1987–88 Liverpool F.C. season

The 1987–88 season was the 96th season in Liverpool F.C.'s existence, their 26th consecutive year in the top-flight, and covered the period from 1 July 1987 to 30 June 1988.

Liverpool

1987–88 season
Chairman	John Smith
Manager	Kenny Dalglish
First Division	Champions
FA Cup	Runners-up
League Cup	Third round
Top goalscorer	League: John Aldridge (26) All: John Aldridge (29)
Highest home attendance	44,798 (vs. Tottenham, League, 23 Apr)
Lowest home attendance	29,994 (vs. Blackburn Rovers, League Cup, 6 Oct)
Average home league attendance	42,267
Home colours Away colours
← 1986–87 1988–89 →

The squad had altered significantly from the previous season, with star striker Ian Rush now at Juventus and player-manager Kenny Dalglish concentrating largely on the manager's job, though he was still registered as a player. In Rush's place was John Aldridge, signed halfway through the previous season from Oxford United, complemented up front by £1.9 million national record signing Peter Beardsley. Following Aldridge to Anfield from Oxford was winger Ray Houghton.

Liverpool enjoyed a record 29-match unbeaten start to the season and finished as champions with just two defeats from 40 league games and a nine-point gap between them and runners-up Manchester United, sealing the top division title for a record 17th time. They were widely expected to secure a unique second double, but surprisingly lost 1–0 to underdogs Wimbledon in the FA Cup final, in which their top scorer John Aldridge missed a penalty.

Regular season

Following the departure of Ian Rush to Juventus of Italy in the summer, and the decision of player-manager Kenny Dalglish to only occasionally select himself for the first team, Liverpool had a new look attack for the 1987–88 season. Filling Rush's boots was John Aldridge, who had actually joined the club halfway through the previous season when Rush was still at Anfield. Alongside him was Peter Beardsley, the England forward signed from Newcastle United over the summer for a national record fee of £1.9 million. Another new signing was fellow England international John Barnes, the Watford winger, for £900,000.

Liverpool began the season on a winning note, beating Arsenal – who had beaten them in the previous season's League Cup final and were also among the pre-season title favourites – 2–1 at Highbury. The next league action came two weeks later at the end of August, when Steve Nicol scored twice and John Aldridge and Peter Beardsley scored the other goals in a 4–1 win at FA Cup holders Coventry City.

By the end of September, any observers who doubted John Aldridge's suitability as successor to Ian Rush were silenced as he had now scored in all of the club's opening seven league games, capped by a hat-trick in the 4–0 home win over Derby County.^[1] Liverpool were second in the table, but had two games in hand over surprise leaders Queen's Park Rangers, who had a three-point lead.^[2]

Aldridge managed to score in nine successive games for Liverpool from the start of the season, bringing his league tally to 11 goals by the time of their 4–0 win over Queen's Park Rangers at Anfield on 17 October 1987, which put the Reds back on top of the First Division on goal difference, but still with a two-game advantage over the West Londoners.^[3]

November began with the Merseyside derby at Anfield, in which Liverpool ran out 2–0 winners with goals from Steve McMahon and Peter Beardsley. Three successive draws followed, which saw Arsenal edge ahead of the Reds to the top of the table.^[4]

Liverpool's League Cup challenge came to an end in the third round when they lost 1–0 to Everton at Anfield.

Back in the league, Liverpool had returned to their winning ways and back to the top of the First Division table by the end of November, as they were now five points ahead of their nearest rivals Arsenal and had a game in hand.^[5]

Aldridge reached the 10-goal point in the league on 6 December with a penalty in the 2–1 home win over Chelsea. After a 2–2 draw at Southampton in the next game, came a six-match winning run which put the Reds 17 points ahead of their nearest challengers Nottingham Forest by 23 January 1988.^[6]

The FA Cup quest started at the Victoria Ground in early January, with the Reds being held to a disappointing goalless draw by Second Division underdogs Stoke City. A Peter Beardsley goal won the replay 1–0 at Anfield, and the next round saw the Reds cruise to a 2–0 win at Aston Villa. The fifth round brought another Merseyside derby, and the Reds took revenge for the League Cup exit by winning 1–0 at Goodison Park with a Ray Houghton goal.

Liverpool's record unbeaten start to the league season finally ended on 20 March, when they lost 1–0 at Everton in their 30th game. They still had a 14-point lead and two games in hand over nearest rivals Manchester United, however.^[7]

The wait for the league title was prolonged by a dramatic clash with Manchester United at Anfield on 4 April. After a Steve McMahon goal had put them 3–1 up in the 46th minute, a late surge by United saw the game end 3–3, but Liverpool were still 11 points ahead of Alex Ferguson's men, and had seven games left to play whereas United only had five. Even if United won all of their remaining games, Liverpool (with a vastly superior goal difference) only needed four points from their final seven games to seal the title.^[8] A goalless draw at Norwich City on 20 April effectively confirmed Liverpool as champions; they only needed heavy defeats from their final four games and United four comprehensive victories from theirs for the title to slip out of Liverpool's grasp.^[9] Three days later, Liverpool confirmed their 17th title triumph with a Peter Beardsley goal giving them a 1–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.

With the exception of a 5–1 win at Sheffield Wednesday in the penultimate game of the season, in which Craig Johnston scored his final two goals for Liverpool, their remaining league games of the season all ended in 1–1 draws and they finished the season with just two league defeats from 40 games and a nine-point lead over runners-up Manchester United.

Liverpool were also on a run in the FA Cup. The quarter-final had seen them triumph 4–0 over Manchester City at Maine Road, and in the semi-finals two John Aldridge goals had given them a 2–1 win over Nottingham Forest to reach the final, where they would take on Wimbledon.

Their opponents, managed by Bobby Gould and containing the likes of bullish striker John Fashanu and hard tackling midfielder Vinnie Jones, were in only their second season as a First Division club and their 11th as Football League members. The Reds were overwhelming favourites to win the final and become the first team to do the double twice. But after Peter Beardsley put the ball past goalkeeper Dave Beasant and had his goal disallowed by the referee who had already awarded a free kick to Liverpool, Wimbledon took a 37th-minute lead with a goal from midfielder Lawrie Sanchez, a glancing header into the right of the net from a free-kick.^[10] Liverpool were far from ready to admit defeat. On the hour, Liverpool were awarded a penalty and John Aldridge took it, only for his shot to be saved by Beasant diving to his left – the first penalty miss in an FA Cup final at Wembley. Liverpool continued to put pressure on the Londoners but could not find a way past Beasant, and when the final whistle blew Wimbledon had won the trophy in one of the biggest FA Cup upsets of all time.^[11]

Squad

Goalkeepers

• Bruce Grobbelaar
• Mike Hooper

Defenders

• Gary Ablett
• Gary Gillespie
• Alan Hansen
• Mark Lawrenson
• Steve Nicol
• Steve Staunton
• Barry Venison
• Alex Watson

Midfielders

• John Barnes
• Kenny Dalglish
• Ray Houghton
• Craig Johnston
• Kevin MacDonald
• Steve McMahon
• Mike Marsh
• Jan Mølby
• Mark Seagraves
• Nigel Spackman
• John Wark
• Ronnie Whelan

Attackers

• John Aldridge
• Peter Beardsley
• John Durnin
• Alan Irvine
• Paul Walsh

Note that in line with wikipedia policy the flags used on this article represent sporting nationality rather than actual.

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Division 1		FA Cup		League Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	DF	ENG	Gary Ablett	22	0	15+2	0	5+0	0	0+0	0
	FW	IRL	John Aldridge	45	29	36+0	26	6+0	2	3+0	1
	MF	ENG	John Barnes	48	17	38+0	15	7+0	2	3+0	0
	FW	ENG	Peter Beardsley	48	18	36+2	15	7+0	3	3+0	0
	FW	SCO	Kenny Dalglish	2	0	0+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	DF	SCO	Gary Gillespie	42	4	35+0	4	5+0	0	2+0	0
	GK	ZIM	Bruce Grobbelaar	46	0	38+0	0	5+0	0	3+0	0
	DF	SCO	Alan Hansen	49	1	39+0	1	7+0	0	3+0	0
	GK	ENG	Mike Hooper	4	0	2+0	0	2+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	IRL	Ray Houghton	35	7	26+2	5	7+0	2	0+0	0
	MF	AUS	Craig Johnston	35	6	18+12	5	1+2	1	2+0	0
	DF	IRL	Mark Lawrenson	19	0	10+4	0	2+0	0	2+1	0
	MF	SCO	Kevin MacDonald	1	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	ENG	Steve McMahon	49	9	40+0	9	7+0	0	2+0	0
	MF	DEN	Jan Mølby	8	0	1+6	0	0+1	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Steve Nicol	50	7	40+0	6	7+0	0	3+0	1
	MF	ENG	Nigel Spackman	33	0	19+8	0	5+0	0	1+0	0
	DF	ENG	Barry Venison	22	0	18+0	0	2+0	0	2+0	0
	FW	ENG	Paul Walsh	9	0	1+7	0	0+0	0	0+1	0
	MF	SCO	John Wark	2	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
	DF	ENG	Alex Watson	2	0	2+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	IRL	Ronnie Whelan	33	1	26+2	1	2+0	0	3+0	0

Transfers

In

Pos	Player	From	Fee	Date
MF	John Barnes	Watford	£900,000	12 June 1987
FW	Peter Beardsley	Newcastle United	£1,900,000	14 July 1987
MF	Mike Marsh	Kirkby Town	Free	21 August 1987
MF	Ray Houghton	Oxford United	£825,000	19 October 1987

Out

Pos	Player	To	Fee	Date
DF	John McGregor	Rangers	£70,000	June 1987
FW	Ian Rush	Juventus	£3,200,000	1 July 1987
FW	Alan Irvine	Dundee United	£100,000	28 August 1987
DF	Ken De Mange	Leeds United	£65,000	September 1987
MF	Mark Seagraves	Manchester City	£100,000	25 September 1987
DF	Brian Mooney	Preston North End	£82,000	9 October 1987
MF	John Wark	Ipswich Town	£100,000	4 January 1988
FW	Paul Walsh	Tottenham Hotspur	£500,000	16 February 1988
DF	Mark Lawrenson	N/A	retired	March 1988
MF	Craig Johnston	N/A	retired	May 1988

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Liverpool (C)	40	26	12	2	87	24	+63	90	Qualified for the Football League Centenary Trophy and disqualified from the European Cup[12]
2	Manchester United	40	23	12	5	71	38	+33	81	Qualified for the Football League Centenary Trophy and disqualified from UEFA Cup[13]
3	Nottingham Forest	40	20	13	7	67	39	+28	73	Qualified for the Football League Centenary Trophy
4	Everton	40	19	13	8	53	27	+26	70
5	Queens Park Rangers	40	19	10	11	48	38	+10	67

Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions

Pre-season and friendlies

Bayern Munich v Liverpool

23 July 1987 (1987-07-23)	Bayern Munich	3–2	Liverpool	Munich
	Matthäus Hoeneß Wegmann	Report	Aldridge 71' Barnes 83'	Stadium: Olympiastadion Attendance: 25,000
Note: Testimonial for: Dieter Hoeneß

Aalborg Chang v Liverpool

26 July 1987 (1987-07-26)	Aalborg Chang	0–4	Liverpool	Aalborg
		Report	Aldridge 8', 37' (pen.) Whelan 45' Barnes	Stadium: Aalborg Stadium Attendance: 4,100

Brønshøj v Liverpool

28 July 1987 (1987-07-28)	Brønshøj	1–1	Liverpool	Ringsted
	Vo Nielsen 22'	Report	Nicol 50'	Stadium: Ringsted Stadion Attendance: 3,485

Vejle v Liverpool

1 August 1987 (1987-08-01)	Vejle	0–3	Liverpool	Spjald
		Report	Johnston 22' Aldridge 28' Beardsley 29'	Stadium: Spjald Stadion Attendance: 3,000

Karlstad v Liverpool

3 August 1987 (1987-08-03)	Karlstad	0–3	Liverpool	Karlstad
		Report	Beardsley Aldridge (pen.) Walsh	Stadium: Tingvalla IP Attendance: 5,567 Referee: Helen B

Vålerenga v Liverpool

6 August 1987 (1987-08-06)	Vålerenga	1–4	Liverpool	Oslo
	Fredheim	Report	Aldridge (pen.) Walsh	Stadium: Bislett Stadium Attendance: 7,275

Celtic v Liverpool

9 August 1987 (1987-08-09)	Celtic	0–1	Liverpool	Glasgow
		Report	Whelan 38'	Stadium: Parkhead Stadium Attendance: 42,000 Referee: Hope K
Note: Testimonial for: Tommy Burns

Irish Olympic XI v Liverpool

19 August 1987 (1987-08-19)	Irish Olympic XI	0–5	Liverpool	Dublin
		Report	Whelan 25' Aldridge 28' (pen.) Beardsley 44' Walsh 58', 80'	Stadium: Lansdowne Road Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Kelly P

Athletico Madrid v Liverpool

23 August 1987 (1987-08-23)	Athletico Madrid	0–1	Liverpool	Madrid
		Report	Wark 73'	Stadium: Vicente Calderón Stadium Attendance: 25,000
Note: Villa de Madrid Trophy

Dundee v Liverpool

19 October 1987 (1987-10-19)	Dundee	0–4	Liverpool	Dundee
		Report	Barnes 27', 90' Houghton 61' Whelan 89'	Stadium: Dens Park Attendance: 14,463 Referee: Muirhead T
Note: Testimonial for: George McGeachie

Osasuna v Liverpool

1 March 1988 (1988-03-01)	Osasuna	0–2	Liverpool	Pamplona
		Report	Dalglish Houghton	Stadium: El Sadar Stadium Attendance: 12,000
Note: Testimonial for: Sammy Lee

Liverpool v England XI

16 May 1988 (1988-05-16)	Liverpool	3–2	England XI	Liverpool
	Rush Whelan	Report	Harford Waddle	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 31,552 Referee: Trussell C
Note: Testimonial for: Alan Hansen

Competitions

First Division

Main article: 1987–88 Football League § First Division

Arsenal v Liverpool

15 August 1987 (1987-08-15) 1	Arsenal	1–2	Liverpool	London
15:00 BST	Davis 17'	Report	Aldridge 9' Nicol 88'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 54,703 Referee: Milford RG

Coventry City v Liverpool

29 August 1987 (1987-08-29) 2	Coventry City	1–4	Liverpool	Coventry
15:00 BST	Regis 89'	Report	Nicol 20', 49' Aldridge 52' (pen.) Beardsley 83'	Stadium: Highfield Road Attendance: 27,637 Referee: Cooper K

West Ham United v Liverpool

5 September 1987 (1987-09-05) 3	West Ham United	1–1	Liverpool	London
15:00 BST	Cottee 74'	Report	Aldridge 50' (pen.)	Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 29,865 Referee: Gunn A

Liverpool v Oxford United

12 September 1987 (1987-09-12) 4	Liverpool	2–0	Oxford United	Liverpool
15:00 BST	Aldridge 13' Barnes 37'	Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 42,266 Referee: Stevens BT

Liverpool v Charlton Athletic

15 September 1987 (1987-09-15) 5	Liverpool	3–2	Charlton Athletic	Liverpool
15:00 BST	Aldridge 9' (pen.) Hansen 71' McMahon 73'	Report	Crooks 8' Walsh 59'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 36,637 Referee: Reed MD

Newcastle United v Liverpool

20 September 1987 (1987-09-20) 6	Newcastle United	1–4	Liverpool	Newcastle upon Tyne
15:05 BST	McDonald 60' (pen.)	Report	Nicol 20', 47', 70' Aldridge 37'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 24,141 Referee: Hackett KS

Liverpool v Derby County

29 September 1987 (1987-09-29) 7	Liverpool	4–0	Derby County	Liverpool
19:30 BST	Aldridge 41' (pen.), 68' (pen.), 73' Beardsley	Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 43,405 Referee: Tyson GM

Liverpool v Portsmouth

3 October 1987 (1987-10-03) 8	Liverpool	4–0	Portsmouth	Liverpool
15:00 BST	Beardsley 30' McMahon 50' Aldridge 52' (pen.) Whelan 71'	Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,366 Referee: Courtney G

Liverpool v Queens Park Rangers

17 October 1987 (1987-10-17) 9	Liverpool	4–0	Queens Park Rangers	Liverpool
15:00 BST	Johnston 41' Aldridge pen.' Barnes 79', 85'	Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 43,735 Referee: Bridges R

Luton Town v Liverpool

24 October 1987 (1987-10-24) 10	Luton Town	0–1	Liverpool	Luton
15:00 GMT		Report	Gillespie 71'	Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 12,452 Referee: Seville A

Liverpool v Everton

1 November 1987 (1987-11-01) 11	Liverpool	2–0	Everton	Liverpool
15:05 GMT	McMahon 35' Beardsley 70'	Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,760 Referee: Hill B

Wimbledon v Liverpool

4 November 1987 (1987-11-04) 12	Wimbledon	1–1	Liverpool	Wimbledon
19:45 GMT	Fairweather 78'	Report	Houghton 62'	Stadium: Plough Lane Attendance: 13,544 Referee: Shapter LC

Manchester United v Liverpool

15 November 1987 (1987-11-15) 13	Manchester United	1–1	Liverpool	Manchester
14:35 GMT	Whiteside 49'	Report	Aldridge 21'	Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 47,106 Referee: Scott D

Liverpool v Norwich City

21 November 1987 (1987-11-21) 14	Liverpool	0–0	Norwich City	Liverpool
15:00 GMT		Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 37,446 Referee: Deakin J

Liverpool v Watford

24 November 1987 (1987-11-24) 15	Liverpool	4–0	Watford	Liverpool
19:30 GMT	McMahon 54' Houghton 64' Aldridge 68' Barnes 71'	Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 32,396 Referee: Peck MG

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool

28 November 1987 (1987-11-28) 16	Tottenham Hotspur	0–2	Liverpool	London
15:00 GMT	Hodge  18'	Report	McMahon 63' Johnston 80'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 47,362 Referee: Borrett IJ

Liverpool v Chelsea

6 December 1987 (1987-12-06) 17	Liverpool	2–1	Chelsea	Liverpool
14:35 GMT	Aldridge 67' (pen.) McMahon 87'	Report	Durie 22' (pen.)	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 31,211 Referee: Courtney G

Southampton v Liverpool

12 December 1987 (1987-12-12) 18	Southampton	2–2	Liverpool	Southampton
15:00 GMT	Clarke 43' Townsend 71'	Report	Barnes 11', 38'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 19,507 Referee: King HW

Liverpool v Sheffield Wednesday

19 December 1987 (1987-12-19) 19	Liverpool	1–0	Sheffield Wednesday	Liverpool
15:00 GMT	Gillespie 76'	Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 35,383 Referee: Watson JL

Oxford United v Liverpool

26 December 1987 (1987-12-26) 20	Oxford United	0–3	Liverpool	Oxford
15:00 GMT		Report	Aldridge 42' Barnes 54' McMahon 61'	Stadium: Manor Ground Attendance: 13,680 Referee: Ashby GR

Liverpool v Newcastle United

28 December 1987 (1987-12-28) 21	Liverpool	4–0	Newcastle United	Liverpool
15:00 GMT	McMahon 4' Aldridge 48' (pen.), 76' Houghton 88'	Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,637 Referee: Key JM

Liverpool v Coventry City

1 January 1988 (1988-01-01) 22	Liverpool	4–0	Coventry City	Liverpool
15:00 GMT	Beardsley 22', 83' Aldridge 53' Houghton 75'	Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 38,790 Referee: Phillips D

Liverpool v Arsenal

16 January 1988 (1988-01-16) 23	Liverpool	2–0	Arsenal	Liverpool
15:00 GMT	Aldridge 44' Beardsley 61'	Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,294 Referee: Barratt KP

Charlton Athletic v Liverpool

23 January 1988 (1988-01-23) 24	Charlton Athletic	0–2	Liverpool	London
15:00 GMT		Report	Beardsley 30' Barnes 60'	Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 28,095 Referee: Tyson GM

Liverpool v West Ham United

6 February 1988 (1988-02-06) 25	Liverpool	0–0	West Ham United	Liverpool
15:00 GMT		Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 42,049 Referee: McAuley J

Watford v Liverpool

13 February 1988 (1988-02-13) 26	Watford	1–4	Liverpool	Watford
15:00 GMT	Luther Blissett	Report	Beardsley 29', 49' Aldridge 47' Barnes 60'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 23,838 Referee: Cooper K

Portsmouth v Liverpool

27 February 1988 (1988-02-27) 27	Portsmouth	0–2	Liverpool	Portsmouth
15:00 GMT		Report	Barnes 49', 85'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 28,117 Referee: Lewis RS

Queens Park Rangers v Liverpool

5 March 1988 (1988-03-05) 28	Queens Park Rangers	0–1	Liverpool	London
15:00 GMT		Report	Barnes 34'	Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 23,171 Referee: Martin JE

Derby County v Liverpool

16 March 1988 (1988-03-16) 29	Derby County	1–1	Liverpool	Derby
19:30 GMT	Forsyth 85'	Report	Johnston 54'	Stadium: Baseball Ground Attendance: 26,356 Referee: Ward AW

Everton v Liverpool

20 March 1988 (1988-03-20) 30	Everton	1–0	Liverpool	Liverpool
14:35 GMT	Clarke 14'	Report		Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 44,162 Referee: Dilkes R

Liverpool v Wimbledon

26 March 1988 (1988-03-26) 31	Liverpool	2–1	Wimbledon	Liverpool
14:35 GMT	Aldridge 34' Barnes 78'	Report	Young 89'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 36,464 Referee: Courtney G

Nottingham Forest v Liverpool

2 April 1988 (1988-04-02) 32	Nottingham Forest	2–1	Liverpool	Nottingham
15:00 BST	Hansen 24' (o.g.) Webb 59' Clough 71'	Report	Aldridge 70' (pen.)	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 29,188 Referee: Barratt KP

Liverpool v Manchester United

4 April 1988 (1988-04-04) 33	Liverpool	3–3	Manchester United	Liverpool
15:00 BST	Beardsley 38' Gillespie 41' McMahon 46'	Report	Robson 3', 66' Gibson  60' Strachan 77'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 43,497 Referee: Key JM

Liverpool v Nottingham Forest

13 April 1988 (1988-04-13) 34	Liverpool	5–0	Nottingham Forest	Liverpool
15:00 BST	Houghton 18' Aldridge 37', 88' Gillespie 58' Beardsley 79'	Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 39,535 Referee: Barratt KP

Norwich City v Liverpool

20 April 1988 (1988-04-20) 35	Norwich City	0–0	Liverpool	Norwich
19:45 BST		Report		Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 22,509 Referee: Hart RA

Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur

23 April 1988 (1988-04-23) 36	Liverpool	1–0	Tottenham Hotspur	Liverpool
15:00 BST	Beardsley 34'	Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,798 Referee: Aplin G

Chelsea v Liverpool

30 April 1988 (1988-04-30) 37	Chelsea	1–1	Liverpool	London
15:00 BST	Durie 71' (pen.)	Report	Barnes 75' Beardsley 87'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 35,625 Referee: Hamer RL

Liverpool v Southampton

2 May 1988 (1988-05-02) 38	Liverpool	1–1	Southampton	Liverpool
15:00 BST	Aldridge 41'	Report	Wallace 68'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 37,610 Referee: Redfern KA

Sheffield Wednesday v Liverpool

7 May 1988 (1988-05-07) 39	Sheffield Wednesday	1–5	Liverpool	Sheffield
15:00 BST	Hirst 86'	Report	Johnston 31', 90' Barnes 36' Beardsley 82', 83'	Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 35,893 Referee: Shaw D

Liverpool v Luton Town

9 May 1988 (1988-05-09) 40	Liverpool	1–1	Luton Town	Liverpool
19:30 BST	Aldridge 17'	Report	Oldfield 30'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 30,374 Referee: Phillips D

FA Cup

Main article: 1987-88 FA Cup

Stoke City v Liverpool

9 January 1988 (1988-01-09) 3	Stoke City	0–0	Liverpool	Stoke-on-Trent
15:00 GMT		Report		Stadium: Victoria Ground Attendance: 31,979 Referee: Mills T

Liverpool v Stoke City

12 January 1988 (1988-01-12) 3	Liverpool	1–0	Stoke City	Liverpool
19:30 GMT	Beardsley 9'	Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 39,147 Referee: Mills T

Aston Villa v Liverpool

31 January 1988 (1988-01-31) 4	Aston Villa	0–2	Liverpool	Aston
14:35 GMT		Report	Barnes 53' Beardsley 86'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 46,324 Referee: Hackett KS

Everton v Liverpool

21 February 1988 (1988-02-21) 5	Everton	0–1	Liverpool	Liverpool
15:05 GMT		Report	Houghton 76'	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 48,270 Referee: Martin JE

Manchester City v Liverpool

13 March 1988 (1988-03-13) QF	Manchester City	0–4	Liverpool	Manchester
14:35 GMT		Report	Houghton 32' Beardsley 53' Johnston 77' Barnes 85'	Stadium: Maine Road Attendance: 44,047 Referee: Gunn A

Liverpool v Nottingham Forest

9 April 1988 (1988-04-09) SF	Liverpool	2–1	Nottingham Forest	Sheffield
15:00 BST	Aldridge 14' (pen.), 51'	Report	Clough 67'	Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 51,627 Referee: Courtney G

Liverpool v Wimbledon

14 May 1988 (1988-05-14) F	Liverpool	0–1	Wimbledon	London
15:00 BST	Aldridge 60'	Report	Sanchez 36'	Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 98,203 Referee: Hill B

Final

Main article: 1988 FA Cup Final

14 May 1988

15:00 BST

Liverpool	0–1	Wimbledon
	Report Report	Sanchez 37'

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance: 98,203

Referee: Brian Hill

Liverpool

Wimbledon

GK 1 Bruce Grobbelaar RB 4 Steve Nicol CB 2 Gary Gillespie CB 6 Alan Hansen (c) LB 3 Gary Ablett RM 9 Ray Houghton CM 5 Nigel Spackman  74' CM 11 Steve McMahon LM 10 John Barnes SS 7 Peter Beardsley CF 8 John Aldridge  64' Substitutes: MF 12 Craig Johnston  64' MF 14 Jan Mølby  74' Manager: Kenny Dalglish

GK 1 Dave Beasant (c) RB 2 Clive Goodyear CB 5 Eric Young CB 6 Andy Thorn LB 3 Terry Phelan CM 10 Lawrie Sanchez CM 4 Vinnie Jones RW 8 Alan Cork  56' LW 11 Dennis Wise CF 7 Terry Gibson  63' CF 9 John Fashanu Substitutes: DF 12 John Scales  63' FW 14 Laurie Cunningham  56' Manager: Bobby Gould

Match rules 90 minutes 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary Replay if scores still level Two named substitutes Maximum of two substitutions

League Cup

Main article: 1987–88 Football League Cup

Blackburn Rovers v Liverpool

23 September 1987 (1987-09-23) 2	Blackburn Rovers	1–1	Liverpool	Blackburn
15:00 BST	Sellars 49'	Report	Nicol 30'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 13,924 Referee: Midgley N

Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers

6 October 1987 (1987-10-06) 2	Liverpool	1–0	Blackburn Rovers	Liverpool
19:30 BST	Aldridge 89'	Report		Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 29,994 Referee: Worrall JB

Liverpool v Everton

28 October 1987 (1987-10-28) 3	Liverpool	0–1	Everton	Liverpool
19:30 GMT		Report	Stevens 83'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,071 Referee: Callow VG