1981–82 Liverpool F.C. season
After ending fifth the previous season Liverpool F.C. came back and won their thirteenth league title, after being twelfth in the league table at Christmas. They also won for the second successive season the Football League Cup beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 at Wembley Stadium.
However Liverpool were decisively beaten by Flamengo at the 1981 Intercontinental Cup final. Neither did they regain the European Cup, having been knocked out by CSKA Sofia in the Quarter Finals and surprisingly being knocked out by 2nd Division Chelsea in the 5th Round of the FA Cup.
It was also a season when there would be major changes in the team, with many of the players who won all the trophies over the previous few season, and replaced by players who would go on to be part of the team that remained successful for the rest of the decade. Players such as Bruce Grobbelaar, Mark Lawrenson, Ian Rush, Ronnie Whelan and Craig Johnston came into the team during the season and would make their mark on changing the side, that would go forward into the decade.
Squad
Goalkeepers
- Steve Ogrizovic
- Bruce Grobbelaar
Defenders
- Phil Neal
- Alan Hansen
- Phil Thompson
- Alan Kennedy
- Richard Money
- Mark Lawrenson
Midfielders
- Craig Johnston
- Sammy Lee
- Ray Kennedy
- Terry McDermott
- Kevin Sheedy
- Graeme Souness
- Ronnie Whelan
- Steve Nicol
Attackers
- David Fairclough
- Kenny Dalglish
- Howard Gayle
- David Johnson
- Ian Rush
League table
Results
First Division
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
| 29-Aug-81 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–1 | 28,001 | |||
| 01-Sep-81 | Middlesbrough | H | 1–1 | Neal | 31,963 | ||
| 05-Sep-81 | Arsenal | H | 2–0 | McDermott Johnson | 35,269 | ||
| 12-Sep-81 | Ipswich Town | A | 0–2 | 26,703 | |||
| 19-Sep-81 | Aston Villa | H | 0–0 | 37,474 | |||
| 22-Sep-81 | Coventry City | A | 2–1 | A Kennedy McDermott | 16,731 | ||
| 26-Sep-81 | West Ham United | A | 1–1 | Johnson | 30,802 | ||
| 03-Oct-81 | Swansea City | H | 2–2 | McDermott | 48,645 | ||
| 10-Oct-81 | Leeds United | H | 3–0 | Rush Own Goal | 35,840 | ||
| 17-Oct-81 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 3–3 | Dalglish R Kennedy McDermott | 26,321 | ||
| 24-Oct-81 | Manchester United | H | 1–2 | McDermott | 41,438 | ||
| 31-Oct-81 | Sunderland | A | 2–0 | Souness McDermott | 27,854 | ||
| 07-Nov-81 | Everton | H | 3–1 | Dalglish Rush | 48,861 | ||
| 21-Nov-81 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–1 | Dalglish | 20,871 | ||
| 28-Nov-81 | Southampton | H | 0–1 | 37,189 | |||
| 05-Dec-81 | Nottingham Forest | A | 2–0 | Lawrenson R Kennedy | 24,521 | ||
| 26-Dec-81 | Manchester City | H | 1–3 | Whelan | 37,929 | ||
| 05-Jan-82 | West Ham United | H | 3–0 | McDermott Whelan Dalglish | 28,427 | ||
| 16-Jan-82 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 2–1 | Whelan Dalglish | 26,438 | ||
| 26-Jan-82 | Notts County | A | 4–0 | Whelan Rush | 14,407 | ||
| 30-Jan-82 | Aston Villa | A | 3–0 | Rush McDermott | 35,947 | ||
| 06-Feb-82 | Ipswich Town | H | 4–0 | McDermott Rush Dalglish Whelan | 41,316 | ||
| 16-Feb-82 | Swansea City | A | 0–2 | 22,604 | |||
| 20-Feb-82 | Coventry City | H | 4–0 | Souness Lee Rush McDermott | 28,286 | ||
| 27-Feb-82 | Leeds United | A | 2–0 | Souness Rush | 33,689 | ||
| 06-Mar-82 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 0–1 | 28,574 | |||
| 09-Mar-82 | Stoke City | A | 5–1 | McDermott Dalglish Souness Lee Whelan | 16,758 | ||
| 20-Mar-82 | Sunderland | H | 1–0 | Rush | 30,344 | ||
| 27-Mar-82 | Everton | A | 3–1 | Whelan Souness Johnston | 51,847 | ||
| 30-Mar-82 | Birmingham City | H | 3–1 | Rush McDermott | 24,224 | ||
| 02-Apr-82 | Notts County | H | 1–0 | Dalglish | 30,126 | ||
| 07-Apr-82 | Manchester United | A | 1–0 | Johnston | 50,969 | ||
| 10-Apr-82 | Manchester City | A | 5–0 | Lee Neal Johnston A Kennedy Rush | 40,112 | ||
| 13-Apr-82 | Stoke City | H | 2–0 | A Kennedy Johnston | 30,419 | ||
| 17-Apr-82 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1–0 | Dalglish | 34,286 | ||
| 24-Apr-82 | Southampton | A | 3–2 | Rush Whelan | 24,704 | ||
| 01-May-82 | Nottingham Forest | H | 2–0 | Johnston | 34,321 | ||
| 03-May-82 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 2–2 | Dalglish | 38,091 | ||
| 08-May-82 | Birmingham City | A | 1–0 | Rush | 26,381 | ||
| 11-May-82 | Arsenal | A | 1–1 | Rush | 30,932 | ||
| 15-May-82 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 3–1 | Lawrenson Dalglish Whelan | 48,122 | ||
| 18-May-82 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–0 | 17,431 |
FA Cup
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
| 02-Jan-82 | Swansea City | A | 4–0 | Hansen Rush Lawrenson | 24,179 | ||
| 23-Jan-82 | Sunderland | A | 3–0 | Dalglish Rush | 28,582 | ||
| 13-Feb-82 | Chelsea | A | 0–2 | 41,42 |
Football League Cup
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
| 07-Oct-81 | Exeter City | H | 5–0 | Rush McDermott Dalglish Whelan | 11,478 | ||
| 28-Oct-81 | Exeter City | A | 6–0 | Rush Dalglish Neal Sheedy Own Goal | 11,740 | ||
| 10-Nov-81 | Middlesbrough | H | 4–1 | Sheedy Rush Johnson | 16,145 | ||
| 01-Dec-81 | Arsenal | A | 0–0 | 37,917 | |||
| 08-Dec-81 | Arsenal | H | 3–0 | Johnston McDermott Dalglish | 21,375 | ||
| 12-Jan-82 | Barnsley | H | 0–0 | 33,707 | |||
| 19-Jan-82 | Barnsley | A | 3–1 | Souness Johnson Dalglish | 29,639 | ||
| 02-Feb-82 | Ipswich Town | A | 2–0 | McDermott Rush | 26,690 | ||
| 09-Feb-82 | Ipswich Town | H | 2–2 | Rush Dalglish | 34,933 |
League Cup Final
European Cup
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
| 16-Sep-81 | Oulu Palloseura | A | 1–0 | Dalglish | 8,400 | ||
| 30-Sep-81 | Oulu Palloseura | H | 7–0 | Dalglish McDermott R Kennedy Johnson Rush Lawrenson | 20,789 | ||
| 21-Oct-81 | AZ 67 Alkmaar | A | 2–2 | Johnson Lee | 15,000 | ||
| 04-Nov-81 | AZ 67 Alkmaar | H | 3–2 | McDermott Rush Hansen | 29,703 | ||
| 03-Mar-82 | CSKA Sofia | H | 1–0 | Whelan | 27,388 | ||
| 17-Mar-82 | CSKA Sofia | A | 0–2 | 60,000 |