to be sent off by Howard Webb in the first half after a reckless challenge, and this would mean he would miss Liverpool's next three games (including the derby game against Everton at Anfield)
In Dalglish's first ever Premier League game in charge of Liverpool Football Club, his side lost to Blackpool 2-1, despite first taking the lead. Raul Meireles finally scored his first goal for the club, against Everton, which ended 2-2, in Dalglish's first home game back in charge. Anfield was stunned though by a Sylvain Distin goal from a corner in the first minute of the second half. Jermaine Beckford then put Everton in front with a well placed finish. Liverpool won a penalty in the 68th minute which Dirk Kuyt duly slotted home. Despite the result, this was a definite improvement to performances under Hodgson.
In Liverpool's second league away game under Dalglish, they stormed past Wolverhampton Wanderers. Winning by a 3-0 margin, soon to depart Fernando Torres scored his last goals for the club. The first was from an excellent break away move which saw Meireles slip in the Spaniard who had an easy task to convert. It was Meireles who added a second on the say, and doubled his tally for the season, with a stunning volley that was voted 'goal of the season' by Liverpool fans. Torres rounded off the day, and his Liverpool career, by finishing a 31 pass move to give Kenny Dalglish his first win in charge of Liverpool. On 31 January, came Dalglish's first signings for the club since taking charge for the second time, Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll joined Liverpool for £22m and a club record £35m respectively. Fernando Torres left Liverpool for Chelsea for £50m the same day.
|-
|colspan="14"|Players sold or loaned out after the start of the season:
|}
.
strip represents a modern interpretation of the one worn during the 1989–90 campaign in which Liverpool won their eighteenth league title. The away strip was revealed on 8 June and is white with a red trim, with black shorts accompanying it. The third kit was revealed on 15 June and is black with a yellow trim.
Reserves and Academy
Total spending: £82.8m
Reserves and Academy
Total income: £87.15m
Premier League
Last updated: 17 March 2011
Source: Liverpool F.C.
FA Cup
League Cup
Jamie Carragher
Last updated: 21 July 2010
Source: Liverpool F.C.
As of 14 January 2011.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
existence, and their 48th consecutive year in the top flight of English football. Liverpool were sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank
Standard Chartered Bank
Standard Chartered PLC is a multinational financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom with operations in more than seventy countries...
, after their deal with long-running sponsors Carlsberg finished after 18 years of sponsorship. Pre-season saw a change of manager for Liverpool, with Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
leaving the club by mutual consent on 3 June 2010.
On 1 July 2010, Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson is a former English footballer and current head coach of West Bromwich Albion.Hodgson, who has managed sixteen different teams in eight countries, guided the Switzerland national team to the last 16 of the 1994 World Cup and qualification for Euro 1996; Switzerland had not qualified...
was officially announced as new manager.
On 22 September 2010, Liverpool exited the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
, going out at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
to Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
of League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
on penalties after a 2–2 draw. They also exited the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
losing 1–0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
in the 3rd round. In the last competition in which they were active in, the UEFA Europa League, they were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Portuguese side Braga, losing 1-0 on aggregate.
On 8 January 2011, Liverpool announced that Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson is a former English footballer and current head coach of West Bromwich Albion.Hodgson, who has managed sixteen different teams in eight countries, guided the Switzerland national team to the last 16 of the 1994 World Cup and qualification for Euro 1996; Switzerland had not qualified...
had left the club by mutual consent, and Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
was appointed as manager until the end of the season.
Under Dalglish, the squads' fortunes improved, taking popular wins against top sides Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, and the resurgence saw Liverpool rise up to fifth in May. Despite their resurgence Liverpool eventually finished sixth in the Premier League, having failed to qualify for the Europa League.
The season also saw Liverpool's record purchase and departure, as Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker....
left for Chelsea, being replaced by Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
's target man Andy Carroll
Andy Carroll
Andrew Thomas "Andy" Carroll is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Liverpool and the England national team....
. Liverpool received £50 million for Torres, and paid £35 million for Carroll's services. Both transfers occurred during a busy transfer deadline day on January 31, where Liverpool also broke its previous transfer record, paying £22.5 million for Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez (Uruguayan footballer)
Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz , commonly known as Luis Suárez and nicknamed "El Pistolero" , is a Uruguayan footballer who plays for Liverpool and the Uruguayan national team...
.
During the season, John Flanagan
John Flanagan (English footballer)
Jonathon Patrick "Jon" Flanagan is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool as a full back. He made his debut for Liverpool in a 3-0 win against Manchester City on 11 April 2011. He is the nephew of QPR right-back Bradley Orr...
and Jonjo Shelvey
Jonjo Shelvey
Jonjo Shelvey is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool. A midfielder, he has represented and also captained England at U19 level. Previously he played for , for whom he was the youngest-ever first-team player, appearing at the age of 16 years and 59 days...
both made their top flight debuts.
Pre-season
On 1 July, Liverpool announced that their fixtures for pre-season would start in Austria against Al-Hilal on the 17 July. The game, however, was cancelled due to heavy rainfall days before the match, which left the pitch in unplayable conditions. Liverpool continued with their pre-season preparations with a 0–0 draw with Grasshopper Club Zürich on 21 July and a 1–0 defeat at the hands of FC Kaiserslautern1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
on 24 July thanks to a first half goal from Iliyan Mitsanski. Liverpool completed their pre-season programme with a 1–0 defeat to their 1977 European Cup Final
1977 European Cup Final
The 1977 European Cup Final was an association football match between Liverpool of England and Borussia Mönchengladbach of Germany on 25 May 1977 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. The showpiece event was the final match of the 1976–77 season of Europe's premier cup competition, the European Cup...
opponents Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
on 1 August. Karim Matmour
Karim Matmour
Karim Matmour is an Algerian professional footballer. He currently plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for German 2. Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt and the Algerian national team.-Club career:...
's early goal meant that Liverpool completed their pre-season without victory.
August
Liverpool started their season with a pair of wins against RabotničkiFK Rabotnicki
FK Rabotnički is a football club that plays at the Philip II Arena in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. They currently compete in the Macedonian First League.-History:...
of Macedonia already on 29 July. In front of a largely empty stadium, the side won their first competitive fixture under Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson is a former English footballer and current head coach of West Bromwich Albion.Hodgson, who has managed sixteen different teams in eight countries, guided the Switzerland national team to the last 16 of the 1994 World Cup and qualification for Euro 1996; Switzerland had not qualified...
, 2-0 being the final score, following a double salvo from David N'Gog
David N'Gog
David N'Gog is a French footballer who plays for Bolton Wanderers. He is the cousin of the Panathinaikos and French international player Jean-Alain Boumsong.-Paris Saint-Germain:...
. In the return leg, Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...
scored from the penalty spot
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
, and N'Gog scored another to make it 2-0 once more.
On August 15, Liverpool entertained title contenders Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
on Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
. The away side had the lion's share of the possession, and looked to be well on their way to gaining control of the fixture, when Joe Cole
Joe Cole
Joseph John "Joe" Cole is an English footballer who plays for Lille, on loan from Liverpool, and the England national football team as midfielder. He started his career with where he played more than 100 games during five years, until he left for Chelsea in 2003...
got sent off on his Liverpool Premiership debut for a late tackle on Laurent Koscielny
Laurent Koscielny
Laurent Koscielny is a French footballer who plays as a defender for Arsenal. He primarily plays as a centre back but he can also play as an right back, a position where he started his career. Koscielny is a youth product of Guingamp. He is described as an aggressive, uncompromising and...
. In the second half, want-away star midfielder Javier Mascherano set up N'Gog, who made a blistering run, before firing the ball into the back of the net. At the end of the game, the one-man deficit took its toll, and despite several spectacular saves from Pepe Reina, he eventually fumbled in an equaliser, in a rare mistake from the Spanish international. Koscielny then got sent off for a second yellow, before Gerrard fired a stoppage-time free kick just inches wide. Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker....
returned from injury and was greeted with a standing ovation while coming on.
On the Thursday that followed, Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Trabzon, Turkey. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor won six championships in Turkish Super League. The Club won their first Championship title in 1975 which is also the Club's initiation year...
came to Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
for the playoff round of the UEFA Europa League. A less than convincing first half-display from Liverpool turned into a sudden success, as Cole assisted Ryan Babel
Ryan Babel
Ryan Guno Babel is a Dutch football player who currently plays for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. He can play as a left winger and as a striker. Babel began his career at AFC Ajax in 1998, working his way up through the youth team and into the senior squad...
, who made no mistake with the finish. Cole then had the chance to score from the spot in the second half, but blew it, the shot going right at the grateful goalkeeper. Cole later admitted it was his first ever penalty kick as a professional. Christian Poulsen
Christian Poulsen
Christian Bjørnshøj Poulsen is a Danish footballer who plays for Evian in Ligue 1. He has played for a number of European clubs, winning the Danish Superliga championship with F.C...
made his debut for the club, the Dane international being signed from Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
for £4.5 million. At the same time, Italian playmaker Alberto Aquilani
Alberto Aquilani
Alberto Aquilani is an Italian footballer who plays for Serie A club Milan on loan from Liverpool. He is also part of the Italian national team. Aquilani is a central midfielder, who can operate in a holding position or an attacking position in the hole behind the strikers...
went in the other direction, in his case on loan with a public buyout clause.
On August 23, Liverpool travelled to Eastlands
City of Manchester Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England – also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship purposes– is the home ground of...
to face Manchester City. Prior to the match, Mascherano handed in a transfer request and was dropped from the squad. Just days afterwards, he was presented at FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
. In the wake of the Mascherano saga, Liverpool struggled against the cash-boosted blue club of Manchester. City won 3-0, a score that could have been even higher. The goals were scored by Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry is an English footballer who plays for Manchester City and the England national football team.Barry moved to Aston Villa from Brighton & Hove Albion as a youngster, and spent 12 years at the club. He captained Aston Villa, and, at the end of his career with the club, lay eighth in...
and Carlos Tévez
Carlos Tévez
Carlos Alberto Tévez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for English club Manchester City...
, two former Liverpool transfer targets.
The poor season start looked to go from bad to worse as Trabzonspor scored the opener in the return leg thanks to Teófilo Gutiérrez
Teófilo Gutiérrez
Teófilo Gutiérrez Triófilo is a Colombian international footballer who is playing for Racing Club de Avellaneda in Argentina.-Barranquilla FC:...
, but thanks to a late own goal and a strike from Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt is a Dutch footballer who plays for English club Liverpool. He started his career as a striker, but he has been converted into a winger and plays the position for both Liverpool and the Netherlands national team....
, Liverpool managed to just scrape through to the group stage.
On the Sunday, Liverpool capped the week off with a second win, narrowly defeating West Bromwich
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, who surprisingly dominated the possession in the first half. Liverpool got out of jail thanks to a moment of genius from Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt is a Dutch footballer who plays for English club Liverpool. He started his career as a striker, but he has been converted into a winger and plays the position for both Liverpool and the Netherlands national team....
and Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker....
, Kuyt playing a nice cross in, which Torres rifled into the corner for the winning goal. In spite of the victory, the performance was criticised by the fans, not content with the way Hodgson set up his tactics. The response was the signing of Raul Meireles for half of the money the Mascherano transfer brought in. The Portuguese international made his first foreign foray, following four league titles with Porto. On deadline day, Liverpool landed Paul Konchesky
Paul Konchesky
Paul Martyn Konchesky is an English footballer who plays as a left back. Currently signed to Leicester City, he has previously played for Charlton, Tottenham, West Ham, Fulham, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, joining his present club in July 2011...
from Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
for a couple of millions + young players Lauri Dalla Valle
Lauri Dalla Valle
Lauri Dalla Valle is a Finnish professional footballer who plays in Scotland for Dundee United, on loan from English club Fulham...
and Alex Kačaniklić.
September
In September, Liverpool struggled, and recorded a winless month in Premier League matches. On September 12, the away match against Birmingham City ended goalless, with Pepe Reina being named Man of the Match following several key saves, in a match where Birmingham had the upper hand. Liverpool could have won regardless, Steven GerrardSteven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...
having his penalty claims waved away in the first half.
Four days later, the side started the group stage phase of the Europa League with a comfortable victory against Steaua Bucharest at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
. Inside the first minute, Joe Cole
Joe Cole
Joseph John "Joe" Cole is an English footballer who plays for Lille, on loan from Liverpool, and the England national football team as midfielder. He started his career with where he played more than 100 games during five years, until he left for Chelsea in 2003...
took advantage of a defensive slip to score the opening goal. Despite Steaua drawing level within a quarter of an hour, Liverpool cruised to victory in the second half, with N'Gog scoring twice, including his first ever penalty goal for the club. Lucas Leiva
Lucas Leiva
Lucas Pezzini-Leiva , often known as simply Lucas, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a Defensive midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool and the Brazilian national side...
also scored his first of the season.
The following Sunday, September 19 was the first North West derby of the season, with Liverpool travelling to Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
to face Manchester United. Two goals from Dimitar Berbatov
Dimitar Berbatov
Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as a forward for Manchester United. He captained the Bulgarian national team from 2006 to 2010, and is its all-time leading goalscorer and has also won the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year a record seven times, surpassing the number of...
, including a bicycle kick, saw United go into a 2-0 cushion with half an hour left, when Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker....
won a penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
, being pulled down by Nemanja Vidić
Nemanja Vidic
Nemanja Vidić is a Serbian footballer who captains English Premier League club Manchester United. He was part of the Serbia national football team from 2002 to 2011....
. With Steven Gerrard scoring from the spot, Liverpool's hopes were reinvigorated, and when Torres was pulled down outside of the box, Gerrard took the free kick with great precision, drawing Liverpool level, kissing the TV camera in celebration. The Liverpool joy was short-lived, as Berbatov scored his third goal from a header less than ten minutes from time. This meant Liverpool had only five points from five games, but with two home matches against unfancied sides coming up next.
In mid-week, Liverpool lost to minnows Northampton Town in the Carling Cup on Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
. It was the first time ever Liverpool had lost to a fourth-tier team, and the team was heavily criticised by the fans, following the display from what essentially was the second XI. The loss was on penalty kicks, following 1-1 at full time and 2-2 after extra time. Following David N'Gog
David N'Gog
David N'Gog is a French footballer who plays for Bolton Wanderers. He is the cousin of the Panathinaikos and French international player Jean-Alain Boumsong.-Paris Saint-Germain:...
's late equaliser, Liverpool was lucky to scrape through to the shootout, where N'Gog himself missed his penalty and the side went out in humiliating fashion.
As courtroom battles over the right to sell the club to new investors intensified, Liverpool at least got a gift against Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
at home, as a brief touch on the ball by a Sunderland player was deemed enough for the play to have started. Torres snapped up the ball and assisted Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt is a Dutch footballer who plays for English club Liverpool. He started his career as a striker, but he has been converted into a winger and plays the position for both Liverpool and the Netherlands national team....
for a controversial goal, ironically in the same minute as the controversial beachball goal the previous season between the sides on the opponent's ground. The referee was not awarded with any more Premier League matches for the rest of the calendar year, as a result of the goal. Sunderland turned the deficit, thanks to a brace from Darren Bent
Darren Bent
Darren Ashley Bent is an English footballer who plays for Aston Villa as a striker.Bent started his career with Ipswich Town. After progressing through their youth system he made his first team debut in 2001. He made 122 appearances and scored 48 goals in the league for Ipswich, before joining...
, one of them from the penalty spot. Liverpool was spared the embarrassment of a third consecutive defeat thanks to a header from Steven Gerrard, following Torres's second assist of the afternoon. Controversially, Gerrard and Torres celebrated the goal on separate locations, sparking further rumours of differences between the two. A few days later, Liverpool claimed a clean sheet and a point away from home against Utrecht in the Europa League.
At the end of the month, the prospect of the club going into administration was dismissed, and even if Royal Bank of Scotland
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
had to take over the shares, the side would not be docked the nine points as stipulated by the Premier League.
October
The crisis continued with a shock defeat to BlackpoolBlackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, where Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker....
limped off with a groin injury in the first half. One penalty kick and a defensive mistake caused a 0-2 deficit at the interval, and in spite of Sotirios Kyrgiakos
Sotirios Kyrgiakos
Sotirios Kyrgiakos is a Greek international footballer who plays for Wolfsburg as a centre back. He is known for his powerful heading.-Panathinaikos:...
header, and a big chance for Joe Cole
Joe Cole
Joseph John "Joe" Cole is an English footballer who plays for Lille, on loan from Liverpool, and the England national football team as midfielder. He started his career with where he played more than 100 games during five years, until he left for Chelsea in 2003...
a minute later, the pressure faded, and Blackpool had no problems holding on. The defeat left Liverpool in the relegation zone.
The imminent takeover looked to stall, in spite of Fenway Sports Group
Fenway Sports Group
Fenway Sports Management is a company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts established by Fenway Sports Group in 2004. It styles itself as a "new kind of sports marketing agency," created by FSG to expand its footprint beyond its most famous holdings, the Boston Red Sox of Major League...
agreeing a fee with chairman Martin Broughton
Martin Broughton
Sir Martin Faulkner Broughton is a British businessman who is the current chairman of British Airways and former chairman of Liverpool Football Club...
, who along with Christian Purslow
Christian Purslow
Christian Mark Cecil Purslow is a British-born businessman, co-founder of private equity firm MidOcean Partners, and former Managing Director of Liverpool Football Club.-Early life:...
and Ian Ayre
Ian Ayre
Ian Ayre , is a Scouse businessman and the current Managing Director of Liverpool Football Club.-Biography:Born in the Liverpool, he was educated at Litherland High School...
had a majority in Kop Holdings, the group in charge of selling the club, where co-owners Tom Hicks
Tom Hicks
Thomas Ollis Hicks, Sr. , is an American 'leveraged buyout' businessman living in Dallas, Texas. Despite Forbes Magazine estimating Hicks' wealth at USD 1 billion in 2009, Hicks was unable to pay off joint loans of circa £200 million the following year...
and George Gillett also held seats. Hicks and Gillett took the other board members to court, and on the Friday prior to the Merseyside derby
Merseyside derby
The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England...
, the High Court in London, declared that the process was against British law, and that the juridical process in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
was not going to stop the affair taking place. New owner John W. Henry
John W. Henry
John William Henry II is a futures and foreign exchange trading advisor who founded John W. Henry & Company . He is the principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool F.C., and co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing. In March 2006, Boston Magazine estimated his net worth at $1.1 billion, but noted...
immediately travelled to Liverpool, watching the derby in attendance, being joined by future chairman Tom Werner
Tom Werner
Thomas Charles "Tom" Werner is an American television producer and businessman who, via his investment in New England Sports Ventures, is chairman of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club....
.
The derby itself saw Liverpool sink deeper into the relegation mire, with Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta Amatriain is a Spanish footballer who plays for Arsenal as a midfielder.Arteta started out as a trainee with FC Barcelona but could not break his way into the first team and was eventually loaned to Paris Saint-Germain in the French league...
and Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga "Tim" Cahill is an football player of Australian nationality who plays for Everton and the Australian national football team...
scoring Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
's goals. Following the defeat, Hodgson praised the performance in the second half, which led to demands of his resignation from prominent supporter groups. Henry and FSG gave Hodgson a vote of confidence, in spite of fan demands of Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
to be appointed in a clean slate following the shift of ownership.
A deeply pressured manager went to Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
to face Napoli
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
, with a B-spec side. Napoli was fighting in the top of Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
. In spite of Liverpool being tipped by fans and media alike to lose heavily, a goalless draw was eventually a fair result. Three days later, the side also turned a corner, by winning against Blackburn
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
at Anfield. It was not quite enough to escape the relegation zone, but the performance was relatively convincing, and Torres's winner came as an immediate response to an own goal from Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher
James Lee Duncan "Jamie" Carragher is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League side Liverpool...
that took Blackburn right into the match.
October ended with Hodgson's only domestic away victory with Liverpool, when the side scored a late winner at Bolton
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
. The match did not provide much spark until a flick with the heel from Torres put Maxi Rodríguez through five minutes from time, and the Argentine blasted the ball in with a toe-hit. In the same match, Cole got injured and was set to miss out on a whole month. The most important effect of the two-match streak was that it meant Liverpool left the relegation zone for good, albeit they were never in a safe distance from it until 15 matches later.
November
Liverpool continued their winning streak in to November, with what was easily their best performance under Roy Hodgson in a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Anfield. Ironically, it was future Chelsea player Fernando Torres who scored both goals for Liverpool. One being a well taken finish, the other a sublime piece of skill which saw him curl the ball past the helpless Petr Cech. Despite coming under serious pressure from Chelsea in the second half, Liverpool held out for a shock win. Some say that this defeat for Chelsea sparked their dreadful mid season form which cost them the title.However, the recovery was halted somewhat after a surprise 1-1 draw against Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium just a few days later. Torres was once again on the score sheet with a well taken opener, before Charles N'Zogbia equalised for the Latics.
There would be further frustration for the Reds on the road, after a dismal performance and a deserved 2-0 loss to Stoke City on a Saturday evening. Liverpool recovered from the defeat though, with a deserved 3-0 victory against West Ham at Anfield thanks to 3 first half goals from Glen Johnson, a penalty from Dirk Kuyt, and header by Maxi Rodriguez.
Liverpool ended the month in disappointing fashion. Despite leading Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at half time, thanks to a rare goal from Martin Skrtel, Liverpool collapsed in the second half and lost thanks to an injury time winner through Aaron Lennon.
Liverpool played only one Europa League game in this month. A 3-1 win over Napoli was not as easy as it looks on paper. Liverpool went in to half time losing 1-0, but Steven Gerrard rescued his team in the second half with an excellent hat trick. A penalty, and a superb chip over the Napoli goalkeeper, as well as capitalizing on a dreadful error by former Liverpool player Andrea Dossena guided Liverpool to 3 points in their group.
December
Liverpool stormed to their fourth consecutive home victory, a 3-0 Monday night win against Aston Villa. First half goals from David N'Gog and, soon to depart, Ryan Babel set the Reds on their way. This would be Babels last goal for the club. Maxi Rodriguez added a third in the second half after an excellent Liverpool counter attack. Gerard Houllier claimed afterwards that he "didn't mind" losing to Liverpool which provoked a furious response from Aston Villa fans.On another Saturday evening game, Liverpool were torn apart by Newcastle and beaten 3-1 at St James Park. Ironically, future Liverpool player Andy Carroll scored the third goal for Newcastle. Dirk Kuyt managed to draw the Reds level after Kevin Nolan had fired Newcastle in front, but Joey Barton put the Geordies in front.
Liverpool played only three games in December, after the scheduled game at Bloomfield Road against Blackpool was canceled. Liverpool ended the month with the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers to Anfield, although Liverpool had lost their last game, fans were reasonably confident of a good result in this game. Raul Meireles should have put Liverpool in front after 9 minutes when presented with a one-on-one opportunity after a quick free kick from Fernando Torres and this proved to be by far Liverpool's best chance of the night. Wolves gradually grew in to the game and restricted Liverpool to long, and hopeful hoofs from Pepe Reina to give them a chance. Stephen Ward deservedly put Wolves in front after an hour and Liverpool fans visibly became more distressed. Chants of "Dalglish" grew louder, and ironic chants of "Hodgson for England" (in reference to Roy being linked with the position after England's disastrous World Cup campaign) were echoing round the stadium. Some home fans even joined in the away supports chants of "You're getting sacked in the morning" and booed when David N'Gog was substituted for Ryan Babel, despite the Frenchman being Liverpool's best player on the night. As well as cheering ironically when Paul Konchesky was substituted for Fabio Aureilio, the faas booed at the final whistle and the content for Roy was stronger than ever.
Liverpool drew both of their Europa League games in this month, a 1-1 away draw against Steau Bucharest and a 0-0 draw against Utrecht at Anfield meant that Liverpool qualified comfortable for the knockout stages of the Europa League.
January
January began in dramatic fashion for Liverpool. On the traditional New Years Day fixture, they fell behind at home to Bolton Wanderers in the 43rd minute thanks to a Kevin Davies goal. An unsurprisingly, nowhere near full Anfield, rallied and got their rewards through a 49th minute goal by Fernando Torres. Liverpool secured a league double over Bolton, and once again scored late against them, with Joe Cole getting on the score sheet for the first time in his Liverpool career in the Premier League. This would be Roy Hodgson's last game at Anfield.In what would prove to be Roy Hodgson's last ever game as Liverpool F.C manager, his team were torn to shreds by a stunning performance from Blackburn Rovers. First half goals from Martin Olsson and a rare goal for Benjani, set the tone for the rest of the evening. Things went from bad to worse for Liverpool after Benjani got his second goal, and Blackburn's third to make the score 3-0 after just 58 minutes. Liverpool were clearly shell shocked, but did manage to pull a goal back through Steven Gerrard. Liverpool also got a penalty with only a few minutes to go, but Steven Gerrard uncharacteristically skied the ball miles over the bar. Gerrard appeared to show little emotion after missing the penalty that would have got Liverpool back in to the game, sparking rumours that he missed the spot kick on purpose to get Hodgson sacked.
On 8 January 2011, just one day before Liverpool were due to kick off their FA Cup campaign against bitter rivals Manchester United, the club announced Roy Hodgson had left by mutual consent. Kenny Dalglish was due to take charge on a temporary basis until the end of the season. The news was welcomed by most Liverpool fans and the FA Cup game somewhat took lesser importance given Dalglish had not even had a days training with the squad he had inherited.
Liverpool lost their third round FA Cup game to Manchester United at Old Trafford thanks to an early penalty from Ryan Giggs, the spot kick was awarded after Berbatov had gone over from a Daniel Agger challenge. The debate still rumbles on as to whether Berbatov had actually dived to win the penalty. Steven Gerrard was to be sent off by Howard Webb in the first half after a reckless challenge, and this would mean he would miss Liverpool's next three games (including the derby game against Everton at Anfield)
In Dalglish's first ever Premier League game in charge of Liverpool Football Club, his side lost to Blackpool 2-1, despite first taking the lead. Raul Meireles finally scored his first goal for the club, against Everton, which ended 2-2, in Dalglish's first home game back in charge. Anfield was stunned though by a Sylvain Distin goal from a corner in the first minute of the second half. Jermaine Beckford then put Everton in front with a well placed finish. Liverpool won a penalty in the 68th minute which Dirk Kuyt duly slotted home. Despite the result, this was a definite improvement to performances under Hodgson.
In Liverpool's second league away game under Dalglish, they stormed past Wolverhampton Wanderers. Winning by a 3-0 margin, soon to depart Fernando Torres scored his last goals for the club. The first was from an excellent break away move which saw Meireles slip in the Spaniard who had an easy task to convert. It was Meireles who added a second on the say, and doubled his tally for the season, with a stunning volley that was voted 'goal of the season' by Liverpool fans. Torres rounded off the day, and his Liverpool career, by finishing a 31 pass move to give Kenny Dalglish his first win in charge of Liverpool. On 31 January, came Dalglish's first signings for the club since taking charge for the second time, Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll joined Liverpool for £22m and a club record £35m respectively. Fernando Torres left Liverpool for Chelsea for £50m the same day.
First Team
| No. | Name | Nationality | Position | Date of Birth (Age) | Signed from | Contract ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||
| 1 | Brad Jones |  |
GK | March 19, 1982 (age 29) | Middlesbrough Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889... |
2013 |
| 25 | Pepé Reina |  |
GK | August 31, 1982 (age 29) | Villarreal Villarreal CF Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community... |
2016 |
| 42 | Péter Gulácsi Péter Gulácsi Péter Gulácsi is a Hungarian footballer who plays for Hull City as a goalkeeper, on loan from Liverpool. He was signed by Liverpool on the summer transfer deadline 2008, from MTK, after he had spent the 2007–08 season on loan with the club.... |
 |
GK | March 06, 1990 (age 21) | MTK Hungaria | 2013 |
| Defenders | ||||||
| 2 | Glen Johnson |  |
RB | August 23, 1984 (age 27) | Portsmouth Portsmouth F.C. Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from... |
2015 |
| 5 | Daniel Agger Daniel Agger Daniel Munthe Agger is a Danish footballer who plays for Liverpool and the Denmark national football team. He started his senior career at Danish club Brøndby IF in July 2004, with whom he won the 2005 Danish Superliga championship. The Liverpool fans have created a song for him to the tune of... |
 |
CB | December 12, 1984 (age 27) | Brøndby Brøndby IF Brøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short... |
2014 |
| 6 | Fábio Aurélio Fábio Aurélio Fábio Aurélio Rodrigues is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Liverpool of the Premier League, having previously played for São Paulo and Valencia. He plays as either a left back or left winger and has represented Brazil at Under-17 and Under-20 levels and at the 2000 Sydney Olympics... |
 |
LB | September 24, 1979 (age 32) | Valencia Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the... |
2012 |
| 16 | Sotirios Kyrgiakos Sotirios Kyrgiakos Sotirios Kyrgiakos is a Greek international footballer who plays for Wolfsburg as a centre back. He is known for his powerful heading.-Panathinaikos:... |
 |
CB | July 23, 1979 (age 32) | AEK Athens | 2011 |
| 22 | Danny Wilson Danny Wilson (Scottish footballer) Daniel "Danny" Wilson is a Scottish footballer who currently plays as a centre back or left back for Premier League club Liverpool and the Scottish national side.-Rangers:... |
 |
CB | December 27, 1991 (age 20) | Rangers Rangers F.C. Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses... |
2013 |
| 23 | Jamie Carragher Jamie Carragher James Lee Duncan "Jamie" Carragher is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League side Liverpool... |
|
CB | January 28, 1978 (age 34) | The Academy | 2013 |
| 34 | Martin Kelly Martin Kelly Martin Ronald Kelly is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Liverpool as a right back, although he spent most of his Academy career playing as a centre back.-2007–08:... |
|
RB | April 27, 1990 (age 21) | The Academy | 2014 |
| 37 | Martin Škrtel Martin Škrtel Martin Škrtel is a Slovak footballer who plays in defence for Liverpool and the Slovakia national football team.-Biography:Škrtel was born in Handlová and raised in Ráztočno and began playing football at the age of six... |
 |
CB | December 15, 1984 (age 27) | Zenit Saint Petersburg | 2014 |
| 38 | John Flanagan John Flanagan (English footballer) Jonathon Patrick "Jon" Flanagan is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool as a full back. He made his debut for Liverpool in a 3-0 win against Manchester City on 11 April 2011. He is the nephew of QPR right-back Bradley Orr... |
|
RB | January 01, 1993 (age 19) | The Academy | 2013 |
| 49 | Jack Robinson Jack Robinson (footballer born 1993) Jack Robinson is an English professional footballer playing for Liverpool. He is the youngest ever player to have played for the club, having made his debut at the age of 16 years and 250 days old.... |
|
LB | September 01, 1993 (age 18) | The Academy | 2013 |
| Midfielders | ||||||
| 4 | Raul Meireles |  |
CM Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
March 17, 1983 (age 28) | FC Porto | 2014 |
| 8 | Steven Gerrard Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger... |
|
CM Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
May 30, 1980 (age 31) | The Academy | 2013 |
| 10 | Joe Cole Joe Cole Joseph John "Joe" Cole is an English footballer who plays for Lille, on loan from Liverpool, and the England national football team as midfielder. He started his career with where he played more than 100 games during five years, until he left for Chelsea in 2003... |
|
AM | November 08, 1981 (age 30) | Chelsea Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four... |
2014 |
| 12 | Daniel Pacheco Daniel Pacheco Daniel "Dani" Pacheco Lobato is a Spanish footballer who plays for Rayo Vallecano, on loan from Atlético Madrid, and owned by Liverpool. Pacheco started his career with Barcelona in 2003, before moving to Liverpool in 2007. He made his debut on 9 December 2009 against Fiorentina in the UEFA... |
|
AM | January 05, 1991 (age 21) | Barcelona FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.... |
2014 |
| 17 | Maxi Rodríguez |  |
LW | January 02, 1981 (age 31) | Atletico Madrid | 2013 |
| 18 | Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuyt is a Dutch footballer who plays for English club Liverpool. He started his career as a striker, but he has been converted into a winger and plays the position for both Liverpool and the Netherlands national team.... |
 |
RW | July 22, 1980 (age 31) | Feyenoord | 2013 |
| 21 | Lucas Lucas Leiva Lucas Pezzini-Leiva , often known as simply Lucas, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a Defensive midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool and the Brazilian national side... |
|
DM Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
January 09, 1987 (age 25) | Grêmio Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, commonly known as just Grêmio , is a Brazilian professional association football team based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul founded by English and German immigrants on September 15, 1903. Major titles captured by Grêmio include one Intercontinental Cup, two Copa... |
2015 |
| 26 | Jay Spearing Jay Spearing Jay Francis Spearing is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool as a Defensive midfielder. He was originally spotted playing for amateur Wallasey side Greenleas alongside former Liverpool professional Craig Lindfield.... |
|
DM Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
November 25, 1988 (age 23) | The Academy | 2015 |
| 28 | Christian Poulsen Christian Poulsen Christian Bjørnshøj Poulsen is a Danish footballer who plays for Evian in Ligue 1. He has played for a number of European clubs, winning the Danish Superliga championship with F.C... |
|
DM | February 28, 1980 (age 31) | Juventus | 2013 |
| 33 | Jonjo Shelvey Jonjo Shelvey Jonjo Shelvey is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool. A midfielder, he has represented and also captained England at U19 level. Previously he played for , for whom he was the youngest-ever first-team player, appearing at the age of 16 years and 59 days... |
|
CM Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
February 27, 1992 (age 19) | Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic F.C. Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,... |
2014 |
| Strikers | ||||||
| 7 | Luis Suárez Luis Suárez (Uruguayan footballer) Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz , commonly known as Luis Suárez and nicknamed "El Pistolero" , is a Uruguayan footballer who plays for Liverpool and the Uruguayan national team... |
 |
ST | January 24, 1987 (age 25) | Ajax | 2016 |
| 9 + 29(Europa League) | Andy Carroll Andy Carroll Andrew Thomas "Andy" Carroll is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Liverpool and the England national team.... |
|
ST | January 06, 1989 (age 23) | Newcastle United | 2016 |
| 14 | Milan Jovanović Milan Jovanovic (footballer born 1981) Milan Jovanović is a Serbian footballer who plays for Anderlecht and the Serbia national team.-Early life:... |
 |
ST | April 18, 1981 (age 30) | Standard Liège Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège.... |
2013 |
| 24 | David N'Gog David N'Gog David N'Gog is a French footballer who plays for Bolton Wanderers. He is the cousin of the Panathinaikos and French international player Jean-Alain Boumsong.-Paris Saint-Germain:... |
 |
ST | April 01, 1989 (age 22) | Paris Saint-Germain | 2012 |
Starting 11
Only Premier League starts considered| No. | Pos. | Name | Starts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | GK | Spain |
38 |
| 2 | RB Defender (association football) Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking.... |
 England |
28 |
| 3 | LB Defender (association football) Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking.... |
England |
15 |
| 23 | CB Defender (association football) Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking.... |
England |
28 |
| 37 | CB Defender (association football) Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking.... |
Slovakia |
38 |
| 8 | CM Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
England |
20 |
| 21 | CM Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
Brazil |
32 |
| 18 | RW Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
Netherlands |
32 |
| 17 | LW Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
Argentina |
24 |
| 4 | AM Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
Portugal |
32 |
| 9 | FW | Spain |
22 |
| . |
Appearances and goals
- Last updated on 2 February 2011.
|-
|colspan="14"|Players sold or loaned out after the start of the season:
|}
Top scorers
Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted by shirt number when total goals are equal.- Last updated on 9 May 2011
| Position | Nation | Number | Name | Premier League | Europa League | League Cup | FA Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
18 | Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuyt is a Dutch footballer who plays for English club Liverpool. He started his career as a striker, but he has been converted into a winger and plays the position for both Liverpool and the Netherlands national team.... |
13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 2 | |
17 | Maxi Rodríguez | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 3 | |
9 | Fernando Torres Fernando Torres Fernando José Torres Sanz , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker.... |
9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 4 | |
8 | Steven Gerrard Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger... |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| = |  |
24 | David N'Gog David N'Gog David N'Gog is a French footballer who plays for Bolton Wanderers. He is the cousin of the Panathinaikos and French international player Jean-Alain Boumsong.-Paris Saint-Germain:... |
2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 6 | |
4 | Raul Meireles | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | |
7 | Luis Suárez Luis Suárez (Uruguayan footballer) Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz , commonly known as Luis Suárez and nicknamed "El Pistolero" , is a Uruguayan footballer who plays for Liverpool and the Uruguayan national team... |
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | |
10 | Joe Cole Joe Cole Joseph John "Joe" Cole is an English footballer who plays for Lille, on loan from Liverpool, and the England national football team as midfielder. He started his career with where he played more than 100 games during five years, until he left for Chelsea in 2003... |
2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | |
2 | Glen Johnson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| = | |
9 | Andy Carroll Andy Carroll Andrew Thomas "Andy" Carroll is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Liverpool and the England national team.... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| = | |
14 | Milan Jovanović Milan Jovanovic (footballer born 1981) Milan Jovanović is a Serbian footballer who plays for Anderlecht and the Serbia national team.-Early life:... |
0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| = | |
16 | Sotirios Kyrgiakos Sotirios Kyrgiakos Sotirios Kyrgiakos is a Greek international footballer who plays for Wolfsburg as a centre back. He is known for his powerful heading.-Panathinaikos:... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| = | |
19 | Ryan Babel Ryan Babel Ryan Guno Babel is a Dutch football player who currently plays for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. He can play as a left winger and as a striker. Babel began his career at AFC Ajax in 1998, working his way up through the youth team and into the senior squad... |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| = | |
37 | Martin Škrtel Martin Škrtel Martin Škrtel is a Slovak footballer who plays in defence for Liverpool and the Slovakia national football team.-Biography:Škrtel was born in Handlová and raised in Ráztočno and began playing football at the age of six... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 15 | |
21 | Lucas Leiva Lucas Leiva Lucas Pezzini-Leiva , often known as simply Lucas, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a Defensive midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool and the Brazilian national side... |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 58 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 75 |
Disciplinary record
Updated 08/05/11.
Team kit
The home strip for the 2010–11 season was revealed on 8 April 2010 bearing the Standard Chartered logo. The AdidasAdidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
strip represents a modern interpretation of the one worn during the 1989–90 campaign in which Liverpool won their eighteenth league title. The away strip was revealed on 8 June and is white with a red trim, with black shorts accompanying it. The third kit was revealed on 15 June and is black with a yellow trim.
In
First TeamReserves and Academy
Total spending: £82.8m
Out
First TeamReserves and Academy
Total income: £87.15m
Loaned in
| # | Pos | Nat. | Player | From | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | MF | |
Adam Hajdu | MTK Hungária MTK Hungária FC MTK Budapest FC or just MTK is a football club from Budapest, Hungary. The team plays in the second division of the Hungarian League. The club's colours are blue and white. As one of the most successful Hungarian football clubs, MTK has won the Hungarian League 23 times and the Hungarian Cup 12... |
31 August 2010 | 30 June 2011 |
| – | MF | |
Conor Thomas Conor Thomas Conor Thomas is an English footballer who plays for Coventry City as a midfielder. Thomas attended Coundon Court School in Coventry.-Coventry City:... |
Coventry City |
31 January 2011 | 30 June 2011 |
Loaned out
| # | Pos | Nat. | Player | To | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | LB | |
Paul Konchesky Paul Konchesky Paul Martyn Konchesky is an English footballer who plays as a left back. Currently signed to Leicester City, he has previously played for Charlton, Tottenham, West Ham, Fulham, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, joining his present club in July 2011... |
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest F.C. Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship... |
31 January 2011 | 3 May 2011 |
| 4 | CM |  |
Alberto Aquilani Alberto Aquilani Alberto Aquilani is an Italian footballer who plays for Serie A club Milan on loan from Liverpool. He is also part of the Italian national team. Aquilani is a central midfielder, who can operate in a holding position or an attacking position in the hole behind the strikers... |
Juventus Juventus F.C. Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont... |
21 August 2010 | 30 June 2011 |
| 22 | LB | |
Emiliano Insúa Emiliano Insúa Emiliano Adrián Insúa Zapata is an Argentine football defender who plays for Sporting CP and for the Argentina national team.Insúa is a European Union citizen due to one of his grandparents being a Spanish citizen.-Early career:... |
 GalatasarayGalatasaray S.K. (football team) Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups.... |
31 August 2010 | 30 June 2011 |
| 27 | RWB |  |
Philipp Degen Philipp Degen Philipp Degen is a Swiss footballer. Degen is usually a right back but can also play at left back or on the right wing... |
 VFB StuttgartVfB Stuttgart Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons... |
5 August 2010 | 30 June 2011 |
| 31 | RW |  |
Nabil El Zhar Nabil El Zhar Nabil El Zhar is a French-born Moroccan footballer and currently plays for Levante. He also has eight caps for Morocco. El Zhar is known for his pace and dribbling ability-Club career:... |
PAOK |
31 August 2010 | 30 June 2011 |
| 32 | RB | |
Stephen Darby Stephen Darby Stephen Mark Darby is an English footballer who plays in the right-back position for Rochdale on loan from Liverpool. Darby was brought up in Maghull, where he attended St John Boscos primary school.-Liverpool:... |
Notts County Notts County F.C. Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system... |
1 November 2010 | 31 May 2011 |
| 39 | ST | |
Nathan Eccleston Nathan Eccleston Nathan Geoffrey Junior Eccleston is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Liverpool, and lives in Maghull, Merseyside.-Liverpool:He was originally signed from Bury when he was 15 years old.... |
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic F.C. Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,... |
13 January 2011 | 30 June 2011 |
| 40 | CB | |
Daniel Ayala Daniel Sánchez Ayala Daniel Sánchez Ayala is a Spanish footballer who plays as a defender for Norwich City.-Liverpool:Born in El Saucejo, Seville Province, Spain, Ayala agreed a move to Liverpool in September 2007 after rejecting a professional contract with Sevilla, where he came through the youth team... |
Hull City Hull City A.F.C. Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football... |
11 September 2010 | 1 January 2011 |
| 40 | CB | |
Daniel Ayala Daniel Sánchez Ayala Daniel Sánchez Ayala is a Spanish footballer who plays as a defender for Norwich City.-Liverpool:Born in El Saucejo, Seville Province, Spain, Ayala agreed a move to Liverpool in September 2007 after rejecting a professional contract with Sevilla, where he came through the youth team... |
Derby County Derby County F.C. Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English... |
11 February 2011 | 30 June 2011 |
| 42 | GK | |
Péter Gulácsi Péter Gulácsi Péter Gulácsi is a Hungarian footballer who plays for Hull City as a goalkeeper, on loan from Liverpool. He was signed by Liverpool on the summer transfer deadline 2008, from MTK, after he had spent the 2007–08 season on loan with the club.... |
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers F.C. Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system... |
17 September 2010 | 24 November 2010 |
| 44 | CM Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
 |
Victor Pálsson Victor Pálsson Guðlaugur Victor Pálsson is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Scottish Premier League club Hibernian.- Youth career :... |
Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club , informally known as Daggers, is an English association football club based in Dagenham, in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, East London. It was formed in 1992 after a merger between Redbridge Forest and Dagenham... |
4 November 2010 | 4 January 2011 |
| 45 | LM Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
|
Thomas Ince | Notts County Notts County F.C. Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system... |
1 November 2010 | 3 January 2011 |
| – | LB | |
Chris Mavinga Chris Mavinga Chris Mavinga is a French football player who currently plays for French club Rennes in Ligue 1. He operates primarily as a left back, but can also play in the center of defense. Mavinga is a French youth international and has represented his country at under-18, under-19, and under-21 level... |
 Racing Genk |
1 January 2011 | 30 May 2011 |
| – | MF | |
Sean Highdale |  Newtown |
21 January 2011 | 15 May 2011 |
| 46 | MF | |
David Amoo David Amoo David Oluwaseun Segun Amoo is an English professional footballer of Nigerian descent, currently playing with Bury, on loan from Liverpool, in the English Premier League... |
MK Dons Milton Keynes Dons F.C. .Milton Keynes Dons Football Club is an English professional football club founded in 2004 and based since 2007 at Stadium mk, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire... |
25 January 2011 | 23 February 2011 |
| 46 | MF | |
David Amoo David Amoo David Oluwaseun Segun Amoo is an English professional footballer of Nigerian descent, currently playing with Bury, on loan from Liverpool, in the English Premier League... |
Hull City Hull City A.F.C. Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football... |
28 February 2011 | 30 June 2011 |
| 1 | GK | |
Brad Jones | Derby County Derby County F.C. Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English... |
24 March 2011 | 30 June 2011 |
| 12 | FW | |
Daniel Pacheco Daniel Pacheco Daniel "Dani" Pacheco Lobato is a Spanish footballer who plays for Rayo Vallecano, on loan from Atlético Madrid, and owned by Liverpool. Pacheco started his career with Barcelona in 2003, before moving to Liverpool in 2007. He made his debut on 9 December 2009 against Fiorentina in the UEFA... |
Norwich City Norwich City F.C. Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The... |
24 March 2011 | 30 June 2011 |
Totals
| Period | Spending | Income | Loss/Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | £25.025m | £31.35m | £6.325m |
| Winter | £57.8m | £55.8m | £2m |
| Totals | £82.825m | £87.15m | £4.325m |
Overall
Results summary
Games against the Top Six
Results by round
Premier League2010–11 Premier LeagueThe 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011...
Qualifying
Group Stage
| Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... |
6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 10 | |
| Napoli S.S.C. Napoli Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season.... |
6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 7 |
 Steaua Bucureşti |
6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 6 |
| Utrecht |
6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 5 |
Knockout Rounds
Last updated: 17 March 2011
Source: Liverpool F.C.
FA Cup2010–11 FA CupThe 2010–11 FA Cup was the 130th season of the world's oldest association football knock-out competition; The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup for short...
League Cup2010–11 Football League CupThe 2010–11 Football League Cup, known as the Carling Cup due to the competition's sponsorship by lager brand Carling, was the 51st season of the Football League Cup, a knock-out competition for England's top 92 football clubs....
Pre-season
Jamie CarragherJamie CarragherJames Lee Duncan "Jamie" Carragher is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League side Liverpool...
Testimonial
Last updated: 21 July 2010Source: Liverpool F.C.
Reserves
As of 12 May 2011. Squad Numbers refer to players' first team squad number (for season 2010/11), where applicable. Reserve and youth games are 1–11.Academy (Under-18s)
The following players are expected to play for the team during the Premier Academy League 2010–11.As of 14 January 2011.
| Player | DOB | Position | International caps | Profile | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd Year Academy (players born between 1 September 1991 and 31 August 1992) | |||||
| 2nd Year Academy (players born between 1 September 1992 and 31 August 1993) | |||||
| |
Krisztián Adorján | 19 January 1993 (age 19) | FW | Capped at Under-17 level |
View |
| |
Jason Banton | 15 December 1992 (age 19) | FW | Capped at Under-17 level |
View |
| |
Karl Clair | 30 September 1992 (age 19) | MF | – | View |
| |
Conor Coady | 25 February 1993 (age 18) | DF | Capped at Under-18 level |
View |
| |
Kristjan Gauti Emilsson | 26 April 1993 (age 18) | MF | Capped at Under-19 level |
View |
| |
John Flanagan John Flanagan (English footballer) Jonathon Patrick "Jon" Flanagan is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool as a full back. He made his debut for Liverpool in a 3-0 win against Manchester City on 11 April 2011. He is the nephew of QPR right-back Bradley Orr... |
21 January 1993 (age 19) | DF | – | View |
| |
Adam Hajdu (on loan from MTK Hungaria) | 16 January 1993 (age 19) | MF | Capped at Under-17 level |
– |
| |
Michael Ihiekwe | 20 November 1992 (age 19) | DF | – | View |
| |
Matthew McGiveron | 3 September 1992 (age 19) | DF | – | View |
| |
Michael Ngoo | 23 October 1992 (age 19) | FW | Capped at Under-19 level |
View |
| |
Craig Roddan | 22 April 1993 (age 18) | MF | – | View |
| |
Stephen Sama | 5 March 1993 (age 18) | DF | Capped at Under-17 level |
View |
| |
Andre Wisdom | 9 May 1993 (age 18) | DF/MF | Capped at Under-19 level |
View |
| 1st Year Academy (born on or after 1 September 1993) | |||||
| |
Peter Aylmer | 12 February 1994 (age 17) | DF | – | View |
| |
Tyrell Belford | 6 May 1994 (age 17) | GK | Capped at Under-16 level |
View |
| |
Lewis Hatch | 4 September 1993 (age 18) | MF | – | View |
| |
Adam Morgan | 21 April 1994 (age 17) | FW | Capped at Under-17 level |
View |
 |
Henoc John Mukendi | 20 November 1993 (age 18) | FW | View | |
| |
Patrik Poór | 15 November 1993 (age 18) | DF | Capped at Under-17 level |
View |
| |
Jack Robinson Jack Robinson (footballer born 1993) Jack Robinson is an English professional footballer playing for Liverpool. He is the youngest ever player to have played for the club, having made his debut at the age of 16 years and 250 days old.... |
1 September 1993 (age 18) | DF | Capped at Under-18 level |
– |
| Joseph Rafferty | 6 October 1993 (age 18) | DF | Capped at Under-18 level | View | |
| |
Matthew Regan | 22 February 1994 (age 17) | DF | Capped at Under-17 level |
View |
| |
Toni Brito Silva Sá | 15 September 1993 (age 18) | MF | Capped at Under-17 level |
View |
| |
Brad Smith | 9 April 1994 (age 17) | DF | – | View |
| |
Jamie Stephens | 25 August 1993 (age 18) | GK | View | |
| |
Josh Sumner | 3 January 1994 (age 18) | FW | – | View |
| |
Tom Walsh | 23 March 1994 (age 17) | MF | – | View |
| Unknown status | |||||
 |
Jakub Sokolik | 28 August 1993 (age 18) | DF | Capped at Under-16 level |
– |
| |
Gonçalo Filipe Gonçalves Serras Ribeiro | 23 February 1994 (age 17) | FW | – | |
| Notable Under 16s | |||||
| |
Jordan Lussey | DF | Called-up at Under-17 level | – | |
| |
Dave Moli | 30 November 1994 (age 17) | FW | Called-up at Under-17 level | – |
| |
Raheem Sterling Raheem Sterling Raheem Shaquille Sterling is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He mainly plays as a winger.-Queens Park Rangers:Sterling was at Queens Park Rangers for seven years as a youth player.... |
18 December 1994 (age 17) | MF | Capped at Under-17 level |
– |
| |
Iaia Embarlo | 18 August 1996 (age 15) | FW | – | – |