History: 2002-2003 Season Review

SEASON SUMMARY

After an extremely promising 2001-2002, 2002-2003 turned out to be the “beginning of the end” of Gerard Houllier. Realistically, that occured earlier during a period of 2001-2002, but the signs weren’t evident until a streak of 11 matches without a victory in the league during a season known for being a “three-parter.” The beginning of the season was brilliant, with Liverpool leading the way after 12 matches, completely unbeaten. Young Milan Baros was making a surprise impact, our midfielders were chipping in with crucial goals, and we were drawing games that we probably should have lost. But after this, we went 11 matches without a single victory! Then, the third part of the season was the recovery, as we stormed back into contention for the Champions League, where we fell short in a 1-2 defeat to Chelsea in a “winner takes all” contest. As a supporter, I can’t think of a more heartbreaking and intensely frustrating season. 5th place on 64 points doesn’t really tell the story. It was a top-heavy season. 64 points normally gets you in the 4th spot. 2003-2004 was far worse, though we finished 4th. In 2002-2003, we had a decent squad that was capable of putting together results. What we lacked, though, was our defensive solidarity. And this is where we faltered.

In seasons past, Liverpool were known as the “mean machine,” the “red wall,” or “stingy.” But now we were leaking goals and blowing leads. It was all quite unusual for us… a reminder of the 90s when we had all the attacking talent you could ask for but none of the defensive resolve that wins anything. The problem was that our tactics were BASED on our defensive resolve… so there within lied the problem. Houllier began making odd decisions, like signing El Hadji Diouf, Salif Diao, and Bruno Cheyrou, when the side CLEARLY needed more striking options, not untested midfielders. He also began experimenting with playing players out of their natural positions, such as Biscan at central defender and Heskey on the right flank. Heskey is not a winger, and this was IRRITATING! Despite the more-than-decent start, our true colors began to show and we couldn’t buy a win to save our lives. We quickly plummeted from first to fifth, and couldn’t break the streak until Heskey buried a header at Southampton to give us our first three points in literally two months. The busiest two months in the season. Ouch.

The season regained its momentum, though, and impressive wins against Tottenham, Everton, West Brom and Leeds were part of a seven game win streak that put us right back into the thick of it. In the midst of this, we captured our second League Cup Final trophy in three seasons, as goals from Gerrard and Owen gave us an unlikely 2-0 victory over the soon-to-be Premiership champions Manchester United. From a personal point of view, though, nothing will top the 6-0 win over West Brom. On that day, I began my relationship with my current wife… and what better way to mark that occasion than a 6-0 win and 4 goals from Michael Owen, my favorite player at that point of time? Lovely. Unfortunately, our run of form ran out at the wrong time, as we lost 1-2 to both Manchester City and Chelsea, and finished 5th. Progress was all of a sudden looking like a tale from long ago… and the signings of the summer were really the only thing to blame, as was the deteriorating confidence in Houllier.

TOP 5 MOMENTS

5) 4-3 thriller at Villa Park.

Towards the beginning of our rotten 11 match Premiership unbeaten streak, Liverpool were given a 5th round League Cup tie against Aston Villa at Villa Park. Given that Villa were pretty much as mediocre as they come, you would have banked on a victory… but most likely not one of this nature. We started slowly, conceding to a Darius Vassell goal. Then Murphy equalized with a fabulous curling free-kick into the top corner… one of many great moments from him during the season. Superb goals from young Milan Baros and Steven Gerrard followed, and entry into the semifinals seemed a certainty. But this was the winter of this campaign, and we were getting used to throwing away leads. This was no different. Goals from Hitzlesperger and Dublin eliminated our lead until a late, late winner from Danny Murphy gave us the entry into the semifinals to face Sheffield United. At that time, there couldn’t have been a more perfect remedy.

4) Heskey’s header at Southampton ends the rotten streak.

In a season where I was able to watch more Liverpool matches than I was used to, I was “treated” to a horrific run of 11 matches where we couldn’t win. It was dreadful. 1-1 seemed to be the common score, and if not, then we were losing to crappy opposition. Southampton was just another example of a match that we should have won, but nearly didn’t. Heskey’s header off of the freekick was exactly what the doctor ordered, and I’ll never forget celebrating that goal in my socks, sliding along the kitchen tile as I was unable to contain myself. I KNEW it was the one, and it turned out to be exactly that. Just the thought of 11 matches now is insane!!!

3) Danny Murphy’s long-distance strike gives us a 2-1 win at Goodison.

The score was 1-1, and Michael Owen’s goal was our “one,” a nice piece of work where he muscled his way through the defense and gave us the lead. Everton had equalized, and in the second half we needed a moment of inspiration. We had been in a hot streak of form, so the confidence was higher than it would have been months earlier. But because of that winter spell, at this point in my supporting days I always felt like we’d eventually cave in and blow it. Not this time. Murphy spanked a strike gloriously off of the post and in from 30 yards out. Liverpool had to overcome a lot of physical play in this encounter, with Everton finishing with only 9 men. Turned out to be an important win, too. We raced two points ahead of our friendly rivals in the race for fourth place.

2) Owen’s “Four-midable” attacking display gives us a 6-0 win at the Hawthornes over West Brom.

On the day I held my wife’s hand for the very first time, Michael Owen and Milan Baros led us to a memorable thrashing at the Hawthornes. 6-0 is a wonderful scoreline, but to do this on the road is something special. Owen scored four goals, and Baros scored twice as we gave relegation-doomed WBA an absolute masterclass in finishing. Oddly enough, Owen’s goal was the only one in the first half, but five second half goals led us on our way to a famous rout. In the process, Michael Owen became only the 10th player to reach 100 Premiership goals, and broke his personal scoring record for a season with his 25th-28th goals of the season. Surprisingly, this was his best ever goals return in a campaign.

1) League Cup glory! 2-0 over Manchester United.

Who says nobody cares about the League Cup? I can guarantee you that EVERY SINGLE LFC supporter was passionate about this victory. It isn’t like the FA Cup, that’s a given, but anytime you face your major rival for a shot at silverware, there is a lot of emotion that is involved. This was no different, and what a match we were given by our men in red. Gerrard’s deflected long-ranger looped over Barthez and in to give us a 1-0 lead, and very late on Michael Owen sealed it with a typical counterattack where he broke the offsides trap and slipped it under the keeper coolly and with the utmost class. 2-0, and a celebration I won’t forget. For being such a calm player, Owen could occasionally lash out with emotion. This was one of those moments. A very bright silver lining on a season that was looked at as a major dark cloud for the club. The next season would be even darker, unfortunately, so this was one of our last good times for about two full years!!!

Owen slots in the second in a famous League Cup triumph!

TOP 10 BEST GOALS

10) Riise v. Arsenal

In perhaps the best match of the season as far as entertainment was concerned, John Arne Riise scored our first in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield. Emile Heskey held the ball up at around the six yard box, laid it off to Riise who was charging at the top of the box, and Riise drove it low and into the far post corner. It was a cracking hit!

(watch me! I’m at about 2:07 in the video)

9) Murphy v. Tottenham

In typical Murphy fashion, he curled the ball brilliantly to give Liverpool a 1-0 lead from about 25 yards out. The ball had pace, curl, accuracy… the whole lot. In a season where he could seemingly do no wrong, this one goes down as one of his best. Any time you curl it off of the apex of the bar and post and in, you know you’ve got some precision!

8 ) Owen @ Everton

For such a small guy, Michael Owen has got some muscle and strength. This was never more evident than in the crucial clash between Liverpool and Everton at Goodison Park in 2003. He collected the ball, squeezed through two players, and SMASHED it hard and low into the near post, sparking celebrations of intensity not normally seen in Owen. We would go on to win 2-1, and jump ahead of the Blueshite in the standings.

7) Murphy v. Birmingham City

The classic free-kick. Murphy took it from about 25 yards at an improbable angle, and swerved it gloriously over the wall, off of the post with incredible pace, and into the back of the net. It was one of those “perfection” strikes that you don’t see all too often. Wonderful goal, but we’d ultimately end up drawing 2-2.

6) Gerrard @ Tottenham

With the score at 2-1, Steven Gerrard collected the ball at midfield on a very lopsided counterattack, pushed the ball past the defender, cut off this defender, and was one on one with the keeper with pace. There was only ever going to be one outcome. Rather than take it closer, though, he smashed it with ferocious intent into the low corner with a skipping strike. “Twas a glorious strike!” Typical Stevie G.

(watch me!)

5) Owen v. West Ham

Another quality goal from Owen in the 2002-2003 season, the one in which he scored more than any other campaign. He was a one-man wrecking crew against the Hammers on the day, scoring a beauty (this one) and a fluke (the second one), but just overall running them ragged all match long. On this occasion, he skipped by about 5 defenders on a jinking run into the box and then had the cheek to chip the ball over James and into the back corner. Lovely goal on the wet Anfield pitch.

(watch me! I’m at minute marker 6:10!)

4) Murphy v. Leeds

This was a very strange situation, but the goal was of the highest quality. John Arne Riise and the Leeds defender (Mills, I think) went for the ball at the same time, and Riise appeared to get hit in the foot and went to ground. Mills cleared it half-heartedly, but there was no whistle, and play went on. Somewhat bamboozled by it all, they stood and watched as Murphy curled it unbelievably accurately into the far top corner from exactly at the corner of the 18 yard box. WHAT. A. GOAL. Wow.

(watch me! I’m at 6:05)

3) Gerrard @ West Ham

Steven Gerrard has scored a few corkers against the Hammers, and this was definitely one of them. After the corner kick had been cleared when we were 1-0 up, Danny Murphy went to hit the ball from the top of the 18, but a West Ham challenge prevented the ball from even being touched. The ball continued to bounce out to Gerrard from 30 yards out, and the Liverpool midfield legend took a powerful and angry swipe at it from an improbable angle through a sea of players. The ball skipped ferociously into the low corner, and Gerrard celebrated with the Liverpool bench. This goal is one of my personal favorites because of the pure unlikelihood of it all!

(watch me! I’m at ABOUT 3:24)

2) Hamann @ Fulham

This goal was a total bolt of a hit, struck as if it was a bullet. There aren’t many players who pack a punch like Hamann, and this goal was supreme evidence of this. Off of the free kick, Jamie Carragher gave the ball the slightest of taps, and Hamann raced onto it as fast as he could and gave the Fulham lads a frightful look at how hard he could strike it. Van Der Sar had no chance, despite the desperate lunge for it. The ball found its way to the top corner in this sad 2-3 loss, but this goal was basically worth it all.

(watch me!)

1) Murphy @ Everton

Anytime you score the winner in the Merseyside Derby, it has to be a crowning achievement in your career… but when it is an absolute SCREAMER off of the top corner post and in from 35 yards, then you’ve got yourself your #1 career moment. WOW. And this was from a boyhood Liverpool supporter! What I particularly enjoyed about this strike, as well, was the calm manner in which Murphy celebrated until he reached the fans, and then he went totally insane. LOVE IT.

(watch me! I’m at 6:10)

TOP 10 MOST IMPORTANT GOALS

10) Owen @ West Bromwich Albion… all 4 of them.

On the face of it, these goals weren’t really all THAT important. But when you consider my life story, I have to throw it in there! On this magical day of 6-0 and 4 Michael Owen goals, I also began my relationship with my incredible wife Ashley. We had been at a track meet in Oregon, so to come back up to my university and to see the score was an amazing experience. As far as the season was concerned, this match also was the first convincing win we had achieved in AGES, so it helped set the tone for the next season. Unfortunately, that tone was never received…

9) Hyypia @ Auxerre

Sami Hyypia celebrates a rare “footed” goal in a 1-0 win against Auxerre

Sami Hyypia’s forte has usually been headers in his time at Liverpool, but in the 2002-2003 season, Hyypia scored a lovely goal in France in a UEFA Cup tie with Auxerre. He weaved through the defense, oddly enough as a defender he was in this position, and then slotted it coolly into the far post corner. It was delightful, and went to show just how much skill he possesses in combination with his composure, height, and football brain. This goal allowed for us to win for the first time in Europe on French soil, and also made it easy to progress to the quarterfinals, where Celtic would end up knocking us out.

8 ) Owen v. Chelsea

For the second season running, Liverpool got a last second goal at Anfield to defeat Chelsea 1-0. In the previous season, it was Vladimir Smicer. In 2002-2003, and at the top of the league, Emile Heskey fortuitously found possession of the ball and raced ahead of the defenders with a one-on-one with Cudicini. His shot was just barely deflected by the keeper off of the post, and Chelsea looked like they were off of the hook… until it was little Michael Owen who popped up, tapping in the winner and celebrating wildly with the Main Stand. This was really our only win against anyone of note outside of Everton in this quite dreadful season against the top sides.

7) Heskey @ Bolton

Liverpool had drawn three straight matches 2-2 before the Bolton fixture, all three of which were blown leads lost towards the very end of the match (Blackburn, Newcastle, and Birmingham). When we were 2-1 up, there was a sinking feeling it could happen again, and on about 87 minutes this nightmare came true. This couldn’t POSSIBLY happen four straight times, could it? It didn’t. Right after kick off- I’m talking SECONDS- Riise’s delicious throughball found the path of Heskey, who did well to slide it in for our third. I have rarely celebrated a goal with such enthusiasm and relief! Heskey would make a habit of this in the 2002-2003 season despite not scoring as many goals as we had grown accustomed to with him.

6) Owen v. Sheffield United

El Hadji Diouf’s goal eliminated a 2-1 deficit from the first leg of this League Cup semifinal with Sheffield United, and we were in extra time. With not a whole lot of time remaining, minute 107 to be precise, Michael Owen was sent through and he chipped the goalkeeper wonderfully to set up a final with arch-rivals Manchester United. No goal here, and who knows what would have happened in a penalty shoot-out!

5) Murphy @ Aston Villa, LC

In a true thriller, leads must change sides and there has to be some late drama. This fifth round clash with Aston Villa in the League Cup was a prime example of this. Down 0-1, Murphy equalized, and then Baros and Gerrard gave us a nice cushioned lead at 3-1. But Aston Villa struck twice and it was level at 3-3 at Villa Park. With only seconds left to play in stoppage time, Murphy snatched at a ball that found his path from about 10 yards and he was absolutely mobbed by his teammates as it struck the back of the net. This goal allowed for us to win the cup!

4) Owen v. Manchester United

Any goal in the League Cup Final must be considered important, but especially those that come against the local nemesis and a personal hated side in Manchester United. Gerrard’s goal gave us a 1-0 advantage, which was obviously fantastic, but there was always a nagging possibility that United would sneak an equalizer despite not deserving it. Owen eliminated this possibility, as he ran onto a fabulous through-ball, broke the offsides trap, and neatly slotted the ball under Fabien Barthez. 2-0, and the cup was most certainly ours with this 86th minute goal.

3) Murphy @ Everton

Danny Murphy is mobbed by the red half of Merseyside after netting a glorious winner at Goodison Park.

This goal is the same one that was ranked #1 as best goal, which means it was quite special! At 1-1, having lost the initial advantage, and needing the points to leapfrog Everton in the standings with only a few matches left in the season, something special needed to happen. Didi Hamann charged at the Everton backlines, was dispossessed, and the ball fell to the feet of Murphy from about 30-35 yards out. He took a touch, and then curled it with supreme confidence off of the near post/crossbar and in. All Murphy could do to score was put it EXACTLY in that spot, and he did that to a tee. We may not have finished 4th, but at least we finished ahead of Everton!!!

2) Heskey @ Southampton

It is scandalous to think of this now, but midway through the 2002-2003 season, we had played 11 matches in the Premiership without a victory. There were some soft fixtures during that streak, unfortunately, and all of a sudden no match brought any form of confidence to the supporters. 5 points out of a possible 33 was the kind of form that usually leads to relegation, not Europe, and something needed to spark a “revolution” of sorts in our form. Emile Heskey provided that spark, scoring for the first time in what seemed like an entire epoch, with a flying smack of a header into the bottom corner of the Southampton goal on a free-kick. It was his first goal in approximately three months, but what an important one! We won the match 1-0, and the race for Europe was back on.

1) Gerrard v. Manchester United

Steven Gerrard loves scoring in cup finals, and this was his League Cup tally to the impressive record he has. This goal was crucial, too, as it came only five minutes before halftime. United were bossing the play, and Ruud Van Nistelrooy was INCHES from giving them the lead. But this was Stevie G, and he wasn’t about to be outdone. He took a speculative strike from about 25 yards out, which deflected off of the boot of David Beckham, and looped over the dispairing lunge of Barthez and into the far upper corner of the net. We won the final 2-0, but Gerrard’s goal was the one of real importance as it was TECHNICALLY the winner! The man for the occasion was once again Steven Gerrard.

SIGNINGS AND DEPARTURES

Signings:

There are two possible approaches to this segment. I could either go on and on about how incredibly damaging the three signings of 2002-2003 were… or I could just say that they happened and quickly sweep it under the rug and pretend it didn’t happen. I prefer to take the first approach, and will cover each one individually as massive errors of judgment. Before then, though, it is important to note that 2001-2002 finished with Liverpool in 2nd place. 2002-2003 ended with us in 5th. It was clear in 2001-2002 that we were an excellent defensive unit, desperately in need of some creativity AND wingers. So who do we sign? A striker, an overly aggressive central midfielder, and an overly UNaggressive attacking midfielder. No wingers. Oh… and Houllier decided that Diouf belonged on the wing, thus eliminating having a GOOD winger. Ouch.

So each signing, as promised:

1) Diouf: The World Cup brings forth several problems in the transfer market. First, there is a misconception that it is the tournament with the highest quality of football. That is indeed not the case, and many players are mistaken for being world beaters when in reality they are playing against second-rate opposition. Second, the standard of refereeing allows for a lot of diving, play-acting, and etc., which can allow for a player to be more effective than they truly are. And third, the emotion of the cup magnifies one’s impact. Diouf may have had an impact, but generally it was for things like diving and for his ability to dribble at people. I’ll be honest… at first I was looking forward to him. But he was so damn irritating that it was clear he wasn’t a good fit. Anytime you are embarrassed by your own player, you KNOW his teammates feel the same way and don’t trust him. This was the case with Diouf. Additionally, he was a striker who couldn’t score goals, and a winger who wouldn’t go wide… he ALWAYS had to cut inside, and it was so predictable. After a while, too, his dives and constant complaining “earned” him a lack of calls, because it was like the boy who cried wolf. Did we need a player like this? Not really. 6 goals from a player who cost nearly 11 mil? No thanks!!!

Diao: If the Diouf purchase was unnecessary, this one was flat-out irresponsible and lacked due consideration. It was if he hadn’t been scouted. Diao scored a few times for Liverpool, but picked up just as many wreckless red cards and conceded just as many penalties. He was brought in for… some purpose. Nobody really knows. We already had Gerrard, Murphy, Hamann, Smicer… why did we need another central midfielder? Oh… because Houllier planned on playing him out of position at central defender or as a right back! Another odd, odd decision towards the end of Houllier’s reign. If there was one player I hated seeing on the teamsheet, it was Diao. Of Diouf. They were both rubbish… and lacked SKILL, which is kind of a problem!

Cheyrou: Maybe a bit unfair, as he was never really given much of a chance, but Cheyrou was not the kind of player we needed. Untested, not tough on the ball, lacked quality… what was the point? The “New Zidane” tag from Houllier didn’t set him up for success either, because it was quite clear to all of us that he was distinctively mediocre! Of the three, he at least made a positive impact more than once, and definitely wasn’t someone who pissed me off. Just wasn’t good enough, that’s all. And really… was he ever going to beat out Gerrard and Murphy, the players who played in the same position? Why did we need another player in that role? UGH!!!

Departures:

Not many players left in this summer, which was to be expected after such a successful campaign in 2001-2002. Jari Litmanen and Nick Barmby were the only two high profile players who left during the summer, and before them Gary McAllister and Jamie Redknapp, who were clearly past their best but had contributed GREATLY to the success in previous seasons. We also sold Stephen Wright, who at one point was looking extremely promising, but turned out to be just a good “Championship” level player. For 3 mil, it was worth it!

The big story, though, was of a player we had an option on buying from a loan, but chose not to. If there is ONE moment that I think ruined Houllier’s chances of being a good manager for us in the long-term, it was this one. Why he didn’t sign Nicolas Anelka, I’ll never know. He was DYNAMITE for us. Just look at our record when he played for us! We lost ONE MATCH out of 22 he played in. He scored five goals, but was instrumental in wearing down the opposition and linked up beautifully with Owen and Heskey. Our three-pronged attack was incredible and struck fear into the heart of the opposition. 4-0 away at Leeds, 3-0 at home to Newcastle, 6-0 away to Ipswich… I’d say it worked! So what does Houllier do when he could buy him? He opts out and buys Diouf instead!! Oh dear, oh dear…

TOP 5 PLAYERS

5) John Arne Riise

Riise had a very good second season for Liverpool, although it WAS becoming clear he lacked in the defensive area of the pitch. As a result of that, Houllier occasionally pushed him up to left midfield, where I believe he was more effective. The problem, though, was that this meant either Traore or Diao were played there… and Biscan at central defender. AKA: NO DEFENSE! Anyhow, Riise scored 6 goals and had an incredibly effective time for us during our 11 match struggle. He was one of a very select few who turned up for the fight, scoring important goals in matches against Middlesbrough, Arsenal, and Blackburn during that time.

4) Sami Hyypia

As Stephane Henchoz was losing his place to Biscan (and injuries), Sami Hyypia had a rough season where he really had to stand up and be a colossal captain for us. He did this, though the times were certainly tough. He scored that great goal against Auxerre, and was consistent in his ability to marshall the backlines, particularly with a very weak back four to work with… including the goalkeeper. It probably wasn’t his best season, but nobody other than our top three did anything of note in this campaign, so there you have it!

3) Steven Gerrard

In 2000-2001, Gerrard really showed his true colors. Unfortunately, injuries and some off-field issues slowed his progress in 2001-2002. But in the 2002-2003 season, Stevie G became the tough-tackling and “big moment” player that we all know and love. He was at the heart of almost everything good that happened in Liverpool’s play. He had an absolutely fantastic month of March, scoring in the League Cup Final against Manchester United, and with quality goals against Tottenham and Leeds. His scorcher against West Ham was also a moment to remember. To cap it all off, he scored a memorable last minute goal against Charlton to truly seal his fate as someone to come up big for us when our chips were down.

2) Michael Owen

The 2002-2003 season was Owen’s most productive, which was largely due to an increase in matches played and being in full health for the vast majority of the season. In typical Owen style, his goals came in bunches. He started slowly in 2002-2003, but caught on with two hat-tricks within weeks of each other, and then scoring four in one match against West Brom towards the end of the season. He caught his best form at the very end, with that four-goal spree and with two other goals in successive weeks in the same month of April. Owen’s goals were crucial for us in this season, as he was really the only one scoring them regularly enough up front. Scoring in the League Cup Final was also a highlight!

1) Danny Murphy

Hopefully Danny Murphy will be fondly remembered, because he wasn’t always the most popular figure during his time at Anfield. However, in 2002-2003, he had a blinder and EVERYONE recognized this. The sadness of getting hurt in the World Cup training sessions spurned him on, and his goals in this season were incredibly crucial and of the utmost quality. Strikes against Birmingham City, Leeds, Tottenham, and Everton just oozed class and ability. Unlike before, he was also being played regularly and was able to string together consistent performances. If it wasn’t classy goals Murphy was scoring in this 12 goal-haul in 2002-2003, they were important ones. A crucial penalty against Arsenal… a late winner at Villa in the League Cup… a goal in the amazing 3-3 comeback from being 0-3 down at Basle… and of course the Everton strike that gave us the 2-1 win. Murphy was simply excellent in 2002-2003, and it was highly unfortunate that this didn’t carry over into 2003-2004.

TOP 3 FLOPS

3) Jerzy Dudek

Dudek had a decent 2001-2002, erasing the memory of Sander Westerveld. But in 2002-2003, this all changed. Clangers against Manchester United, Charlton, Tottenham… it just seemed to go on and on. And you didn’t really see that many SAVES from him. That was the problem. Not a reliable keeper, and when Kirkland was brought on instead, this didn’t really change!

2) Salif Diao
I’ve already described this one, but poor tackling and a lack of overall impact made this a complete waste of 4.7 million pounds.

1) Diouf

His first match away at Villa Park gave the perfect glimpse of who Diouf would become for us. EMBARRASSING. I was red-faced in his first match. He dove, he complained, he made a total ass out of himself… etc. etc. Two goals in his second match against Southampton would be 1/3 of his ENTIRE return for the season. From someone who cost 11 mil, this was a MAJOR letdown! Definitely the signing that brought Liverpool back to the stone age.

Diouf chasing Henry… not only was he not as QUICK as people had said, but he was just total rubbish and a complete embarrassment to the red shirt.

STATISTICS

League Cup- CHAMPIONS! 2-0 win over Manchester United!!!

FA Cup- knocked out by Crystal Palace 0-2 at Anfield in the 4th Round Replay after drawing 0-0 in the first leg. Ouch.