FeatureThe biggest wins in Liverpool's history
Kenny Dalglish’s Reds thrashed Fulham 10-0 in a League Cup second-round tie at Anfield to equal the scoreline achieved by Bill Shankly’s side against Dundalk 17 years earlier.
On the 36th anniversary of the victory over Fulham, here we look back at the club’s largest wins…
Liverpool 11-0 Stromsgodset (September 17, 1974)
Under new manager Bob Paisley, Liverpool ruthlessly dismantled Norwegian amateurs Stromsgodset to post the club’s biggest victory and a record that has now stood for close to 50 years.
This UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup first-round first leg at Anfield was 5-0 at half-time, with Alec Lindsay’s early penalty being added to by a brace by Phil Boersma and goals from Phil Thompson and Steve Heighway.
Indeed, such was the Reds’ overwhelming dominance, nine of their starting XI finished the match with at least one goal to their name, the only exceptions being Ray Clemence and Brian Hall.
A flourish of three goals inside the final five minutes saw Paisley’s team break new ground.
“In the second half I was confused about all the goals,” Thompson said. “I even had a chat with Emlyn Hughes to try to work out what the score was.”
Liverpool 10-0 Dundalk (September 16, 1969)
This European Fairs Cup first-round first leg saw a Liverpool team led by Shankly rout Dundalk at Anfield.
The part-time Irish visitors’ night got off to an inauspicious start when Lindsay headed in the opener inside the first minute, and it was 5-0 by the break.
Despite Shankly’s decision to rest Roger Hunt and Ian St John, the Reds would plunder another five second-half goals in front of a shade more than 32,000 supporters – one of whom was particularly captivated by the experience.
Future manager Gerard Houllier stood on the Kop that evening alongside his friend Patrice Bergues who, three decades on, would be his assistant at Anfield.
“What impressed me first of all was the atmosphere inside the stadium,” Houllier marvelled. “We were on the Kop, and it was fantastic to see the unconditioned support of the fans.”
Liverpool 10-0 Fulham (September 23, 1986)
Fresh from winning the league and FA Cup double the season before, Liverpool underlined their determination to reclaim the League Cup with a second-round demolition of Fulham.
Steve McMahon scored four times and missed a penalty as the Third Division visitors were beaten heavily in this first leg at Anfield.
It was 2-0 by the 10th minute thanks to Ian Rush and John Wark, and Ronnie Whelan made it three shortly before the half-hour mark.
McMahon notched his first of the evening on the stroke of half-time, then grabbed his second after Wark had done so. He spurned the chance to get his hat-trick by hitting the crossbar from the spot but, three minutes later, increased Liverpool’s lead to seven.
Further strikes from Rush, McMahon and Steve Nicol ensured that Dalglish’s side achieved the club’s biggest victory in domestic competition – a record that remains intact 36 years later.
Liverpool 10-1 Oulun Palloseura (October 1, 1980)
Having been held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of this European Cup first-round tie, Liverpool had work to do against Oulun Palloseura at Anfield.
‘Job done’ would be an understated way of describing what happened next.
Graeme Souness and Terry McDermott each netted hat-tricks as the Finnish outfit were blown away by Paisley’s Reds, who would go on to lift the European Cup for the third time in five seasons by defeating Real Madrid in the final.
This result does not stand alone as the club’s fourth-largest win, however – Liverpool also beat Rotherham Town 10-1 back in 1896.
Liverpool 9-0 Crystal Palace (September 12, 1989)
An unbeaten start on the journey to top-flight title No.18 was maintained in emphatic fashion as Crystal Palace were hammered at Anfield.
Newly promoted Palace were only three down at half-time to Dalglish’s future champions, with Nicol, McMahon and Rush netting.
The Reds pressed down on the accelerator after the interval. John Aldridge marked his final appearance for the club by slotting home a penalty, while eight different players got goals and there was a symmetry to the scoresheet as Nicol completed the rout in the last minute.
Palace would famously gain revenge by edging a thrilling FA Cup semi-final 4-3 later in the season but this win – which equalled a 9-0 FA Cup result against Newtown in 1892 – remains the club’s joint-biggest top-flight victory.
Liverpool 9-0 Bournemouth (August 27, 2022)
“Needed.”
Jürgen Klopp’s one-word description of the most recent entry on this list summed up the catharsis of Liverpool’s record Premier League win.
AFC Bournemouth arrived at Anfield five days after the Reds had put in a below-par display in losing to Manchester United and the will of Klopp’s side to bounce back was evident from the off.
Goals from Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott put them 2-0 up inside the opening six minutes and they were five to the good by half-time, courtesy of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk.
The Reds were unrelenting after the break and Firmino, Fabio Carvalho and Diaz added to an own goal to make the final score 9-0.
Stoke City 0-8 Liverpool (November 29, 2000)
Liverpool’s record away victory was posted by Houllier’s treble-winning vintage of 2000-01.
A League Cup fourth-round trip to third-tier Stoke City could have proven a tricky tie but a Reds team captained by Robbie Fowler, who notched a hat-trick, made light work of the assignment.
Fowler rounded off the first-half scoring to put his side four goals to the good at the break, following strikes from Christian Ziege, Vladimir Smicer and Markus Babbel.
It was 6-0 by the 65th minute through Sami Hyypia and Danny Murphy, before Fowler completed his treble late on.
“Stoke probably felt the backlash of the last four or five weeks when we have played quite well without getting the rewards,” stated Houllier.
Liverpool 8-0 Besiktas (November 6, 2007)
Liverpool have won 8-0 at Anfield on five occasions, with the latest example coming 15 years ago as Rafael Benitez’s side registered what remains the joint-biggest victory in Champions League history.
Having collected just one point from their first three Group A fixtures, the pressure was on the Reds – beaten finalists just a few months earlier – with regard to their hopes of advancing to the last 16.
Avenging a 2-1 loss in Turkey a fortnight previous by defeating Besiktas at Anfield was a necessity for Benitez’s team.
And they did so in some style, inspired by a 24-minute hat-trick from Yossi Benayoun that straddled the half-time interval.
Six of Liverpool’s eight goals came in the second half. As well as Benayoun’s treble, Ryan Babel and Peter Crouch each scored twice and Steven Gerrard netted the other.
“We had the belief before that we could qualify and now we believe even more,” Benitez noted.
Liverpool duly beat Porto 4-1 and Marseille 4-0 to reach the knockout rounds, with their quest for a third Champions League final in four seasons eventually ending at the hands of Chelsea in the last four.