The Unforgettable Night That Anfield Exploded

In summary, a place in the last four of the European Cup awaited the winner of Liverpool v St.Etienne at Anfield. What transpired became the blueprint for Liverpool’s European adventures for the next 4 decades. It was the unforgettable night that Anfield exploded.

For the team who emerged triumphant the prospect of lifting the trophy in May 1977 would be a very realistic one. What followed turned into a classic encounter. Furthermore, an iconic hero was discovered.

Liverpool and St Etienne had long been two of the fancied sides to challenge Bayern Munich’s dominance of the competition. The tie evenly poised – St Etienne held a slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg – a classic encounter was always on the cards.

And a classic encounter is what the 55,043 fans inside a rocking Anfield got….

The Birth of Supersub

The game itself will be remembered not only as one of Anfield’s greatest European nights.

Liverpool v St.Etienne will also be remembered for the emergence of David Fairclough. The flame-haired young lad was born and bred in Liverpool. And the emergence of “Supersub”.

In short, with time running out Liverpool needed another goal to progress. Up stepped the flame-haired David Fairclough. Chasing down a long ball from Kevin Keegan he outpaced the St.Etienne defence. The rest is history.

Fairclough immediately became a Liverpool hero for life and the game went down as a pivotal moment in the history of Liverpool FC. Liverpool v St.Etienne had lived up to all expectations.

Liverpool would progress to the Final with ease. Matched with Zurich in the Semi-Final they brushed them aside winning 6-1 on aggregate.

Champions of Europe

The Final against Borussia Mönchengladbach was a much tighter affair. Liverpool took the lead through McDermott in the 28th minute. Finally, Borussia after some concerted pressure fought back to equalise in the 52nd minute.

Goals from Tommy Smith and Phil Neal from the penalty spot gave Liverpool their first European Cup.

Goodbye Keegan

Furthermore, it was also Kevin Keegan’s last game for Liverpool.

As a result, the following season would see him leave Merseyside for Hamburg in Germany.

Despite his heroics, St.Etienne hero Fairclough would play no part in the Final. He can however be proud that he was a key component in the unforgettable night that Anfield exploded.