Mohamed Salah became the first Liverpool player to score in nine games in a row on this day in 2021, and his two goals in a 3-2 win at Atlético Madrid took him past Steven Gerrard as the club’s leading scorer in the Champions League.
A chaotic finish at Queens Park Rangers in 2014, Alan Hansen’s first goal for the club in 1977, Liverpool’s first League Cup tie in 1960 and a Cyril Done hat-trick at Huddersfield in 1946 all fall on the same date.
2021: Salah breaks two records in Madrid
Jürgen Klopp’s side went to the Metropolitano having won their first two games in Group B, and in front of 60,725 they were two goals up against the Spanish champions inside 13 minutes. After eight minutes Salah’s low shot at the end of a weaving run took a touch off James Milner on its way past Jan Oblak, and five minutes later Naby Keïta crashed in a volley.
Atlético hit back through Antoine Griezmann, who turned in Koke’s low shot after 20 minutes and equalised after 34. Alisson then kept out Griezmann, João Félix and Thomas Lemar to keep the score at 2-2 by half-time.
Seven minutes after the break Griezmann was shown a straight red card for catching Roberto Firmino in the face with a high boot. It was Firmino’s 300th game for Liverpool. With 12 minutes left, Mario Hermoso barged Diogo Jota over in the box and Salah sent Oblak the wrong way from the spot. Atlético were then given a penalty for a Jota challenge on José Giménez, but the referee, Daniel Siebert, changed his mind after looking at the pitchside monitor.
Salah’s goals took him to 31 in the Champions League for Liverpool, one more than Gerrard. The win put Klopp’s side five points clear at the top of the group, Alisson was named UEFA’s player of the match, and at the final whistle Diego Simeone went straight down the tunnel without shaking Klopp’s hand.
2014: Four late goals at Loftus Road
Brendan Rodgers’ side were second best for long spells against a QPR team who were bottom of the Premier League, and Leroy Fer hit the woodwork before half-time. Liverpool went ahead midway through the second half when Raheem Sterling took a quick free-kick, Glen Johnson crossed low and Richard Dunne turned the ball into his own net. It was his 10th Premier League own goal, a record.
Then came four goals in eight minutes. Eduardo Vargas, on loan from Napoli, came off the bench and turned in Charlie Austin’s knockdown from close range for his first goal for QPR. With seconds of normal time left, Gerrard found Philippe Coutinho, who cut inside and drilled Liverpool back in front. A minute into stoppage time Vargas headed in a corner for what looked like a second equaliser, although the goal was later credited as a Gerrard own goal.
There was still time for one more. More than four minutes into added time, Coutinho played Sterling through and his ball across the box went in off Steven Caulker, who joined Liverpool on loan in January 2016. The win took Rodgers’ side up to fifth.
1977: Hansen’s first goal
Bob Paisley’s European champions had a bye in the first round, and their second-round tie with Dynamo Dresden was as good as won by half-time at Anfield. After 14 minutes John Toshack flicked on a corner and Alan Hansen headed his first goal for the club. Toshack also set up Jimmy Case for the second seven minutes later, and Phil Neal scored a penalty before the break. Case got his second after half-time, Ray Kennedy made it five and Reinhard Häfner pulled one back for the East Germans, in front of 39,835.
Dresden won the second leg 2-1, but Liverpool went through 6-3 on aggregate. The following May they kept the European Cup, beating Club Brugge 1-0 at Wembley. Hansen went on to play 620 games for Liverpool, winning eight league titles and three European Cups.
1960: Where the League Cup began
Bill Shankly’s Second Division side played their first League Cup tie, a 1-1 draw with Luton Town at Anfield in the second round, and only 10,502 turned up. Tommy Leishman scored Liverpool’s first goal in the competition and David Brogan equalised for Luton.
Five days later Liverpool won the replay 5-2 at Kenilworth Road, with Kevin Lewis and Roger Hunt scoring twice each and Dave Hickson getting the other, before Southampton knocked them out at Anfield in the next round. The club had to wait until 1981 to win the trophy for the first time, and that was the first of four in a row.
1946: Done’s hat-trick at Leeds Road
Eighty years ago today, in the first league season after the Second World War, George Kay’s side won 4-1 at Huddersfield Town. Lewis Brook put Huddersfield ahead before Cyril Done scored three times, the first of them set up by Bob Paisley, and Jack Balmer added the fourth. Ray Minshull made his debut in goal in front of 17,323.
Liverpool went on to win the league title that season, the club’s first since 1923.
2016: Remembering Sammy Smyth
Ten years ago today, Sammy Smyth died at the age of 91. The Belfast-born inside-forward had scored for Wolves in their 3-1 win over Leicester City in the 1949 FA Cup final.
He joined Liverpool from Stoke City for £12,000 at the end of 1952, and his debut came against Stoke, the club he had just left. He scored 20 goals in 44 games before leaving in 1955.
Born on this day in 2001: Leighton Clarkson
Midfielder Leighton Clarkson came through the Academy and made three senior appearances. The first was as a substitute in the League Cup quarter-final at Aston Villa in December 2019, he played in the FA Cup replay against Shrewsbury Town two months later, and the last was a full 90 minutes against Midtjylland in Denmark in the Champions League in December 2020.
He joined Aberdeen on loan in 2022, signed permanently a year later and started the 2025 Scottish Cup final, which Aberdeen won on penalties against Celtic. He moved to Blackpool in February.
Also on this day
- 1912: Arthur Metcalf scored twice, with Bob Ferguson and an Arthur Goddard penalty adding the others, in a 4-1 home win over Blackburn Rovers.
- 1929: Jimmy Smith and Gordon Hodgson scored in a 2-2 draw at Derby County.
- 1957: Tony Rowley scored, but Liverpool lost 2-1 at Derby County in the Second Division.
- 1963: Gordon Milne scored the only goal against West Bromwich Albion at Anfield, in a season that ended with the league title.
- 1966: Ian St John and Peter Thompson scored as Liverpool beat Petrolul Ploiești 2-0 in a European Cup replay in Brussels.
- 1968: Roger Hunt scored, but two from Jimmy Greaves gave Tottenham Hotspur a 2-1 win at White Hart Lane.
- 1974: Brian Hall scored the only goal at Queens Park Rangers.
- 1982: HJK Helsinki 1-0 Liverpool in the European Cup second round, first leg. Liverpool won the return 5-0.
- 1983: Liverpool 0-0 Athletic Bilbao in the European Cup second round, first leg. Liverpool won 1-0 in Bilbao and went on to lift the trophy in Rome.
- 1985: Craig Johnston scored in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford.
- 1991: Steve McManaman and Ian Rush scored in a 2-2 draw at Chelsea.
- 2002: Salif Diao’s goal earned a 1-0 win at Leeds United.
- 2004: Liverpool 0-0 Deportivo La Coruña in the Champions League group stage, in the season that ended with the trophy in Istanbul.
- 2005: Djibril Cissé scored the only goal at Anderlecht in the Champions League group stage.
- 2013: Steven Gerrard’s penalty, after Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa was sent off for a foul on Luis Suárez, was his 100th Premier League goal. Daniel Sturridge headed the other in a 2-2 draw at Newcastle United.
- 2022: Darwin Núñez headed his first Anfield goal to beat West Ham United 1-0, and Alisson saved a Jarrod Bowen penalty.
- 2025: Manchester United won 2-1 at Anfield. Bryan Mbeumo scored inside two minutes, Cody Gakpo hit the woodwork three times before equalising in the 78th minute, and Harry Maguire headed the winner six minutes later.
