2007–08 Liverpool F.C. season

Liverpool
2007–08 season
Chairman Tom Hicks and George Gillett
Manager Rafael Benítez
Premier League 4th
FA Cup Fifth Round
League Cup Quarter-finals
UEFA Champions League Semi-finals
Top goalscorer League:
Fernando Torres (24)
All:
Fernando Torres (33)
Highest home attendance 44,459 v Manchester United (16 December 2007, Premier League)
Lowest home attendance 41,095 v Porto (28 November 2007, UEFA Champions League)
Home colours
Away colours
Third colours

The 2007–08 season was the 116th season in Liverpool Football Club's existence, and their 45th consecutive year in the top flight, which covers the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008.

Having finished third the previous season, Liverpool had qualified for the UEFA Champions League final qualifying stage.

First-team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
3 Republic of Ireland DF Steve Finnan
4 Finland DF Sami Hyypiä
5 Denmark DF Daniel Agger
6 Norway DF John Arne Riise
7 Australia MF Harry Kewell
8 England MF Steven Gerrard (captain)
9 Spain FW Fernando Torres
10 Ukraine FW Andriy Voronin
11 Israel MF Yossi Benayoun
12 Brazil DF Fábio Aurélio
14 Spain MF Xabi Alonso
15 England FW Peter Crouch
16 England MF Jermaine Pennant
17 Spain DF Álvaro Arbeloa
18 Netherlands FW Dirk Kuyt
19 Netherlands FW Ryan Babel
20 Argentina MF Javier Mascherano
21 Brazil MF Lucas Leiva
No. Position Player
22 Mali MF Mohamed Sissoko[1] (to January)
23 England DF Jamie Carragher (vice-captain)
25 Spain GK Pepe Reina
30 Cameroon GK Charles Itandje[2]
33 Argentina MF Sebastián Leto
34 England MF Jay Spearing
35 England MF Ray Putterill
36 Scotland MF Ryan Flynn
37 Slovakia DF Martin Škrtel (from January)
38 England FW Craig Lindfield
39 England DF Stephen Darby
40 England GK David Martin
42 Morocco FW Nabil El Zhar[3]
44 England DF Robbie Threlfall (to November)
45 Spain DF Mikel San José
46 England DF Jack Hobbs (to January)
47 France MF Damien Plessis
48 Argentina DF Emiliano Insúa

Regular season

August

Liverpool began their Premier League season with a trip to Aston Villa, which they won 2–1. This was followed by the first leg of the Champions League qualifier, at Toulouse. The game, unusually played on a weekday afternoon, was won 1–0 by Liverpool.[4] Next came the first home game, a Premier League game against Chelsea. Liverpool took a lead through Fernando Torres's first goal for the club, but Chelsea hit back with a disputed penalty,[5] ending the game 1–1.[6] Referee Rob Styles appeared to book Michael Essien twice without sending him off, similar to Graham Poll at the 2006 World Cup.[5] Mr. Styles later admitted to have made an incorrect decision to award the penalty and, unusually, apologised to Liverpool for his mistake; he was subsequently dropped for the next gameweek.[5]

The third league game of the season, a 2–0 away win at Sunderland, was notable for Mohamed Sissoko's first (and only[7][8][9]) Liverpool goal, after more than two years. This was also the Reds' 7 000th league goal.[10] The following Tuesday saw Liverpool play Toulouse at Anfield in the second leg of their Champions League qualifying tie. Before kick-off, the Everton song "Z Cars" echoed around Anfield, in memory of 11 year-old Rhys Jones, a local boy who had been shot dead the previous week. The game finished 4–0 to Liverpool, and the team thereby qualified for the group stage courtesy of a 5–0 aggregate scoreline.[11]

September

Liverpool won their first game of September against Derby 6–0,[12] Liverpool's biggest league win since April 2003 when they beat West Bromwich Albion by the same scoreline.[13] This win took them to the top of the Premier League table.

After a two-week international break, Liverpool's next league game was away to Portsmouth. The match ended in a 0–0 draw, after Pepe Reina saved Nwankwo Kanu's penalty kick.[14] The following week, the home league game against Birmingham, ended in a similar goalless scoreline.

In between those two league draws Liverpool travelled to F.C. Porto to begin their Champions League Group A campaign against another team that had previously won the competition. The game, which ended 1–1, saw Jermaine Pennant sent off after receiving two yellow cards.[15]

Liverpool got back on a winning track when they travelled to Reading for a League Cup third round tie. Liverpool beat their hosts 4–2, with Fernando Torres scoring his first Liverpool hat-trick.[16] This was followed up with a league success, away to Wigan at the JJB Stadium, where Yossi Benayoun's 75th minute strike—his second in two games—was enough to secure three points.[17]

October

October's first fixture was the visit of Marseille, Liverpool's second Champions League group stage match. A spectacular individual goal from Marseille midfielder Mathieu Valbuena handed Liverpool a 0–1 loss, their first of the season. Disappointed Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez described the match as possibly the worst performance by the club under his management.[18]

Liverpool remained at Anfield for their following game, the league visit of Tottenham. A last-minute, injury-time, equaliser by Fernando Torres earned the team a 2–2 draw to preserve their unbeaten league record.[19] However, Liverpool bounced back to win the away derby to fierce rivals Everton. The match at Goodison Park was a contentious one, with the referee's performance heavily criticised by Everton manager David Moyes. Dirk Kuyt scored two penalties that saw Liverpool come from behind to win 2–1.[20]

The third of Liverpool's Champions League group games was a trip to Istanbul, where they had won the trophy in 2005.[21] However, on this occasion Liverpool fans had little to celebrate as their hosts Beşiktaş dealt their side's chances of progressing in the competition a serious blow by winning 2–1.[22] The highest seeded team in their group, Liverpool were now bottom of their quartet with only a point from their first three qualifying games.[23]

Liverpool finished the month with a pair of home fixtures. The league visit of Arsenal yielded a 1–1 draw,[24] whilst the League Cup visit of Cardiff City, who featured Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler in their line-up, gave the Reds a 2–1 win and Nabil El Zhar his first Liverpool goal.[25]

November

Liverpool began the month of November with a 0–0 away draw at Blackburn Rovers,[26] further extending their unbeaten run in the league.[27] They followed this by finally injecting life into their Champions League campaign with an emphatic 8–0 home victory over Beşiktaş J.K.. A hat-trick from Yossi Benayoun, a goal from captain Steven Gerrard and two each from both Ryan Babel and Peter Crouch gave Liverpool fans something to celebrate as Liverpool established a new record for margin of victory in a Champions League match (the previous best, 7–0, had been held jointly by Arsenal and Juventus).[23]

On 10 November, the Champions League win was followed up with a Premier League one, as Liverpool beat Fulham 2–0 at Anfield. Fernando Torres came off the bench to break the deadlock in the 81st minute, and Steven Gerrard scored a penalty won by Peter Crouch four minutes later to seal the victory.[28]

After another international break, the team's thirteenth league game took place, on 24 November at Newcastle. Steven Gerrard, who had been booed by the Newcastle fans for his part in England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008, opened the scoring for the Reds and two more goals from Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel gave Liverpool a 3–0 win.[29]

The team ended the month by hosting their penultimate Champions League group game, the must-win visit of F.C. Porto. Liverpool won 4–1[30] and, as Fernando Torres scored the first two Champions League goals of his career, club captain Steven Gerrard set a personal milestone of his own by equalling Michael Owen's club record of 22 goals in the Champions League.[31]

December

The club kicked off a busy month by registering a 4–0 league win against Bolton Wanderers at Anfield.[32] This win stretched Liverpool's winning streak to five games,[27] during which they scored 21 goals and conceded just one, and continued their unbeaten league run.[33]

However, this unbeaten start to the league season was cut short the following week when the visit to Reading resulted in a 3–1 defeat. After the hosts converted a penalty for a challenge that television replays showed had occurred on the line, Steven Gerrard equalised for Liverpool before two second-half goals from Reading handed Liverpool their first league loss of the season.[34]

Three days later, yet again needing a win to guarantee their survival in the competition, Liverpool travelled to Marseille for their final Champions League Group A fixture. Marseille had previously hosted English teams in Europe on six occasions and won all six times,[35] and only needed a draw to progress themselves. However, Liverpool registered their second 4–0 win of the month to finish second in their group and progress to the round of 16.[36]

On 16 December, Liverpool hosted arch-rivals Manchester United in a vital Premier League match. The match ended with a 1–0 victory for Manchester United, their fourth in their last five league visits to Anfield, giving the latter a nine point lead over Liverpool in the Premier League. The only goal was scored by Carlos Tévez. Arsenal beat Chelsea 1–0 later in the day to give themselves a ten point lead over Liverpool at the top of the Premiership.

Liverpool travelled to Chelsea for the League Cup quarter-final on 19 December. They were beaten 2–0 through a deflected goal from Frank Lampard and an injury-time goal from Andriy Shevchenko. Peter Crouch was sent off after a two-footed tackle on Mikel John Obi.

Three days before Christmas, Liverpool hosted Portsmouth, looking to get their Premier League campaign back on track after two successive defeats. Liverpool continued a record of remaining undefeated at Anfield against Pompey since 1951 by triumphing 4–1. Fernando Torres scored twice to continue his good run of scoring, while the other goals came from Yossi Benayoun and a Sylvain Distin own goal. In the Boxing Day fixture, Liverpool managed a 2–1 victory over Derby, with goals from Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard respectively, before playing out a goalless draw at the City of Manchester Stadium in their final game of 2007.

January

Liverpool's first game of 2008 was a home game against Wigan, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[37] This was followed by their first FA Cup game of the season, the third round tie against Luton Town, which also finished 1–1. In the replay a week later, Liverpool beat them 5–0 at home, in which Steven Gerrard scored his second Liverpool hat-trick. On 26 January 2008, Liverpool defeated Havant & Waterlooville 5–2, despite going behind twice in the first half.[38] After that they travelled to Upton Park, where they faced West Ham United F.C.. An injury time penalty from Mark Noble saw them slump to a 1–0 defeat, their third of the league season.

Martin Škrtel was the first signing by Liverpool in the January transfer window. The undisclosed fee was rumoured to be £6.5m, which would be the highest amount paid by the club for a defender.[39] Mohamed Sissoko, who had found himself playing fewer games after the arrivals of Javier Mascherano and Lucas,[40] transferred to Juventus, and Jack Hobbs, who had played some first team games this season,[40] joined Scunthorpe United on loan until the end of the season.[41]

February

Liverpool's first game of February was against Sunderland at Anfield, which was won 3–0.[42] On 10 February, Liverpool travelled to Stamford Bridge and played out a 0–0 draw with Chelsea.[43]

Liverpool played Barnsley on 16 February in the FA Cup fifth round and lost 2–1 at Anfield, but then beat Inter Milan on 19 February in the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg, winning 2–0.

Their last game of the month, against Middlesbrough on 23 February, produced a 3–2 win for Liverpool, with a Fernando Torres hat-trick.

March

Liverpool's first game in March was away against Bolton which they won 3–1 through an own goal by Jussi Jääskeläinen and strikes from Ryan Babel and Fábio Aurélio, his first for the club. On 5 March, Liverpool played against West Ham United. Liverpool won this game 4–0, with a goal from Steven Gerrard and another hat-trick from Fernando Torres, making him the first Liverpool player in over 60 years to net hat-tricks in successive home games.[44] Three days later, Liverpool beat Newcastle 3–0 at home, with goals from Jermaine Pennant, Torres and Gerrard. On 11 March, Liverpool became the second English team in a week to win at the San Siro by winning against Inter Milan 1–0, with Torres again the scorer. Back in the league Javier Mascherano scored his first goal for Liverpool[45] and Fernando Torres scored his 20th league goal of the season, becoming the first player at the club since Robbie Fowler to do so as Liverpool won 2–1 over Reading. However, their seven match winning streak was ended when they lost 3–0 to Manchester United. Javier Mascherano was sent off by referee Steve Bennett for dissent after Mascherano questioned the controversial booking of Fernando Torres. Liverpool's final fixture of March was against Everton at Anfield. Torres scored the only goal early in the match, and Liverpool held on to win 1–0, giving them a five point lead over Everton for fourth place.

April

On 1 April, in the Champions League, Liverpool faced Arsenal for the first of three consecutive meetings, a 1–1 draw at the Emirates Stadium with Dirk Kuyt scoring an away goal. On 5 April they drew 1–1 once again at the Emirates. Peter Crouch scored for Liverpool to take the lead but Nicklas Bendtner scored the equalizer for Arsenal,[46] while Damien Plessis made his debut.[47] In the third game, Liverpool beat Arsenal 4–2 (5–3 on aggregate) to reach the Champions League semi-final. In the following game, Steven Gerrard scored in his 300th Liverpool appearance in the Premier League in a 3–1 home win over Blackburn Rovers. The following Saturday, Liverpool put out a weakened side against Fulham ahead of their semi-final first leg with Chelsea and won 2–0, with Jermaine Pennant and Peter Crouch getting on the scoresheet. On 22 April, Liverpool played Chelsea at Anfield in the Champions League semi-final first leg. Liverpool looked to be going into the second leg with a 1–0 advantage through Dirk Kuyt, but in the final minute of stoppage time John Arne Riise accidentally headed a Salomon Kalou cross into his own net, giving Chelsea a slight advantage through the away goal. The next Saturday, at Birmingham City, Liverpool again put out a weakened side before the 2nd leg with Chelsea. Damien Plessis started again, and Liverpool fought back from 2–0 down to 2–2, with Crouch and Benayoun scoring. That point secured fourth spot for Liverpool. The next Wednesday Liverpool played Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final at Stamford Bridge, but lost 3–2 in extra time (4–3 on aggregate), sending Liverpool out of the Champions League.

May

On 4 May, Liverpool beat Manchester City 1–0 at Anfield. On the final day of the Premier League, Liverpool won 2–0 away at Tottenham Hotspur, with Andriy Voronin scoring his sixth of the season and Torres' 24th league goal, breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy's record for the most goals scored by a foreign Premier League player in a debut season.

Premier League

Premier League results by round

Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAAHA
Result W D W W D D W D W D D W W W L L W W D D D D L W D W W W W W L W D W W D W W

Source: Game log
Ground: A = Away; H = Home. Result: D = Draw; L = Loss; W = Win; P = Postponed.

Results summary

OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
38 21 13 4 67 28 +39 76 12 6 1 43 13 +30 9 7 3 24 15 +9

Big Four Games

OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
6 0 4 2 3 7 −4 4 0 2 1 2 3 −1 0 2 1 1 4 −3

UEFA Champions League

Third qualifying round

Group stage

Group A
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Portugal Porto 632187+111
England Liverpool 6312185+1310
France Marseille 621369−37
Turkey Beşiktaş 6204415−116

Knockout phase

Round of 16

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Top scorers

P Player Position PL FAC LC EC Total
1 Spain Fernando Torres Striker 24 0 3 6 33
2 England Steven Gerrard Midfielder 11 3 1 6 21
3 England Peter Crouch Striker 5 2 0 4 11
3 Israel Yossi Benayoun Midfielder 4 3 1 3 11
3 Netherlands Dirk Kuyt Striker 3 1 0 7 11
6 Netherlands Ryan Babel Midfielder 4 1 0 5 10

Disciplinary record

N
 P
 Nat.
 Name
 Notes
20 MF Argentina Mascherano 7 1 0
23 DF England Carragher 7 0 0
14 MF Spain Xabi Alonso 7 0 0
9 FW Spain Fernando Torres 6 0 0
8 MF England Gerrard 5 0 0
17 DF Spain Arbeloa 5 0 0
16 MF England Pennant 4 1 0
22 MF Mali Sissoko 4 0 0
4 DF Finland Hyypiä 4 0 0
6 DF Norway Riise 4 0 0
18 FW Netherlands Kuyt 3 0 0
21 MF Brazil Lucas 3 0 0
19 FW Netherlands Babel 3 0 0
12 DF Brazil Fábio Aurélio 3 0 0
25 GK Spain Pepe Reina 2 0 0
10 FW Ukraine Voronin 2 0 0
3 DF Republic of Ireland Finnan 2 0 0
11 MF Israel Benayoun 1 0 0
37 DF Slovakia Škrtel 1 0 0
48 DF Argentina Insúa 1 0 0
15 FW England Crouch 0 1

Last updated: 11 May
Source: Match reports in Game Log
Only competitive matches
= Number of bookings; = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card; = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.

Squad statistics

Last updated on 11 January 2009
No. Pos Nat Player TotalPremier League Champions League FA Cup League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
3 DF Republic of Ireland Steve Finnan 35 0 21+3 0 6+1 0 3 0 1 0
4 DF Finland Sami Hyypiä 44 4 24+3 1 12+1 2 4 1 0 0
5 DF Denmark Daniel Agger 6 0 4+1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
6 DF Norway John Arne Riise 44 0 22+7 0 5+5 0 4 0 0+1 0
7 MF Australia Harry Kewell 15 0 8+2 0 1+2 0 0+1 0 0+1 0
8 MF England Steven Gerrard 52 21 32+2 11 13 6 1+2 3 2 1
9 FW Spain Fernando Torres 46 33 29+4 24 10+1 6 1 0 1 3
10 FW Ukraine Andriy Voronin 28 6 13+6 5 4+3 1 0+1 0 1 0
11 MF Israel Yossi Benayoun 47 11 15+15 4 7+4 3 3 3 1+2 1
12 DF Brazil Fábio Aurélio 29 1 13+3 1 7+2 0 0+1 0 3 0
14 MF Spain Xabi Alonso 27 2 16+3 2 4 0 3 0 1 0
15 FW England Peter Crouch 36 11 9+12 5 5+3 4 4 2 3 0
16 MF England Jermaine Pennant 25 2 14+4 2 2+3 0 2 0 0 0
17 DF Spain Álvaro Arbeloa 41 0 26+2 0 8+1 0 1 0 3 0
18 FW Netherlands Dirk Kuyt 48 11 24+8 3 10+2 7 2+2 1 0 0
19 FW Netherlands Ryan Babel 49 10 15+15 4 8+5 5 4 1 2 0
20 MF Argentina Javier Mascherano 41 1 25 1 13 0 1+1 0 0+1 0
21 MF Brazil Lucas 32 1 12+6 0 2+5 0 3+1 1 3 0
22 MF Mali Mohamed Sissoko 14 1 6+3 1 2+1 0 0 0 2 0
23 DF England Jamie Carragher 55 0 34+1 0 13 0 3+1 0 3 0
25 GK Spain Pepe Reina 52 0 38 0 14 0 0 0 0 0
30 GK France Charles Itandje 7 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 3 0
33 MF Argentina Sebastián Leto 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0
34 MF England Jay Spearing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
35 MF England Ray Putterill 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
36 MF Scotland Ryan Flynn 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
37 DF Slovakia Martin Škrtel 20 0 13+1 0 5 0 1 0 0 0
38 FW England Craig Lindfield 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
39 DF England Stephen Darby 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
40 GK England David Martin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
42 FW Morocco Nabil El Zhar 3 1 0 0 0 0 0+1 0 1+1 1
44 DF England Robbie Threlfall 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
45 DF Spain Mikel San José 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
46 DF England Jack Hobbs 5 0 1+1 0 0 0 0 0 2+1 0
47 MF France Damien Plessis 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
48 DF Argentina Emiliano Insúa 3 0 2+1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Transfers

In

# Player From Fee When
9 Spain Fernando Torres Spain Atlético Madrid £20,000,000 Summer
19 Netherlands Ryan Babel Netherlands Ajax £11,500,000 Summer
21 Brazil Lucas Brazil Grêmio £6,000,000 Summer
30 France Charles Itandje France Lens £1,400,000 Summer
33 Argentina Sebastian Leto Argentina Lanús £1,800,000 Summer
47 France Damien Plessis France Lyon Undisclosed Summer
37 Slovakia Martin Škrtel Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg £6,500,000 Winter
20 Argentina Javier Mascherano United Kingdom Media Sports Investments £17,000,000 Winter

Out

# Player To Fee When
1Poland Jerzy DudekSpain Real Madrid ReleasedSummer
9England Robbie FowlerWales Cardiff CityReleasedSummer
10Spain Luis GarcíaSpain Atlético Madrid£4,000,000Summer
11Chile Mark GonzálezSpain Real Betis£4,000,000Summer
17Wales Craig BellamyEngland West Ham United£7,500,000Summer
France Djibril CisséFrance Marseille£6,000,000Summer
29Argentina Gabriel PalettaArgentina Boca Juniors£1,200,000Summer
30Italy Daniele PadelliItaly SampdoriaLoan returnSummer
32Netherlands Boudewijn ZendenFrance MarseilleReleasedSummer
England Paul BarrattEngland Worcester CityReleasedSummer
England David RobertsWales Bangor City ReleasedSummer
France Florent Sinama-PongolleSpain Recreativo de Huelva£2,700,000Summer
England Danny O'DonnellEngland Crewe Alexandra£100,000Summer
England Ryan WignallEngland Vauxhall MotorsReleasedSummer
England Lee WoodwardUnknownReleasedSummer
England Jon PringleUnknownReleasedSummer
England Stephen BehanUnknownReleasedSummer
England Michael BurnsEngland Bolton WanderersReleasedSummer
England John RoutledgeTottenham HotspursReleasedSummer
England Charlie BarnettEngland Tranmere RoversReleasedSummer
Republic of Ireland Laurence GaughanScotland CelticUndisclosedSummer
45England James SmithEngland Stockport CountyUndisclosed Winter
Republic of Ireland Jimmy RyanEngland Shrewsbury TownUndisclosedWinter
22Mali Mohamed SissokoItaly Juventus£8,250,000Winter
England Josh MimmsEngland York CityReleasedWinter
England Lee PeltierEngland Yeovil Town£200,000Winter

Loaned out

# Player To Duration
26[48]England Paul AndersonWales Swansea CitySeason[49]
26[48]England Scott CarsonEngland Aston VillaSeason[50]
34Spain Miki RoqueSpain XerezSeason[51]
35England Danny GuthrieEngland Bolton WanderersSeason[52]
36Scotland Ryan FlynnEngland Hereford UnitedNovember to December
36England Adam HammillEngland SouthamptonSeason[53]
37[54]England Lee PeltierEngland Yeovil TownJuly to December[55]
38 England Craig LindfieldEngland Notts CountyNovember[56]
England Chester CityJanuary to February
41Austria Besian IdrizajEngland Crystal Palace August to November[57]
Austria Wacker InnsbruckFebruary to June[58]
44England Robbie ThrelfallEngland Hereford UnitedNovember to May[59]
45England James SmithEngland Stockport CountyAugust to November
46England Jack HobbsEngland Scunthorpe UnitedJanuary to May
Republic of Ireland Jimmy RyanEngland Shrewsbury TownAugust to November
England Josh MimmsEngland York CityOctober to December
Ghana Godwin AntwiEngland Hartlepool UnitedSeason[60]
Bulgaria Nikolay MihaylovNetherlands FC TwenteSeason[61]
France Anthony Le TallecFrance Le Mans Union Club 72Season[62]
Spain Aridane HernándezSpain UD FuerteventuraSeason

Reserves and U-18s

Summary

The reserves side were crowned champions of the Barclays Premier Reserve League North this season on 7 April 2008, the 17th reserve league title for the club. They became National Champions after beating Southern Champions Aston Villa Reserves 3–0 in the Premier Reserve League Play-off Final at Anfield on 7 May 2008. The reserves also reached the finals of the Liverpool Senior Cup and the Lancashire Senior Cup, and won the international football tournament Dallas Cup. Krisztian Nemeth, who scored 9 goals in 12 matches, was the top scorer in the Premier Reserve League North. The under-18s finished fifth in the Premier Academy League and qualified for the last 16 in FA Youth Cup. Nathan Eccleston was the best scorer in the youth team with 18 goals.

New players

After the departure of Steve Heighway, Dutchman Piet Hamberg came in to run the academy. As well as some changes to background personnel, the reserve and youth sides were bolstered by several new players:

Player From When
Hungary András SimonMTK HungáriaSummer
Hungary Krisztián NémethMTK HungáriaSummer
Hungary Péter GulácsiMTK Hungária FCSummer
Argentina Gerardo BrunaReal MadridSummer
Spain Mikel San JoséAthletic BilbaoSummer
Spain Dani PachecoBarcelonaSummer
Spain Daniel AyalaSevillaSummer
Spain Aridane HernándezReal MadridSummer
Germany Marvin PourieBorussia DortmundSummer
Bulgaria Nikolay MihaylovLevski SofiaSummer
Sweden Alex KacaniklicHelsingborgSummer
Finland Lauri Dalla ValleJIPPOWinter
Switzerland Pajtim KasamiGrasshopperWinter
Player From When
Australia Dean BouzanisSydney FC (loan return)Summer
Scotland Gary Mackay-StevenRoss CountySummer
Scotland Alex CooperRoss CountyWinter
England Ryan CrowtherStockport CountySummer
England Ben RobinsonStockport CountySummer
England David AmooMillwallSummer
England Andre WisdomBradford CityWinter
England Nathan EcclestonU-16sSummer
England Sean HighdaleU-16sSummer
England Steven IrwinU-16sSummer
England Joe KennedyU-16sSummer
Republic of Ireland Chris OldfieldU-16sSummer

Players this season

Reserves

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
40 England GK David Martin
Australia GK Dean Bouzanis
Hungary GK Péter Gulácsi (on loan from MTK Hungaria)
39 England DF Stephen Darby (captain)
44 England DF Robbie Threlfall (to November)
45 Spain DF Mikel San José
46 England DF Jack Hobbs (to January)
48 Argentina DF Emiliano Insúa
Paraguay DF Ronald Huth
Spain DF Daniel Ayala
England DF Martin Kelly
33 Argentina MF Sebastián Leto
34 England MF Jay Spearing
No. Position Player
35 England MF Ray Putterill
36 Scotland MF Ryan Flynn
42 Morocco MF Nabil El Zhar
47 France MF Damien Plessis
England MF Ryan Crowther
Spain MF Francisco Durán
Argentina MF Gerardo Bruna
38 England FW Craig Lindfield
Netherlands FW Jordy Brouwer
Hungary FW Krisztián Németh
Hungary FW András Simon
Spain FW Daniel Pacheco

Under-18s

Year Name Pos Nat Profile
2nd Martin Hansen GK Denmark View
1st Chris Oldfield GK Republic of Ireland View
2nd Mattone Awang DF/MF England View
2nd Shane O'Connor DF/MF Republic of Ireland View
1st Joe Kennedy DF England View
1st Steven Irwin (captain) DF/MF England View
2nd Astrit Ajdarevic MF Sweden View
2nd Ben Parsonage MF England View
2nd Gary Mackay-Steven MF/DF Scotland View
Year Name Pos Nat Profile
1st Sean Highdale MF England View
1st Alex Kacaniklic MF Sweden View
1st Alex Cooper MF Scotland View
1st David Amoo MF/FW England View
2nd Michael Collins FW Republic of Ireland View
2nd Michael Scott FW/DF England View
1st Nathan Eccleston FW/MF England View
1st Marvin Pourie FW Germany View

Records

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Sissoko was born in Mont-Saint-Aignan, France, but also qualified to represent Mali internationally and made his international debut for Mali in 2004.
  2. ↑ Itandje was born in Bobigny, France, and has been capped for France at level, but also qualified to represent Cameroon internationally and made his international debut for Cameroon in 2013.
  3. ↑ El Zhar was born in Alès, France, and has represented France at U-20 level but also qualified to represent Morocco internationally through his parents and made his international debut for Morocco in March 2008.
  4. ↑ "VORONIN SHOOTS DOWN TOULOUSE". Liverpool FC. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Rob Styles official fiasco". ESPNsoccernet. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  6. ↑ "LIVERPOOL 1-1 CHELSEA". Liverpool FC. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  7. ↑ "Games played by Mohamed Sissoko in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  8. ↑ "Games played by Mohamed Sissoko in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  9. ↑ "Games played by Mohamed Sissoko in 2007/2008". Soccernet. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  10. ↑ "Sunderland away match analysis". Liverpool FC. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
  11. ↑ "Toulouse second leg". Liverpool FC. Archived from the original on 21 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
  12. ↑ Bevan, Chris (1 September 2007). "Liverpool 6-0 Derby". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
  13. ↑ "West Brom 0-6 Liverpool". BBC Sport. 26 April 2003. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
  14. ↑ McNulty, Phil (22 September 2007). "Portsmouth 0-0 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
  15. ↑ Sinnott, Joe (18 September 2007). "Porto 1-1 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
  16. ↑ McKenzie, Andrew (25 September 2007). "Reading 2-4 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
  17. ↑ Soneji, Pranav (27 September 2007). "Wigan 0-1 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
  18. ↑ "Reds display frustrates Benitez". BBC Sport. 4 October 2007. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
  19. ↑ Sinnott, John (7 October 2007). "Liverpool 2-2 Tottenham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
  20. ↑ McNulty, Phil (20 October 2007). "Everton 1-2 Liverpool". BBC. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  21. ↑ Winter, Henry (9 December 2009). "Top 20 sporting moments of the decade: Liverpool's 'Miracle of Istanbul'". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  22. ↑ "Champions League round-up". British Sky Broadcasting. 24 October 2007. Archived from the original on 27 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Liverpool revived by record triumph Uefa.com
  24. ↑ Hughes, Ian (28 October 2007). "Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  25. ↑ "Liverpool 2-1 Cardiff". BBC. 31 October 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  26. ↑ "Blackburn 0-0 Liverpool". BBC. 3 November 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Liverpool 2007–2008 Results". Statto.com. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  28. ↑ Liverpool 2–0 Fulham bbc.co.uk
  29. ↑ Sanghera, Mandeep (24 November 2007). "Newcastle 0-3 Liverpool". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  30. ↑ Sinnott, John (28 November 2007). "Liverpool 4-1 FC Porto". BBC. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  31. ↑ "Liverpool captain Gerrard happy Marseille is must-win for Reds". Daily Mail. 29 November 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  32. ↑ Sinnott, John (2 December 2007). "Liverpool 4-0 Bolton". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  33. ↑ "Liverpool 2007–2008 English Premier League Table (as at 2 December 2007)". statto.com. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  34. ↑ Harlow, Phil (8 December 2007). "Reading 3-1 Liverpool". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  35. ↑ "All or nothing for Marseille and Liverpool". UEFA. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  36. ↑ Burke, Chris (12 December 2007). "Experience tells as Liverpool oust OM". UEFA. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  37. ↑ Fletcher, Paul (2 January 2008). "Liverpool 1-1 Wigan". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  38. ↑ Hughes, Ian (26 January 2008). "Liverpool 5-2 Havant & W'looville". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  39. ↑ "Reds in £6.5m Martin Skrtel swoop". Liverpool Echo. 7 January 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 "Liverpool 2007/2008 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  41. ↑ "Hobbs completes loan switch from Liverpool to Scunthorpe". Daily Mail. 25 January 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  42. ↑ Ornstein, Daniel (2 February 2008). "Liverpool 3-0 Sunderland". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  43. ↑ ESPNsoccernet - Match: Chelsea vs Liverpool - English Premiership
  44. ↑ "Fernando Torres: My pride at Anfield hat-trick record". Liverpool Echo. 6 March 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  45. ↑ May, John (15 March 2008). "Liverpool 2-1 Reading". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  46. ↑ Bevan, Chris (5 April 2008). "Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool". London: BBC. Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-05. The Gunners made a lethargic start and fell behind to Peter Crouch's powerful finish into the bottom corner. Nicklas Bendtner levelled when he met a Cesc Fabregas free-kick and powered his header past Pepe Reina.
  47. ↑ "Live - FA Cup and Premier League". London: BBC. 5 April 2008. Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-05. Liverpool make eight changes, handing French midfielder Damien Plessis his debut.
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 Paul Anderson had worn #26 during 2006–07, but after he was loaned out to Swansea Scott Carson took over the number. Carson was then loaned out to Aston Villa
  49. ↑ "Anderson completes Anfield switch". swanseacity.premiumtv.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 June 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  50. ↑ "Itandje arrives as Carson leaves on loan". liverpoolfc.tv. Archived from the original on 21 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
  51. ↑ "Youth arrives from Liverpool". xerezcd.com. 3 August 2007. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
  52. ↑ "Guthrie seals loan move to Bolton". BBC. 3 July 2007. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  53. ↑ "Liverpool winger loaned to Saints". news.bbc.co.uk. 12 July 2007. Archived from the original on 18 August 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
  54. ↑ Lee Peltier was announced as holding the #37 shirt during the 2007–08 close season, but after he was loaned out to Yeovil Martin Škrtel took over the number.
  55. ↑ "Yeovil tie up Peltier loan switch". BBC. 3 July 2007. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  56. ↑ "Johnson added to Magpies backroom". news.bbc.co.uk. 1 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
  57. ↑ "Palace Sign Reds Striker". Crystal Palace F.C. 31 August 2007. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  58. ↑ "Transfer-Coup in letzter Minute: Besian Idrizaj nach Innsbruck!". fc-wacker-innsbruck.at. 31 January 2008. Archived from the original on 7 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
  59. ↑ "Starlet Sent Out On Loan". Liverpool F.C. 8 January 2008. Archived from the original on 16 February 2008. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  60. ↑ "Hartlepool sign Liverpool's Antwi". news.bbc.co.uk. 29 June 2007. Archived from the original on 4 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
  61. ↑ "FC Twente lends Bulgarian keeper". fctwente.nl. 23 August 2007. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
  62. ↑ "Nade completes switch to Hearts". BBC. 5 March 2008. Archived from the original on 28 August 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  63. ↑ Sunderland 0–2 Liverpool

External links