1997–98 Liverpool F.C. season

The 1997–98 Liverpool F.C. season was the 106th season in the club's existence, and their 36th consecutive year in the top-flight of English football. In addition to the Premier League, the club also competed in the FA Cup, League Cup, and the UEFA Cup.

Liverpool
1997–98 season
ManagerRoy Evans
StadiumAnfield
FA Carling Premiership3rd
FA CupThird round
Worthington CupSemi-finals
UEFA CupSecond round
Top goalscorerLeague:
Michael Owen (18)

All:
Michael Owen (23)
Highest home attendance44,532 vs. Bolton Wanderers (7 March 1998)
Lowest home attendance34,705 vs. Sheffield Wednesday (13 September 1997)
Average home league attendance40,628

Season summary

Liverpool's season saw them feature regularly in the title race, though in the end they just couldn't get the better of champions Arsenal and runners-up Manchester United. But the real success of the season was the emergence of 18-year-old striker Michael Owen. The Chester-born youngster had impressed in a handful of appearances during 1996–97, but his impact during 1997–98 was outstanding—18 goals from 36 Premiership games, especially after Robbie Fowler was ruled out for much of the campaign with a broken leg. In midfield, the arrival of Paul Ince sought to add steel to a side creatively centred on playmaker Steve McManaman, but the team were at the peak of their Spice Boys era, and underachieved in the end, eventually finishing in third place – meaning that Liverpool would be challenging in the UEFA Cup for 1998–99.

Players

First-team squad

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  ENG David James
2 DF  ENG Rob Jones
3 DF  NOR Bjørn Tore Kvarme
4 DF  IRL Jason McAteer[lower-alpha 1]
5 DF  ENG Mark Wright
6 DF  IRL Phil Babb[lower-alpha 2]
7 MF  ENG Steve McManaman
8 MF  NOR Oyvind Leonhardsen
9 FW  ENG Robbie Fowler
11 MF  ENG Jamie Redknapp
12 DF  ENG Steve Harkness
13 FW  GER Karl-Heinz Riedle
14 DF  ENG Neil Ruddock
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 MF  CZE Patrik Berger
16 MF  ENG Michael Thomas
17 MF  ENG Paul Ince (captain)
18 FW  ENG Michael Owen
19 DF  IRL Mark Kennedy
20 DF  NOR Stig Inge Bjørnebye
21 DF  ENG Dominic Matteo[lower-alpha 3]
22 GK  ENG Tony Warner[lower-alpha 4]
23 DF  ENG Jamie Carragher
24 MF  ENG Danny Murphy
25 MF  ENG David Thompson
29 GK  USA Brad Friedel

Reserve squad

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
26 GK  DEN Jørgen Nielsen
27 FW  SCO Paul Dalglish
28 MF  AUS Nicky Rizzo
30 MF  ISL Haukur Ingi Guðnason
31 DF  WAL Gareth Roberts
32 MF  WAL Danny Williams
DF  ENG Neil Murphy
DF  ENG Stephen Wright
No. Pos. Nation Player
DF  WAL Eifion Jones
DF  IRL Paul O'Mara
MF  ENG Jamie Cassidy
MF  ENG Steven Gerrard
MF  ENG Adriano Rigoglioso
MF  WAL Leyton Maxwell
FW  ENG Jon Newby

Statistics

Appearances and Goals

No. Pos Nat Player TotalPremier LeagueFA CupLeague CupUEFA Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Goalkeepers
1 GK David James 370270105040
29 GK Brad Friedel 110110000000
Defenders
2 DF Rob Jones 26020+10002030
3 DF Bjørn Tore Kvarme 30022+10102040
5 DF Mark Wright 7060000010
6 DF Phil Babb 20018+10000010
12 DF Steve Harkness 31024+10103+1010
14 DF Neil Ruddock 4020001010
20 DF Stig Inge Bjørnebye 32024+10003040
21 DF Dominic Matteo 33024+20104020
23 DF Jamie Carragher 23017+30002010
Midfielders
4 MF Jason McAteer 26215+62103010
7 MF Steve McManaman 46123611105041
8 MF Øyvind Leonhardsen 36627+16103+2020
11 MF Jamie Redknapp 265203113120
15 MF Patrik Berger 2846+1630+102+111+10
16 MF Michael Thomas 13110+11001010
17 MF Paul Ince 408318104040
19 MF Mark Kennedy 100+10000000
24 MF Danny Murphy 1706+1000+100000
25 MF David Thompson 511+41000000
Forwards
9 FW Robbie Fowler 281319+19104331
13 FW Karl-Heinz Riedle 34718+76102+301+21
18 FW Michael Owen 442334+21800443+11
Players transferred out during the season

Last updated: 15 May 1998
Source: Competitions

Goalscorers

Rank No. Pos Nat Name Premier League FA Cup League Cup UEFA Cup Total
1 18 FW Michael Owen 18 0 4 1 23
2 9 FW Robbie Fowler 9 0 3 1 13
3 7 MF Steve McManaman 11 0 0 1 12
4 17 MF Paul Ince 8 0 0 0 8
5 13 FW Karl-Heinz Riedle 6 0 0 1 7
6 8 MF Øyvind Leonhardsen 6 0 0 0 6
7 11 MF Jamie Redknapp 3 1 1 0 5
8 15 MF Patrick Berger 3 0 1 0 4
9 4 MF Jason McAteer 2 0 0 0 2
10 16 MF Michael Thomas 1 0 0 0 1
25 MF David Thompson 1 0 0 0 1
Totals 68 1 9 4 82

Competition top scorers

Competition Result Top Scorer
Premier League 3rd Michael Owen, 18
UEFA Cup Second round Robbie Fowler
Steve McManaman
Michael Owen
Karl-Heinz Riedle, 1
FA Cup Third round Jamie Redknapp, 1
League Cup Semi-finals Michael Owen, 4
Overall Michael Owen, 23

Premier League

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Arsenal (C) 38 23 9 6 68 33 +35 78 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Manchester United 38 23 8 7 73 26 +47 77 Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round
3 Liverpool 38 18 11 9 68 42 +26 65 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
4 Chelsea 38 20 3 15 71 43 +28 63 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[lower-alpha 5]
5 Leeds United 38 17 8 13 57 46 +11 59 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[lower-alpha 6]
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion.
Notes:
  1. McAteer was born in Tranmere, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in March 1994.
  2. Babb was born in Lambeth, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in 1994.
  3. Matteo was born in Dumfries, Scotland, but was raised in England from the age of four and represented them at U-21 and B level before making his international debut for Scotland in November 2000.
  4. Warner was born in Liverpool, England, but also qualified to represent Trinidad and Tobago internationally and would make his international debut for Trinidad and Tobago in February 2006.
  5. Chelsea qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as defending champions. As they were also the League Cup winners, the UEFA Cup berth vacated was awarded to Blackburn Rovers.
  6. Aston Villa was rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup through UEFA Fair Play ranking.

Results by round

Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundAHAAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAAHAHAAHA
ResultDLDWWDWLLWLWDWLWLWWWWWDDLDDLWDWWDWDLWL
Position111416126665656555656444323444454333333333
Source: Competitive Matches
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

9 August 1997 1 Wimbledon 1–1 Liverpool London
15:00 Gayle  55' Owen  70' (pen.) Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 26,106
Referee: Gary Willard
13 August 1997 2 Liverpool 1–2 Leicester City Liverpool
Ince  85' Elliott  1'
Fenton  83'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 35,007
Referee: Jeff Winter
23 August 1997 3 Blackburn Rovers 1–1 Liverpool Blackburn
Dahlin  85' Owen  52' Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 30,187
Referee: Steve Lodge
26 August 1997 4 Leeds United 0–2 Liverpool Leeds
McManaman  23'
Riedle  75'
Stadium: Elland Road
Attendance: 39,775
Referee: Alan Wilkie
13 September 1997 5 Liverpool 2–1 Sheffield Wednesday Liverpool
Ince  55'
Thomas  68'
Collins  80' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 34,705
Referee: Graham Poll
20 September 1997 6 Southampton 1–1 Liverpool Southampton
Davies  48' Riedle  37' Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,252
Referee: Peter Jones
22 September 1997 7 Liverpool 3–0 Aston Villa Liverpool
20:00 Fowler  56' (pen.)
McManaman  79'
Riedle  90'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 34,843
Referee: Martin Bodenham
27 September 1997 8 West Ham United 2–1 Liverpool London
Hartson  16'
Berkovic  65'
Fowler  52' Stadium: Upton Park
Attendance: 25,908
Referee: Dermot Gallagher
5 October 1997 9 Liverpool 4–2 Chelsea Liverpool
16:00 Berger  20', 35', 57'
Fowler  64'
Zola  22'
Poyet  85' (pen.)
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 36,647
Referee: David Elleray
18 October 1997 10 Everton 2–0 Liverpool Liverpool
Ruddock  45' (o.g.)
Cadamarteri  75'
Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 40,112
Referee: Mike Reed
25 October 1997 11 Liverpool 4–0 Derby County Liverpool
Fowler  27', 84'
Leonhardsen  65'
McManaman  88'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 38,017
Referee: Gary Willard
1 November 1997 12 Bolton Wanderers 1–1 Liverpool Manchester
Blake  84' Fowler  1' Stadium: Reebok Stadium
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: Dermot Gallagher
8 November 1997 13 Liverpool 4–0 Tottenham Hotspur Liverpool
McManaman  48'
Leonhardsen  50'
Redknapp  65'
Owen  86'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 38,006
Referee: Steve Lodge
22 November 1997 14 Liverpool 0–1 Barnsley Liverpool
Ward  35' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 41,011
Referee: Jeff Winter
30 November 1997 15 Arsenal 0–1 Liverpool London
16:00 McManaman  55' Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,094
Referee: Graham Poll
6 December 1997 16 Liverpool 1–3 Manchester United Liverpool
Fowler  60' (pen.) Cole  51', 74'
Beckham  70'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 41,027
Referee: David Elleray
13 December 1997 17 Crystal Palace 0–3 Liverpool London
McManaman  39'
Owen  56'
Leonhardsen  61'
Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 25,790
Referee: Neale Barry
20 December 1997 18 Liverpool 1–0 Coventry City Liverpool
Owen  14' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 39,707
Referee: Paul Alcock
26 December 1997 19 Liverpool 3–1 Leeds United Liverpool
Owen  46'
Fowler  79', 83'
Håland  84' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 43,854
Referee: Steve Lodge
28 December 1997 20 Newcastle United 1–2 Liverpool Newcastle
17:00 Watson  16' McManaman  31', 43' Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 36,702
Referee: Gerald Ashby
10 January 1998 21 Liverpool 2–0 Wimbledon Liverpool
Redknapp  71', 84' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 38,011
Referee: Martin Bodenham
17 January 1998 22 Leicester City 0–0 Liverpool Leicester
Stadium: Filbert Street
Attendance: 21,633
Referee: Steve Dunn
20 January 1998 23 Liverpool 1–0 Newcastle United Liverpool
Owen  17' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 42,791
Referee: Graham Barber
31 January 1998 24 Liverpool 0–0 Blackburn Rovers Liverpool
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 43,890
Referee: Paul Durkin
7 February 1998 25 Liverpool 2–3 Southampton Liverpool
Owen  24', 90+4' Hirst  8' (pen.), 90'
Østenstad  85'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 43,550
Referee: Jeff Winter
14 February 1998 26 Sheffield Wednesday 3–3 Liverpool Sheffield
Carbone  7'
Di Canio  63'
Hinchcliffe  69'
Owen  27', 73', 78' Stadium: Hillsborough
Attendance: 35,405
Referee: Mike Reed
23 February 1998 27 Liverpool 1–1 Everton Liverpool
Ince  68' Ferguson  58' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 44,501
Referee: Peter Jones
28 February 1998 28 Aston Villa 2–1 Liverpool Birmingham
Collymore  10', 65' Owen  6' (pen.) Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: 39,572
Referee: Graham Poll
7 March 1998 29 Liverpool 2–1 Bolton Wanderers Liverpool
Ince  58'
Owen  65'
A. Thompson  7' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 44,532
Referee: Keith Burge
14 March 1998 30 Tottenham Hotspur 3–3 Liverpool London
Klinsmann  13'
Ginola  49'
Vega  80'
McManaman  21', 89'
Ince  64'
Stadium: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 30,245
Referee: Uriah Rennie
28 March 1998 31 Barnsley 2–3 Liverpool Barnsley
Redfearn  37' (pen.), 85' Riedle  44', 59'
McManaman  90'
Stadium: Oakwell
Attendance: 18,864
Referee: Gary Willard
10 April 1998 32 Manchester United 1–1 Liverpool Manchester
Johnsen  12' Owen  36' Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 55,171
Referee: Graham Poll
13 April 1998 33 Liverpool 2–1 Crystal Palace Liverpool
Leonhardsen  29'
Thompson  85'
Bent  72' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 43,007
Referee: Graham Barber
19 April 1998 34 Coventry City 1–1 Liverpool Coventry
Dublin  47' (pen.) Owen  33' Stadium: Highfield Road
Attendance: 22,721
Referee: Neale Barry
25 April 1998 35 Chelsea 4–1 Liverpool London
Hughes  11', 78'
Clarke  67'
Flo  72'
Riedle  45' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 34,639
Referee: Gerald Ashby
2 May 1998 36 Liverpool 5–0 West Ham United Liverpool
Owen  4'
McAteer  21', 25'
Leonhardsen  45'
Ince  61'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 44,414
Referee: Jeff Winter
6 May 1998 37 Liverpool 4–0 Arsenal Liverpool
Ince  28', 30'
Owen  40'
Leonhardsen  87'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 44,417
Referee: Alan Wilkie
10 May 1998 38 Derby County 1–0 Liverpool Derby
Wanchope  63' Stadium: Pride Park
Attendance: 30,492
Referee: Steve Lodge

FA Cup

Matches

3 January 1998 3rd Round Liverpool 1–3 Coventry Liverpool
Redknapp  7' Huckerby  45'
Dublin  62'
Telfer  87'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 33,388
Referee: Mike Riley

League Cup

Matches

15 October 1997 3rd Round West Brom 0-2 Liverpool West Bromwich
Berger  52'
Fowler  89'
Stadium: The Hawthorns
Attendance: 21,986
Referee: Alan Wilkie
18 November 1997 4th Round Liverpool 3-0 Grimsby Liverpool
Owen  27', 45', 57' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 28,515
Referee: Roy Pearson
7 January 1998 Quarter Final Newcastle United 0-2
(a.e.t.)
Liverpool Newcastle
Owen  95'
Fowler  103'
Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 33,207
Referee: Dermot Gallagher
27 January 1998 Semi Final 1st Leg Liverpool 2-1 Middlesbrough Liverpool
Redknapp  31'
Fowler  82'
Merson  29' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 33,438
Referee: Gary Willard
18 February 1998 Semi Final 2nd Leg Middlesbrough 2-0
(3-2 on agg.)
Liverpool Middlesbrough
Merson  2' (pen.)
Branca  4'
Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Attendance: 29,828
Referee: Paul Durkin

UEFA Cup

Matches

16 September 1997 1st Round 1st Leg Celtic 2-2 Liverpool Glasgow
McNamara  53'
Donnelly  74 pen.'
Owen  6'
McManaman  89'
Stadium: Celtic Park
Attendance: 48,526
Referee: Graziano Cesari
30 September 1997 1st Round 2nd Leg Liverpool 0-0
(away goals)
Celtic Liverpool
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 38,205
Referee: Edgar Steinborn
21 October 1997 2nd Round 1st Leg RC Strasbourg 3-0 Liverpool Strasbourg
Zitelli  20'  63'
Conteh  69'
Stadium: Stade de la Meinau
Attendance: 18,813
Referee: Vitor Manuel Melo Pereira
4 November 1997 2nd Round 2nd Leg Liverpool 2-0
(2-3 on agg.)
RC Strasbourg Liverpool
Fowler  63 pen.'
Riedle  84'
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 32,426
Referee: Rune Pedersen

Notes

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