| 1997–98 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Roy Evans | ||
| Stadium | Anfield | ||
| Premier League | 3rd | ||
| FA Cup | Third round | ||
| League Cup | Semi-finals | ||
| UEFA Cup | Second round | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Michael Owen (18) All: Michael Owen (23) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 44,532 vs. Bolton Wanderers (7 March 1998) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 34,705 vs. Sheffield Wednesday (13 September 1997) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 40,628 | ||
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The 1997–98 Liverpool F.C. season was the 106th season in the club's existence, and their 36th consecutive year in the top-flight of English football. In addition to the Premier League, the club also competed in the FA Cup, League Cup, and the UEFA Cup.
Season summary
Liverpool's season saw them feature regularly in the title race, though in the end they just couldn't get the better of champions Arsenal and runners-up Manchester United. But the real success of the season was the emergence of 18-year-old striker Michael Owen. The Chester-born youngster had impressed in a handful of appearances during 1996–97, but his impact during 1997–98 was outstanding—18 goals from 36 Premier League games, especially after Robbie Fowler was ruled out for much of the campaign with a broken leg. In midfield, the arrival of Paul Ince sought to add steel to a side creatively centred on playmaker Steve McManaman, but the team were at the peak of their Spice Boys era, and underachieved in the end, eventually finishing in third place – meaning that Liverpool would be challenging in the UEFA Cup for 1998–99.
Players
First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Statistics
Appearances and Goals
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Premier League | FA Cup | League Cup | UEFA Cup | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | David James | 37 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 29 | GK | Brad Friedel | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Defenders | |||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | Rob Jones | 26 | 0 | 20+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 3 | DF | Bjørn Tore Kvarme | 30 | 0 | 22+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 5 | DF | Mark Wright | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 6 | DF | Phil Babb | 20 | 0 | 18+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 12 | DF | Steve Harkness | 31 | 0 | 24+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 14 | DF | Neil Ruddock | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 20 | DF | Stig Inge Bjørnebye | 32 | 0 | 24+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 21 | DF | Dominic Matteo | 33 | 0 | 24+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 23 | DF | Jamie Carragher | 23 | 0 | 17+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Midfielders | |||||||||||||
| 4 | MF | Jason McAteer | 26 | 2 | 15+6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 7 | MF | Steve McManaman | 46 | 12 | 36 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |
| 8 | MF | Øyvind Leonhardsen | 36 | 6 | 27+1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 11 | MF | Jamie Redknapp | 26 | 5 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 15 | MF | Patrik Berger | 28 | 4 | 6+16 | 3 | 0+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 | |
| 16 | MF | Michael Thomas | 13 | 1 | 10+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 17 | MF | Paul Ince | 40 | 8 | 31 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 19 | MF | Mark Kennedy | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 24 | MF | Danny Murphy | 17 | 0 | 6+10 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 25 | MF | David Thompson | 5 | 1 | 1+4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Forwards | |||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | Robbie Fowler | 28 | 13 | 19+1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | |
| 13 | FW | Karl-Heinz Riedle | 34 | 7 | 18+7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2+3 | 0 | 1+2 | 1 | |
| 18 | FW | Michael Owen | 44 | 23 | 34+2 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3+1 | 1 | |
| Players transferred out during the season | |||||||||||||
Last updated: 15 May 1998
Source: Competitions
Goalscorers
| Rank | No. | Pos | Nat | Name | Premier League | FA Cup | League Cup | UEFA Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | FW | Michael Owen | 18 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 23 | |
| 2 | 9 | FW | Robbie Fowler | 9 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13 | |
| 3 | 7 | MF | Steve McManaman | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | |
| 4 | 17 | MF | Paul Ince | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 5 | 13 | FW | Karl-Heinz Riedle | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 6 | 8 | MF | Øyvind Leonhardsen | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 7 | 11 | MF | Jamie Redknapp | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 8 | 15 | MF | Patrick Berger | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 9 | 4 | MF | Jason McAteer | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 10 | 16 | MF | Michael Thomas | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 25 | MF | David Thompson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Totals | 68 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 82 | ||||
Competition top scorers
| Competition | Result | Top Scorer |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 3rd | |
| UEFA Cup | Second round | |
| FA Cup | Third round | |
| League Cup | Semi-finals | |
| Overall |
Premier League
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal (C) | 38 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 68 | 33 | +35 | 78 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Manchester United | 38 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 73 | 26 | +47 | 77 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Liverpool | 38 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 68 | 42 | +26 | 65 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Chelsea | 38 | 20 | 3 | 15 | 71 | 43 | +28 | 63 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[lower-alpha 5] |
| 5 | Leeds United | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 57 | 46 | +11 | 59 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[lower-alpha 6] |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:
- ↑ McAteer was born in Tranmere, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in March 1994.
- ↑ Babb was born in Lambeth, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in 1994.
- ↑ Matteo was born in Dumfries, Scotland, but was raised in England from the age of four and represented them at U-21 and B level before making his international debut for Scotland in November 2000.
- ↑ Warner was born in Liverpool, England, but also qualified to represent Trinidad and Tobago internationally and would make his international debut for Trinidad and Tobago in February 2006.
- ↑ Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as defending champions. As they were also the League Cup winners, the UEFA Cup berth vacated was awarded to Blackburn Rovers.
- ↑ Aston Villa was rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup through UEFA Fair Play ranking.
Results by round
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; P = Postponed; = Leader, 1998–99 UEFA Champions League Group stage; = 1998–99 UEFA Champions League Second Qualifying round; = 1998–99 UEFA Cup First round; = Relegation to 1998–99 Football League
Matches
| 9 August 1997 1 | Wimbledon | 1–1 | Liverpool | London |
| 15:00 | Gayle |
Owen |
Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 26,106 Referee: Gary Willard |
| 13 August 1997 2 | Liverpool | 1–2 | Leicester City | Liverpool |
| Ince |
Elliott Fenton |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 35,007 Referee: Jeff Winter |
| 23 August 1997 3 | Blackburn Rovers | 1–1 | Liverpool | Blackburn |
| Dahlin |
Owen |
Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 30,187 Referee: Steve Lodge |
| 26 August 1997 4 | Leeds United | 0–2 | Liverpool | Leeds |
| McManaman Riedle |
Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 39,775 Referee: Alan Wilkie |
| 13 September 1997 5 | Liverpool | 2–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | Liverpool |
| Ince Thomas |
Collins |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 34,705 Referee: Graham Poll |
| 20 September 1997 6 | Southampton | 1–1 | Liverpool | Southampton |
| Davies |
Riedle |
Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 15,252 Referee: Peter Jones |
| 22 September 1997 7 | Liverpool | 3–0 | Aston Villa | Liverpool |
| 20:00 | Fowler McManaman Riedle |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 34,843 Referee: Martin Bodenham |
| 27 September 1997 8 | West Ham United | 2–1 | Liverpool | London |
| Hartson Berkovic |
Fowler |
Stadium: Upton Park Attendance: 25,908 Referee: Dermot Gallagher |
| 5 October 1997 9 | Liverpool | 4–2 | Chelsea | Liverpool |
| 16:00 | Berger Fowler |
Zola Poyet |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 36,647 Referee: David Elleray |
| 18 October 1997 10 | Everton | 2–0 | Liverpool | Liverpool |
| Ruddock Cadamarteri |
Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 40,112 Referee: Mike Reed |
| 25 October 1997 11 | Liverpool | 4–0 | Derby County | Liverpool |
| Fowler Leonhardsen McManaman |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 38,017 Referee: Gary Willard |
| 1 November 1997 12 | Bolton Wanderers | 1–1 | Liverpool | Manchester |
| Blake |
Fowler |
Stadium: Reebok Stadium Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Dermot Gallagher |
| 8 November 1997 13 | Liverpool | 4–0 | Tottenham Hotspur | Liverpool |
| McManaman Leonhardsen Redknapp Owen |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 38,006 Referee: Steve Lodge |
| 22 November 1997 14 | Liverpool | 0–1 | Barnsley | Liverpool |
| Ward |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 41,011 Referee: Jeff Winter |
| 30 November 1997 15 | Arsenal | 0–1 | Liverpool | London |
| 16:00 | McManaman |
Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,094 Referee: Graham Poll |
| 6 December 1997 16 | Liverpool | 1–3 | Manchester United | Liverpool |
| Fowler |
Cole Beckham |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 41,027 Referee: David Elleray |
| 13 December 1997 17 | Crystal Palace | 0–3 | Liverpool | London |
| McManaman Owen Leonhardsen |
Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 25,790 Referee: Neale Barry |
| 20 December 1997 18 | Liverpool | 1–0 | Coventry City | Liverpool |
| Owen |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 39,707 Referee: Paul Alcock |
| 26 December 1997 19 | Liverpool | 3–1 | Leeds United | Liverpool |
| Owen Fowler |
Haaland |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 43,854 Referee: Steve Lodge |
| 28 December 1997 20 | Newcastle United | 1–2 | Liverpool | Newcastle |
| 17:00 | Watson |
McManaman |
Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 36,702 Referee: Gerald Ashby |
| 10 January 1998 21 | Liverpool | 2–0 | Wimbledon | Liverpool |
| Redknapp |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 38,011 Referee: Martin Bodenham |
| 17 January 1998 22 | Leicester City | 0–0 | Liverpool | Leicester |
| Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 21,633 Referee: Steve Dunn |
| 20 January 1998 23 | Liverpool | 1–0 | Newcastle United | Liverpool |
| Owen |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 42,791 Referee: Graham Barber |
| 31 January 1998 24 | Liverpool | 0–0 | Blackburn Rovers | Liverpool |
| Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 43,890 Referee: Paul Durkin |
| 7 February 1998 25 | Liverpool | 2–3 | Southampton | Liverpool |
| Owen |
Hirst Østenstad |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 43,550 Referee: Jeff Winter |
| 14 February 1998 26 | Sheffield Wednesday | 3–3 | Liverpool | Sheffield |
| Carbone Di Canio Hinchcliffe |
Owen |
Stadium: Hillsborough Attendance: 35,405 Referee: Mike Reed |
| 23 February 1998 27 | Liverpool | 1–1 | Everton | Liverpool |
| Ince |
Ferguson |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,501 Referee: Peter Jones |
| 28 February 1998 28 | Aston Villa | 2–1 | Liverpool | Birmingham |
| Collymore |
Owen |
Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 39,572 Referee: Graham Poll |
| 7 March 1998 29 | Liverpool | 2–1 | Bolton Wanderers | Liverpool |
| Ince Owen |
A. Thompson |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,532 Referee: Keith Burge |
| 14 March 1998 30 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3–3 | Liverpool | London |
| Klinsmann Ginola Vega |
McManaman Ince |
Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 30,245 Referee: Uriah Rennie |
| 28 March 1998 31 | Barnsley | 2–3 | Liverpool | Barnsley |
| Redfearn |
Riedle McManaman |
Stadium: Oakwell Attendance: 18,864 Referee: Gary Willard |
| 10 April 1998 32 | Manchester United | 1–1 | Liverpool | Manchester |
| Johnsen |
Owen |
Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 55,171 Referee: Graham Poll |
| 13 April 1998 33 | Liverpool | 2–1 | Crystal Palace | Liverpool |
| Leonhardsen Thompson |
Bent |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 43,007 Referee: Graham Barber |
| 19 April 1998 34 | Coventry City | 1–1 | Liverpool | Coventry |
| Dublin |
Owen |
Stadium: Highfield Road Attendance: 22,721 Referee: Neale Barry |
| 25 April 1998 35 | Chelsea | 4–1 | Liverpool | London |
| Hughes Clarke Flo |
Riedle |
Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 34,639 Referee: Gerald Ashby |
| 2 May 1998 36 | Liverpool | 5–0 | West Ham United | Liverpool |
| Owen McAteer Leonhardsen Ince |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,414 Referee: Jeff Winter |
| 6 May 1998 37 | Liverpool | 4–0 | Arsenal | Liverpool |
| Ince Owen Leonhardsen |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,417 Referee: Alan Wilkie |
| 10 May 1998 38 | Derby County | 1–0 | Liverpool | Derby |
| Wanchope |
Stadium: Pride Park Attendance: 30,492 Referee: Steve Lodge |
FA Cup
Matches
League Cup
Matches
| 15 October 1997 3rd Round | West Brom | 0-2 | Liverpool | West Bromwich |
| Berger Fowler |
Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 21,986 Referee: Alan Wilkie |
| 18 November 1997 4th Round | Liverpool | 3-0 | Grimsby | Liverpool |
| Owen |
Report | Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 28,515 Referee: Roy Pearson |
| 7 January 1998 Quarter Final | Newcastle United | 0-2 (a.e.t.) | Liverpool | Newcastle |
| Owen Fowler |
Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 33,207 Referee: Dermot Gallagher |
| 27 January 1998 Semi Final 1st Leg | Liverpool | 2-1 | Middlesbrough | Liverpool |
| Redknapp Fowler |
Merson |
Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 33,438 Referee: Gary Willard |
| 18 February 1998 Semi Final 2nd Leg | Middlesbrough | 2-0 (3-2 on agg.) | Liverpool | Middlesbrough |
| Merson Branca |
Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 29,828 Referee: Paul Durkin |
UEFA Cup
Matches
| 16 September 1997 1st Round 1st Leg | Celtic | 2-2 | Liverpool | Glasgow |
| McNamara Donnelly |
Report | Owen McManaman |
Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 48,526 Referee: Graziano Cesari |
| 30 September 1997 1st Round 2nd Leg | Liverpool | 0-0 (away goals) | Celtic | Liverpool |
| Report | Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 38,205 Referee: Edgar Steinborn |
| 21 October 1997 2nd Round 1st Leg | RC Strasbourg | 3-0 | Liverpool | Strasbourg |
| Zitelli Conteh |
Report | Stadium: Stade de la Meinau Attendance: 18,813 Referee: Vitor Manuel Melo Pereira |
| 4 November 1997 2nd Round 2nd Leg | Liverpool | 2-0 (2-3 on agg.) | RC Strasbourg | Liverpool |
| Fowler Riedle |
Report | Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 32,426 Referee: Rune Pedersen |