1999–2000 Liverpool F.C. season


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The 1999–2000 season was Liverpool Football Club's 108th season in existence and their 38th consecutive season in the top-flight of English football. The club finished fourth in the Premier League, thus qualifying for the 2000–01 UEFA Cup.

Liverpool
1999–2000 season
ChairmanDavid Moores
ManagerGérard Houllier
Premier League4th
FA CupFourth round
League CupThird round
Top goalscorerLeague:
Michael Owen (11)
All:
Michael Owen (12)
Average home league attendance41,564[1]
Squad at end of season[2]

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

Left club during season

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

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

Events of the season

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After a disappointing seventh-place finish the previous season, which left Liverpool without even UEFA Cup qualification, manager Gérard Houllier began to rebuild his squad and made seven close season signings. The attack was bolstered with the arrival of Titi Camara, Erik Meijer and Vladimír Šmicer. Succeeding Aston Villa-bound David James in goal was Dutchman Sander Westerveld. A new look central defence featured Stéphane Henchoz and Sami Hyypiä.[5] Following the summer departure of former captain Paul Ince, Jamie Redknapp was made the new captain of the side, with Robbie Fowler appointed as vice-captain.

The season began on 7 August 1999 with a 2–1 win at Sheffield Wednesday, with Robbie Fowler and the debutant Titi Camara finding the net.[6] However, the next game saw newly promoted Watford – in the top flight for the first time in over a decade – travel to Anfield and come away surprise 1–0 winners. Defeat followed in the next game as Liverpool travelled to Middlesbrough, but then came victories over Leeds United and Arsenal which saw the Reds occupy eighth place as the first month of the season drew to a close.[7]

September saw the Reds navigate the second round of the Football League Cup with a comfortable aggregate win over financially troubled Division Three side Hull City, though they failed to achieve any victories in the league, losing 3–2 at home to Manchester United (with Jamie Carragher scoring two own goals), drawing 2–2 at Leicester City and finally losing 1–0 at home to Everton in the Merseyside derby. This left Liverpool 12th by the end of September, while their cross-city rivals were showing signs of a revival after three dismal seasons by occupying sixth place.[8] Things improved slightly in October with two league victories over Chelsea and West Ham United. Southampton had ended Liverpool's League Cup hopes with a third round defeat earlier in the month, which ended with Liverpool's league standing slightly improved to ninth place. With a third of the season now gone, they were eight points off the top of a table being led by Leeds United.[9]

November was a much better month for the Reds, who achieved wins over Bradford, Derby County and Sunderland to occupy fifth place by 20 November. They were now just six points behind leaders Manchester United.[10] However, the month ended on a low note as they lost 1–0 at West Ham United.

Liverpool's revival continued in December as they beat struggling Sheffield Wednesday 4–1 at Anfield. With the FA Cup third round unusually being played before Christmas, they travelled to Division One promotion chasers Huddersfield Town on 12 December and came away 2-0 victors. A 2–0 win over Coventry City on 18 December meant that the Reds were still fifth in the league at Christmas, six points behind Manchester United.[11]

Their FA Cup quest ended in a shock 1–0 fourth round defeat at home to Blackburn Rovers.

Liverpool's attack was bolstered with the club record £11 million signing of Leicester City's Emile Heskey on 10 March 2000.[12]

The first two months of the new millennium saw mixed results for the Reds, but many of the teams around them dropped points as well, meaning that by mid February they were third in the league and just six points behind leaders Manchester United, who had a game in hand. There now appeared to be a realistic chance that the Reds might finally be able to end their ten-year wait for the league title.[13] Three successive draws followed in March, then came a five-match winning run which lifted them to second place by 16 April. However, Manchester United now had an 11-point lead at the top of the table with just five games remaining, and needed just five points from those remaining games to be certain of retaining the league title. However, Liverpool still had something to play for, as the top three places in the Premier League now meant Champions League qualification. Competition for second and third place was still fierce, with Arsenal, Leeds United, Chelsea and Aston Villa all in close contention.[14]

However, the season ended with a disastrous run of results. A goalless draw at Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby was followed by a 2–0 defeat at Chelsea. Emile Heskey's first game against old club Leicester on 3 May was a disaster as the East Midlanders came away from Anfield with a 2–0 victory. A goalless draw against Southampton followed, and on the final day of the season, 14 May, the Reds travelled to a Bradford City side battling it out with Wimbledon to avoid the last relegation place. An early David Wetherall goal gave Bradford a 1–0 win over the Reds, who surrendered a Champions League place and were forced to settle for a place in the UEFA Cup instead. The result also relegated Wimbledon, who, 12 years to the day, had beaten the Reds in one of the greatest FA Cup final shocks of all time.[15]

Appearances and goals

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As of 14 May 2000
Players with no appearances not included in the list
No. Pos Nat Player Total FA Premier League FA Cup League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK   NED Sander Westerveld 39 0 36 0 2 0 1 0
2 DF   SUI Stéphane Henchoz 33 0 29 0 2 0 2 0
4 DF   CMR Rigobert Song 21 0 14+4 0 0+1 0 2 0
5 DF   IRL Steve Staunton 16 1 7+5 0 1 0 3 1
7 MF   CZE Vladimír Šmicer 25 1 13+8 1 2 0 2 0
8 FW   ENG Emile Heskey 12 3 12 3 0 0 0 0
9 FW   ENG Robbie Fowler 14 3 8+6 3 0 0 0 0
10 FW   ENG Michael Owen 30 12 22+5 11 1 0 2 1
11 MF   ENG Jamie Redknapp 23 3 18+4 3 0 0 1 0
12 DF   FIN Sami Hyypiä 42 2 38 2 2 0 2 0
14 DF   NOR Vegard Heggem 25 1 10+12 1 0 0 1+2 0
15 MF   CZE Patrik Berger 37 9 34 9 1 0 1+1 0
16 MF   GER Dietmar Hamann 30 1 27+1 1 2 0 0 0
18 FW   NED Erik Meijer 24 2 7+14 0 0 0 3 2
19 GK   USA Brad Friedel 4 0 2 0 0 0 2 0
21 DF   SCO Dominic Matteo 34 1 32 0 1+1 1 0 0
22 FW   GUI Titi Camara 37 10 22+11 9 2 1 0+2 0
23 DF   ENG Jamie Carragher 40 0 33+3 0 2 0 2 0
24 MF   ENG Danny Murphy 27 6 9+14 3 2 0 2 3
25 MF   ENG David Thompson 31 3 19+8 3 0+1 0 3 0
28 MF   ENG Steven Gerrard 31 1 26+3 1 2 0 0 0
31 DF   NOR Frode Kippe 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0
33 FW   ENG Jon Newby 4 0 0+1 0 0+2 0 0+1 0
34 MF   WAL Leyton Maxwell 1 1 0 0 0 0 0+1 1
Players featured for club who have left:
13 FW   GER Karl-Heinz Riedle 2 2 0+1 0 0 0 1 2

Source:[16]

Competition Result Top Scorer
Premier League 4th   Michael Owen, 11
FA Cup Fourth round   Titi Camara, 1
  Dominic Matteo, 1
League Cup Third round   Danny Murphy, 3
Overall   Michael Owen, 12
As of 14 May 2000
No. Pos. Name FA Premier League FA Cup League Cup Total
               
1 GK Sander Westerveld 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
2 DF Stéphane Henchoz 8 0 0 0 1 0 9 0
4 DF Rigobert Song 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
5 DF Steve Staunton 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 1
7 MF Vladimír Šmicer 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
9 FW Robbie Fowler 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
10 FW Michael Owen 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
11 MF Jamie Redknapp 4 0 0 0 0 0 14 0
12 DF Sami Hyypiä 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
15 MF Patrik Berger 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
16 MF Dietmar Hamann 6 0 1 0 0 0 7 0
18 FW Erik Meijer 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
21 DF Dominic Matteo 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
22 FW Titi Camara 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
23 DF Jamie Carragher 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
24 MF Danny Murphy 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
25 MF David Thompson 7 1 0 0 0 0 7 1
28 MF Steven Gerrard 5 1 0 0 0 0 5 1
Total 60 4 1 0 1 0 62 4

Source:[16]

Pre-season and friendlies

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Date Opponents H / A Result

F–A

Scorers
19 July 1999 German XI A 8–0 Fowler (3), Berger (2), Murphy, Camara, Heggem
20 July 1999 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 2–0 Fowler 26', Riedle 80'
22 July 1999 Linfield[17] A 4–0 Porter 14' (o.g.), Murphy 46', Redknapp 52' (pen.), Berger 63'
24 July 1999 Feyenoord[18] N 2–0 Šmicer 53', Camara 61'
29 July 1999 Valerenga A 4–1 Riedle 21', Hamann 32', Kjølner 50' (o.g.), Meijer 60'
31 July 1999 Blackburn Rovers A 2–2 Fowler 22', Berger 40'
3 August 1999 Manchester City A 1–2 Thompson 42'
18 October 1999 Omagh Town A 7–1 Camara 23', 69', Meijer 37', 44', Šmicer 44', Berger 73', Redknapp 77'
16 February 2000 Bournemouth A 4–0 Partridge 8', Berger 21', Murphy 32', Camara 52'
16 May 2000 Celtic[19] H 4–1 Meijer 37', 61', Thompson 45', Camara 53'
21 May 2000 Ireland XI[20] A 2–4 Heskey 3', Owen 84'
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
2 Arsenal 38 22 7 9 73 43 +30 73 Qualification for the Champions League first group stage
3 Leeds United 38 21 6 11 58 43 +15 69 Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round
4 Liverpool 38 19 10 9 51 30 +21 67 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[a]
5 Chelsea 38 18 11 9 53 34 +19 65
6 Aston Villa 38 15 13 10 46 35 +11 58 Qualification for the Intertoto Cup third round

Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:

  1. ^ Chelsea qualified for the UEFA Cup as FA Cup winners.
Results summary
Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
38 19 10 9 51 30  +21 67 11 4 4 28 13  +15 8 6 5 23 17  +6
Results by round
Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundAHAAHHAHAHAHHHAAHHAHAAHHAAHHAHAHAAAHHA
ResultWLLWWLDLDWDWWWWLWWDWLWDWWDDDWWWWWDLLDL
Position6131798121212121111965565555544434433332223434
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Traoré was born in Saint-Ouen, France, but also qualified to represent Mali internationally and would make his international debut for Mali in 2004.
  3. ^ 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.
  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. ^ Dundee was born in Durban, South Africa, but also holds German nationality and would make his international debut for the Germany B team in March 2000.