April 4th 2009, PL 2008/09 Game 31: Fulham 0-1 Liverpool
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFsz446Yp80
The last time Liverpool ever won the league was in 1990.
I remember coming home from the park to find my dad celebrating as the scores came through on Teletext. It was our 18th league title and the 2nd since I’d become a fan.
That night, I remember going for a drive with my dad and putting my Liverpool scarf out of the window. How lucky was I? I was 9 years old and had already witnessed 2 title triumphs and 2 FA cup wins.
Little did I know that I’d spend the next 19 years without a title win to celebrate.
I’ve wanted us to win the title every day since that May evening. I don’t think there’s anything in my life I’ve wanted for longer. There’s been other things I’ve wanted very strongly (a girl, a console, a deal to work, a couple of extra inches…), but nothing that’s endured through 3 decades.
I wanted that elusive number 19 league title since 1990. I went through Kenny’s departure and Arsenal trumping us the next season, Souness’ destruction of the Liverpool Way, Evans’ revival of pass and move, Houllier’s French revolution and Rafa’s Groove armada.
And despite going semi close a couple of times (96/97 and 01/02 spring to mind), there was never a season where I truly believed the title was coming home. There was never a true stand out moment that shouted at you, that made you really believe, that allowed you to say “It’s our year”.
Until 2008/09.
It’s a season where you felt something special was happening early on. A spate of late winners, a bunch of comebacks from behind as well as victories against Man United at home (the first in 7 years) and Chelsea away (their first league defeat at home for more than 3 years) really made you think that the interminable wait was finally over.
This was Rafa’s 5th season. He’d built a strong team with a spine to rival any side’s in the world. One of the best keepers in the game, Carragher still at a high level in defence, the imperious Xabi Alonso at his peak alongside the monster Mascherano in midfield, Steven Gerrard, the best Liverpool player for 20 years, playing the highest level of his career, off one of the most feared strikers in the world, Fernando Torres.
Around them you had strong players like Daniel Agger, Sami Hyypia, Alvaro Arbeloa, Dirk Kuyt, Albert Riera and the mercurial Yossi Benayoun. Youngsters like Lucas and Ryan Babel were also there, as were players like Fabio Aurelio and Martin Skrtel.
The squad wasn’t the best in the world but the first 11 was comfortably in the top 3 of Europe.
Despite drawing a few games and dropping silly points at home, we entered 2009 top of the league after a jaw dropping 5-1 demolition job of Newcastle at St James Park where Steven Gerrard, in particular, was out of this world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0H6WRH6iKA
But then something went wrong. The Reds lacked spark. Despite winning 2 dramatic games against Chelsea and Portsmouth, we only picked up 10 out of the next 21 points. Meanwhile, Man United went on a crazy run of something like 9287 hours without conceding a goal and were 7 points ahead of us with a game in hand.
They had the chance to knock us out of the title race once and for all when we met in early March at Old Trafford. And when Ronaldo gave them the lead from the spot it seemed they were well on their way. But then, the Reds smashed 4 past them with Torres terrorizing Vidic and everything seemed possible again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGAusKj8FPI
Possible. But not feasible. United had a better goal difference and were still 4 points clear with a game in hand. Against Wigan. So Basically 7. It would take an all mighty collapse for our dreams to become a reality.
One week later they went to Fulham and lost 2-0 with Rooney and Scholes sent off. The next day, we destroyed Villa 5-0 at home. The gap was now 1 point, though United had a game in hand. But the goal difference was now in our favor. And, more importantly, so was momentum.
What had seemed highly unlikely before the Old Trafford game to impossible when Ronaldo scored to possible when we won had now become feasible.
We’d scored 13 goals in 3 games. They’d lost their last 2 and conceded 6. We had Torres back. They had 3 key players suspended. We felt we could beat anybody. They’d just lost 4-1 to us at home and 2-0 to Fulham.
The force was with us. We knew it. United knew it. Something had changed. We believed.
We knew there was a very good chance we could do it now- just as long as we won all our remaining games. Make no mistake about this. We had to win all our remaining games. No errors allowed.
United would still have to drop 4 points and we’d win the title. 4 points. Just 4. 2 draws. That’s all I kept saying to myself. 2 draws. Just 2 draws.
And Number 19 was ours.
We had the chance to go top the next week for the first time in a couple of months. We were playing Fulham on Saturday with United’s game against Villa delayed to Sunday.
Win and we’d be 2 points clear. Sure they had 2 games in hand. But it would make their confidence flag even more. It could break them a bit.
We tore into Fulham. We hit the woodwork 4 times in the first half. Dossena twice, Alonso and Torres. We did everything but score.
In the second half, we missed a couple of good chances too. Torres headed straight at the keeper. Time passed. We got more and more anxious. We knew we had to win. A draw would send us top but it would feel like a defeat. If we had any credibility to our title hopes, we had to find a way to win.
That’s what champions do. They find a way to win. However, wherever. They win.They don’t draw away to Fulham when they need to win. No. That’s what Liverpool teams of the last 20 years do. But not champions. Not the Liverpool teams of the 70s and 80s. They win.
We were now in the last couple of minutes. Benayoun, on as a sub, breaks in the box and shoots near post instead of far post. It goes wide. Our heads sink. That was our last chance. It’s gone now.
The 19 year long wait would not be over. The title dream would remain just that: a dream. We’d have to think of next season. Again. That win against United, those early season comebacks, all those last minute winners, that belief that soared through us when we beat Villa… Would ultimately mean nothing. We would not be champions.
It was now the 91st minutes. Babel had the ball on the edge of the area. Time for one last chance. Shoot Ryan! Instead he passes to Gerrard. A rebound off the legs of the defender finds Benayoun inside the box. He’s too wide to shoot. But suddenly he launches a rocket of a right foot shot.
Towards the far post this time.
Time stops.
The ball’s travelling.
The net shakes.
It’s in.
Cue delirium. Cue joy. Cue ecstasy. Cue absolute pandemonium.
On the pitch, In the dugout. In the stands. In pubs. In living rooms. Everywhere across the world. Every single Red worth his salt is going absolutely crazy. They all know what this means.
We’ve won the league.
Make no mistake about it. We’ve done it. It’s over. The 19 year wait is no more.
There are moments during a season; things that happen during football games…That you just know affect a lot more than the result of the game. There are moments that signify something greater is happening. Dudek’s save in extra time in Istanbul. Bruce’s 2 late goals for United in 93. Newcastle’s last gasp loss to us in 96.
There are moments you know, the minute they happen, will reverberate through history. You know what affect they will have on the rest of the game/season. This was such a moment. You don’t win like we did, at the death after hitting the post 4 times, without a huge aftershock happening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkoePMkgNV8&feature=related
The Reds at Craven Cottage knew it. They sang “We’re going to win the league” so loud and for so long after the game that the players had to stop their warm downs early.
I knew it. I couldn’t sleep that night. I believed, more than any time in 19 years, that we would win the league.
Man United fans knew it. I texted a mate of mine in London and asked him “Don’t you just feel it’s going to be our year?” He never replied. He’d later tell me that he was so down he didn’t have a clue what to say.
Yossi’s goal had shaken them to the core. This was the moment they realized they could not stop us. This was the moment where the dream became a reality. This was the moment where the worldwide Red family all came together as one and truly staked a claim for number 19. This was the moment that turned the feasible into the highly likely.
This was the moment we finally won the league…
… For 24 hours.
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