FA Cup memoriesLiverpool's Wembley masterclass before Shankly farewell

A succinct and apt description of Liverpool’s winning performance in the 1974 FA Cup final from Phil Thompson, a man who saw more than his fair share of triumphs and zeniths with the club.

Nine years after the Reds had claimed the cup for the first time in history – ending 73 years of frustration in the process – the second vintage team of Bill Shankly’s era did it again in swashbuckling style.

A goalless first half against Newcastle United in the showpiece at Wembley gave way to an exhibition of clinical finishing after the break.

Alec Lindsay had already seen a vicious thump inside the left post ruled out for offside before Kevin Keegan opened the scoring with a delightful touch and strike from the edge of the box that beat the goalkeeper’s grasp.

Liverpool sought to press home their advantage and doubled it a quarter of an hour from time, a long kick out by Ray Clemence presenting Steve Heighway with a chance to stride forward and slide a low finish into the far corner.

The coup de grace arrived on 88 minutes. Heighway slipped a pass into the right side of the penalty box for Tommy Smith – one of only two survivors from the 1965 victory, along with Ian Callaghan – and he in turn fed the ball across the area for Keegan to guide home from close range.

“Newcastle were undressed!” cried the commentator. “They were absolutely stripped naked!”

Thompson’s reflection, meanwhile, continued: “The European Cup win of ’81 when I was skipper may be my greatest achievement but the match itself wasn’t that great. Not that it mattered. However, Wembley was very different.

“We were a class apart.”

A beaming smile lit up Emlyn Hughes’ face as he ascended the steps at Wembley to collect the cup and celebrate a success that would take on greater poignancy in the months that followed.

In the July, Shankly shocked the city by announcing his resignation as manager, bringing an end to his revolutionary 15-year spell with Liverpool.

His team had already ensured he was bowing out in style and glory.

Route to the final

Third round: Liverpool 2-2 Doncaster Rovers, Doncaster Rovers 0-2 Liverpool (replay)

Fourth round: Liverpool 0-0 Carlisle United, Carlisle United 0-2 Liverpool (replay)

Fifth round: Liverpool 2-0 Ipswich Town

Quarter-final: Bristol City 0-1 Liverpool

Semi-final: Liverpool 0-0 Leicester City, Liverpool 3-1 Leicester City (replay)

FA Cup top scorers

Kevin Keegan – 6

John Toshack – 3

Brian Hall, Steve Heighway – 2

Phil Boersma, Peter Cormack – 1