2001 - Clinching the cup treble
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Just four days after dramatically snatching the FA Cup from Arsenal's grasp in Cardiff, and with the Worthington Cup already safely tucked away in the Anfield trophy cabinet, Liverpool's class of 2001 completed an unprecedented cup treble on the never-to-be-forgotten night of Wednesday 16 May. |
The Spanish minnows of Alaves were the Reds
victims as an exciting UEFA Cup campaign that included memorable victories
over Roma, Porto and Barcelona, reached a sensational climax at Borussia
Dortmund's impressive Westfalenstadion…
Gerard Houllier (LFC manager 1998-present): I think the players played for
history, played for immortality really because I don’t think any club
ANYWHERE, not only in England, had managed to win three cups in one year.
Liverpudlians converged on Dortmund in their thousands, vastly outnumbering those who made the trip from Spain. The flags and banners were again out in force and an estimated 30,000 travelling Kopites gave the Reds a tremendous welcome as Sami Hyypia led the team out on to the pitch. But no one could have foreseen the thrilling, nail-biting spectacle that was to unfold.
Phil Thompson (LFC assistant manager 1998-present): Again, the pundits were labelling us as boring and that it was going to be a 0-0 game, with it going to penalties or whatever. As it happens we gave one of the best European finals since a certain 7-3 game involving Real Madrid in the sixties.
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Liverpool
got off to a dream start when Markus Babbel headed home after just
three minutes. The Reds were awarded a free kick close to the
right hand touchline following a foul on Heskey. McAllister
delivered the set piece and Babbel, back in his homeland, nodded
past Herrera in the Alaves goal. It was to get even better on 15 minutes when Steven Gerrard increased the lead. Michael Owen slid an inch perfect pass through to Gerrard, who found himself unmarked after exploiting a gaping hole in the Alaves defence. He only had the keeper to beat and he made no mistake, rifling his shot past Herrera with the minimum of fuss from inside the area. |
Gary McAllister (LFC player 2000-02): It was a game in which we started off very comfortably and it was a case of how many were we going to score in those early stages. But all credit to Alaves, they came storming back.
The joyous mood in the Liverpool camp changed slightly when substitute Ivan Alonso pulled a goal back for Alaves in the 26th minutes. From a Cosmin Contra cross on the right Alonso rose highest and placed his header beyond Westerveld to reduce the deficit.
Phil Thompson: It was unbelievable because we started so well and everyone thought that it was going to be great. Then they made a change, which meant they had to come out after us, and they showed what great qualities they have in their team.
LFC fan: Well, when it was 2-0, I thought they looked very poor, because they were losing the ball and that. But as soon as they got into the game I began to worry because I could see the signs creeping in there and I had to go out of the ground, I had to go to the toilet, I had to make an excuse to get out of the ground for a little bit.
A Gary Mac penalty, after Michael Owen had been brought down in the box, restored Liverpool's two-goal advantage five minutes before the interval but two minutes after the restart another Alaves goal, this time by Moreno, set Liverpudlian hearts fluttering again.
An LFC fan: I thought then that perhaps we were not going to win it
Gary McAllister: It was just one of those games where I didn’t want it to end because it was so enjoyable to play in. It was attack versus attack. Big flowing attacks from both sides.
Liverpool fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when the dangerous Moreno was surprisingly taken off in the 64th minute and at the same time Robbie Fowler was summonsed from the bench. It was to prove an inspired switch. McAllister, driving forward from midfield, supplied Fowler, who took the ball on a few yards before picking his spot and placing the ball into the bottom corner to restore the lead once again.
LFC fan: I remember when Robbie scored, I was very, very happy. It was excellent.
Robbie Fowler (LFC player 1993-2001): To
get on in a UEFA Cup final and score a goal like that, for me, it was
unbelievable.
But Liverpool were just two minutes from glory when the game took an other
dramatic twist. Pablo took a corner from the right and Red hearts sank
when Jordi Cruyff sensationally headed home to make it 4-4.
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Robbie
Fowler: I think everyone thought, including me, that my goal would
turn out to be the winner. I think it was about 5 seconds before
the whistle had gone they actually scored. LFC fan: When it went to 4-4 I thought we were going to tire out. What was left of normal time saw Alaves pressing forward in search of a winning goal and Liverpool were relieved to hear the whistle sound. Tension gripped the stadium as extra time got underway. Alonso had the ball in the back of Liverpool’s net shortly afterwards but was clearly offside and in the 98th minute Alaves were reduced to ten men Magno received his second yellow card for a late and reckless lunge on Babbel. The first half of extra time ended with Fowler having a goal disallowed, also for offside. |
Gerard Houllier: If you look at what happened after the equaliser, which came about two minutes before the end of the game, you could have thought we would have collapsed. We could have, but we didn’t. We stood up and as soon as the extra-time started we got back into the job and tried to score a goal.
Gary McAllister: When they went down to ten men you could see that they were flagging a little bit and we were pressing and pressing and pressing.
Alaves suffered a further blow when Karmona became their second player to receive his marching orders, following a foul on Smicer.
LFC fan: When they had the two men sent off, I thought perhaps we are going to get it, all I was worried about was if they’d have enough men left to take the penalties. I thought we’d probably win it on penalties.
Seconds later their world was to collapse when Geli turned McAllister’s free kick into his own net and handed the cup to Liverpool, courtesy of the golden goal rule.
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Gary McAllister: The free kick was awarded after a good run by Vladimir Smicer, who was cutting in towards the goal and my initial thoughts were, as usual with a free-kick in that sort of area, to get the ball into the danger zone and hope that one of our players get a touch. Unfortunately for Alaves it was one of their players who got a touch. It went in at the far post and it was all smiles from us. |
LFC fan: The best part of that was I wasn’t aware that it was golden goal. I thought if we get that goal, well at least we’ll get to penalties, but when I saw them all running on the pitch I was ecstatic.
Gary McAllister: My initial feeling was just to go and hug all the other players coming towards me and then getting to the fans and I still to this day think that there were maybe two or three of our players didn’t realise it was golden goal. I know they won't admit it, but I think there were two or three of our guys who didn’t really know that the game was over and that we had won.
Jamie Carragher (LFC player 1996-present): After what had gone on through the game, I think we were getting a bit tired. We’d played 60-odd games then I think and the last couple of games showed that. I think we made Alaves look a very good team. They were a good team, but they shouldn’t have really been competing with us, but in the end we ground it out.
The goal sparked wild celebrations and this thrilling final was over. The delight and relief was overwhelming. Liverpool fans danced in the stands and the entire squad, including backroom staff, danced in a huddle on the pitch.
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Phil
Thompson: I don’t think anyone could have predicted the outcome
of that game. To win it on a golden goal was unbelievable. And the
jubilant on-the-field scenes after the game, were so special. The
celebrations with the fans, with the players and with the staff,
it was wonderful. Rick Parry (LFC Chief Executive): The singing of You’ll Never Walk Alone and everybody joining in epitomised Liverpool for me really. That's what this club is all about. It was obviously special and it was obviously something that will live in people’s memories forever, and nobody will ever forget being there, ever. And again, to me it was absolutely fantastic because this bond with the supporters is really what separates us from other clubs. You couldn’t imagine that happening readily with too many other clubs in quite the same way. |
Phil Thompson: It’s things that just come about so spontaneously that happens and gathering the players together to sing together was unbelievable.
Amid the wild celebrations Robbie Fowler and Sami Hyypia found time to hoist the giant silver vase aloft before a victorious lap of honour began. Liverpool teams of recent years had been forced to live under the shadow of the club’s rich and illustrious past but on this never-to-be-forgotten night in the Westfalenstadion the ghost of past glories was well and truly exorcised.