Kenny Dalglish chips the ball into the Bruges net to clinch
Liverpool's second European Cup.
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Date: 24/5/2005 By
Steve Horton Liverpool 1-0 Bruges
Liverpool retained the European Cup at Wembley in an uneventful game marred by the
defensive tactics of the Belgians. For the games hero Kenny Dalglish however, it justified
his decision to leave Celtic nine months earlier and also gave him an opportunity to
fulfil a lifetimes ambition.
The game was Liverpool's last chance of silverware after Nottingham Forest had
stripped them of their domestic crown. With the game being played at Wembley the Reds were
clear favourites, but for Kopites finding a ticket posed a problem. UEFA's distribution
meant that few found their way to Anfield and fans had a far tougher job getting hold of
one than for the Rome final a year earlier.
For the game young Scot Alan Hansen was recalled to defence after being in and out
of the side all season. He replaced veteran Tommy Smith, who had ruled himself out in
bizarre circumstances when he dropped a pickaxe on his foot whilst carrying out some
building alterations at home. David Johnson was unavailable due to knee ligament trouble,
meaning that supersub David Fairclough was given a starting role, being preferred to Steve
Heighway.
The game was not a spectacle. Bruges, who were missing their star forward Raoul
Lambert, seemed content to play for penalties. Midway through the second half Heighway
came on as a substitute for Jimmy Case in an effort to inject some pace into the Reds
attack. Shortly afterwards the breakthrough finally came and it was thanks to Dalglish's
excellent awareness of the oppositions' technique. When Terry McDermott had two earlier
shots saved, Dalglish had observed that the keeper always tended to dive early. Dalglish
had a chance to take advantage of this when the ball was threaded through to him by Graeme
Souness and he dummied to shoot allowing the advancing keeper to go down. He then launched
a delicate chip over his body into the corner of the net, before leaping over an
advertising board as he made his way to the celebrating Reds fans.
There was one scare to come however six minutes from time when Hansen hit a
backpass too casually and one of their players nipped in to poke the ball past Clemence.
Just as it seemed to be going in, Phil Thompson appeared from nowhere to clear off the
line. He later recalled that, having missed the previous years final through injury, he
had to make the clearance to make sure he got a winners medal this time, while he advised
the relieved Hansen that he had done it for him.
For Kenny Dalglish it was a justification of a personal gamble he had taken a year
earlier when he left a Celtic side at which he felt he'd achieved all he could. Desperate
for European success, he was rewarded even sooner than he could have imagined and could
then fulfil another dream that had been denied to him at Glasgow, that of touring the city
on an open topped bus with the silverware. Such tours were never possible there due to the
fierce rivalries between the two clubs, but for Kenny his trip round Liverpool on 11th May
was the first of many.
Winners Cup European Champions witn Cup: Gaem Souness, Kenny
Dalglish and Alan Hansen
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