After ending fifth the previous season Liverpool F.C. came back and won their thirteenth league title, after being twelfth in the league table at Christmas. They also won for the second successive season the Football League Cup beating Tottenham Hotspur Three-One at Wembley Stadium .
However Liverpool was decisively beaten by Flamengo at the 1981 Intercontinental Cup final . Neither did they regain the European Cup , having been knocked out by CSKA Sofia in the Quarter Finals and surprisingly being knocked out by 2nd Division Chelsea in the 5th Round of the FA Cup .
It was also a season when there would be major changes in the team, with many of the players who won all the trophies over the previous few season, and replaced by players who would go on to be part of the team that remained successful for the rest of the decade. Players such as Bruce Grobbelaar , Mark Lawrenson , Ian Rush , Ronnie Whelan and Craig Johnston came into the team during the season and would make their mark on changing the side, that would go forward into the decade.
Results
First Division
Date
Opponents
Venue
Result
Scorers
Attendance
Report 1
Report 2
29-Aug-81 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 0–1 28,001 Report Report
01-Sep-81 Middlesbrough H 1–1 Neal 53 Pen' 31,963 Report Report
05-Sep-81 Arsenal H 2–0 McDermott 44' Johnson 89' 35,269 Report Report
12-Sep-81 Ipswich Town A 0–2 26,703 Report Report
19-Sep-81 Aston Villa H 0–0 37,474 Report Report
22-Sep-81 Coventry City A 2–1 A Kennedy 2' McDermott 26 Pen' 16,731 Report Report
26-Sep-81 West Ham United A 1–1 Johnson 77' 30,802 Report Report
03-Oct-81 Swansea City H 2–2 McDermott 59 Pen' , 64 Pen' 48,645 Report Report
10-Oct-81 Leeds United H 3–0 Rush 17' , 89' Own Goal 26' 35,840 Report Report
17-Oct-81 Brighton & Hove Albion A 3–3 Dalglish 12' R Kennedy 39' McDermott 73' 26,321 Report Report
24-Oct-81 Manchester United H 1–2 McDermott 74 Pen' 41,438 Report Report
31-Oct-81 Sunderland A 2–0 Souness 61' McDermott 77' 27,854 Report Report
07-Nov-81 Everton H 3–1 Dalglish 47' , 52' Rush 75' 48,861 Report Report
21-Nov-81 West Bromwich Albion A 1–1 Dalglish 90' 20,871 Report Report
28-Nov-81 Southampton H 0–1 37,189 Report Report
05-Dec-81 Nottingham Forest A 2–0 Lawrenson 57' R Kennedy 59' 24,521 Report Report
26-Dec-81 Manchester City H 1–3 Whelan 85' 37,929 Report Report
05-Jan-82 West Ham United H 3–0 McDermott 25' Whelan 27' Dalglish 68' 28,427 Report Report
16-Jan-82 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 2–1 Whelan 74' Dalglish 82' 26,438 Report Report
26-Jan-82 Notts County A 4–0 Whelan 44' Rush 67' , 75' , 84' 14,407 Report Report
30-Jan-82 Aston Villa A 3–0 Rush 3' McDermott 23' , 73' 35,947 Report Report
06-Feb-82 Ipswich Town H 4–0 McDermott 14' Rush 17' Dalglish 44' Whelan 57' 41,316 Report Report
16-Feb-82 Swansea City A 0–2 22,604 Report Report
20-Feb-82 Coventry City H 4–0 Souness 5' Lee 13' Rush 34' McDermott 64 Pen' 28,286 Report Report
27-Feb-82 Leeds United A 2–0 Souness 40' Rush 76' 33,689 Report Report
06-Mar-82 Brighton & Hove Albion H 0–1 28,574 Report Report
09-Mar-82 Stoke City A 5–1 McDermott 15' Dalglish 29' Souness 48' Lee 80' Whelan 87' 16,758 Report Report
20-Mar-82 Sunderland H 1–0 Rush 14' 30,344 Report Report
27-Mar-82 Everton A 3–1 Whelan 21' Souness 57' Johnston 81' 51,847 Report Report
30-Mar-82 Birmingham City H 3–1 Rush 10' , 74' McDermott 78' 24,224 Report Report
02-Apr-82 Notts County H 1–0 Dalglish 61' 30,126 Report Report
07-Apr-82 Manchester United A 1–0 Johnston 63' 50,969 Report Report
10-Apr-82 Manchester City A 5–0 Lee 8' Neal 42 Pen' Johnston 58' A Kennedy 59' Rush 73' 40,112 Report Report
13-Apr-82 Stoke City H 2–0 A Kennedy 4' Johnston 34' 30,419 Report Report
17-Apr-82 West Bromwich Albion H 1–0 Dalglish 71' 34,286 Report Report
24-Apr-82 Southampton A 3–2 Rush 12' Whelan 57' , 88' 24,704 Report Report
01-May-82 Nottingham Forest H 2–0 Johnston 55' , 68' 34,321 Report Report
03-May-82 Tottenham Hotspur A 2–2 Dalglish 50' , 61' 38,091 Report Report
08-May-82 Birmingham City A 1–0 Rush 49' 26,381 Report Report
11-May-82 Arsenal A 1–1 Rush 31' 30,932 Report Report
15-May-82 Tottenham Hotspur H 3–1 Lawrenson 51' Dalglish 55' Whelan 87' 48,122 Report Report
18-May-82 Middlesbrough A 0–0 17,431 Report Report
Date
Opponents
Venue
Result
Scorers
Attendance
Report 1
Report 2
07-Oct-81 Exeter City H 5–0 Rush 15' , 67' McDermott 27' Dalglish 37' Whelan 68' 11,478 Report Report
28-Oct-81 Exeter City A 6–0 Rush 15' , 89' Dalglish 23' Neal 44' Sheedy 53' Own Goal 80' 11,740 Report Report
10-Nov-81 Middlesbrough H 4–1 Sheedy 29' Rush 64' Johnson 74' , 80' 16,145 Report Report
01-Dec-81 Arsenal A 0–0 37,917 Report Report
08-Dec-81 Arsenal H 3–0 Johnston 95' McDermott 101 Pen' Dalglish 108' 21,375 Report Report
12-Jan-82 Barnsley H 0–0 33,707 Report Report
19-Jan-82 Barnsley A 3–1 Souness 37' Johnson 81' Dalglish 89' 29,639 Report Report
02-Feb-82 Ipswich Town A 2–0 McDermott 47' Rush 49' 26,690 Report Report
09-Feb-82 Ipswich Town H 2–2 Rush 26' Dalglish 47' 34,933 Report Report
World Club Championship
13 December 1981 12:00 JST
Attendance: 62,000
Referee: Rubio Vásquez (
Mexico )
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