2004–05 Liverpool F.C. season


The 2004–05 season was the 113th season of competitive football played by Liverpool. It began on 1 July 2004 and concluded on 30 June 2005, with competitive matches played between August and May. Liverpool finished fourth in the previous Premier League season. However, they were unable to improve on this position finishing in fifth place, 37 points behind eventual winners Chelsea with a record of 17 wins, 7 draws and 14 defeats. Liverpool fared better in cup competitions. Although they were eliminated by Burnley in the third round of the FA Cup, they reached the final of the League Cup, which they lost 3–2 to Chelsea. Despite their lack of success domestically, Liverpool were successful in the UEFA Champions League. They won the competition for the fifth time, defeating Italian team Milan in the final.
Liverpool acquired eight players in the transfer market, including Djibril Cissé, Xabi Alonso and Luis García. They were supplemented by the arrival of Mauricio Pellegrino, Fernando Morientes and Scott Carson during the January transfer window. A total of four players departed including Markus Babbel, Danny Murphy, Michael Owen and Stéphane Henchoz.
Thirty-two different players represented the club in four competitions, and there were 17 different goalscorers. Liverpool's top goalscorer were Milan Baroš, Steven Gerrard and García with 13 goals each. Defender John Arne Riise made the most appearances during the season with 57.

Background

Transfers

In

Out

Pre-season matches

Source:

Premier League

A total of 20 teams competed in the Premier League in the 2004–05 season. Each team played 38 matches; two against every other team and one match at each club's stadium. Three points were awarded for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. At the end of the season the top two teams qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League; teams in third and fourth needed to play a qualifier. The provisional fixture list was released on 24 June 2004, but was subject to change in the event of clashes with other competitions, international football, inclement weather, or matches being selected for television coverage.

League table

Results summary

Results by round

FA Cup

Liverpool entered the competition in the third round, as a result of their Premier League status. Their opponents in the third round were Burnley. The match was played at Burnley's home ground, Turf Moor, with Liverpool resting several regular first-team players and opting to field "a collection of reserve and youth team players" according to The Guardian. The decision was unsuccessful. Burnley won the match 1–0 due to an own goal by defender Djimi Traoré in the second half.
RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScoreScorersAttendanceRef
Third round18 January 2005BurnleyAL0–119,033

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScoreScorersAttendanceRef
Third round26 October 2004MillwallAW3–0Diao 18', Baroš 70', 80'17,655
Fourth round10 November 2004MiddlesbroughHW2–0Mellor 83', 89'28,176
Quarter-final1 December 2004Tottenham HotspurAW1–1
4–3 		Sinama Pongolle 117' pen.46,100
Semi-final11 January 2005WatfordHW1–0Gerrard 56'35,739
Semi-final25 January 2005WatfordAW1–0Gerrard 77'19,797
Final27 February 2005ChelseaNL2–3 Riise 1', Núñez 113'78,000

UEFA Champions League

RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScoreScorersAttendanceRef
Third qualifying round10 August 2004Grazer AKAW2–0Gerrard 23', 79'15,000
Third qualifying round24 August 2004Grazer AKHL0–142,590
Group stage15 September 2004MonacoHW2–0Cissé 22', Baroš 84'33,517
Group stage28 September 2004OlympiacosAL0–133,000
Group stage19 October 2004Deportivo La CoruñaHD0–040,236
Group stage3 November 2004Deportivo La CoruñaAW1–0Andrade 14' o.g.32,000
Group stage23 November 2004MonacoAL0–115,000
Group stage8 December 2004OlympiacosHW3–1Sinama Pongolle 47', Mellor 81', Gerrard 86'42,045
Round of 1622 February 2005Bayer LeverkusenHW3–1García 15', Riise 35', Hamann 90'40,942
Round of 169 March 2005Bayer LeverkusenAW3–1García 28', 32', Baroš 67'23,000
Quarter final5 April 2005JuventusHW2–1Hyypiä 10', García 25'41,216
Quarter final13 April 2005JuventusAD0–050,000
Semi final27 April 2005ChelseaAD0–040,497
Semi final3 May 2005ChelseaHW1–0García 4'42,529
Final25 May 2005MilanNW3–3
3–2 		Gerrard 54', Šmicer, 56', Alonso 60'65,000

Squad statistics

Liverpool used a total of 32 players during the season, with 17 different goalscorers. There were also five squad members who did not make an appearance during the season. Riise featured in 57 matches, the most of any Liverpool player during the campaign. Carragher was the only player to appear in every Premier League match. Baroš, Gerrard and García were topscorers with 13 goals each.
Key
No. = Squad number
Pos = Playing position
Nat. = Nationality
Apps = Appearances
GK = Goalkeeper
DF = Defender
MF = Midfielder
FW = Forward
= Yellow cards
= Red cards
Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute. Players with number struck through and marked left the club during the playing season.