Phil Thompson has fond memories of Liverpool’s clash with Newcastle at Wembley, as it brings back memories of his favorite match for the Reds.
Thompson was a mere 20 years old when he neutralised the significant threat from Newcastle’s England striker Malcolm Macdonald, aiding Liverpool in securing a 3-0 victory in the 1974 FA Cup Final. Despite later leading his childhood club to win the 1981 European Cup, this game holds a special place in his heart as it marked his rise at Anfield.
“People often ask me ‘what’s your most-memorable moment?’,” he shared with The Mirror. “Probably my most-personal moment was 81, captaining Liverpool against Real Madrid in Paris to win the European Cup, captaining your home-town club.
“But it wasn’t the game or the performance, whereas the 74 Cup Final I thought was one of those games which was the making of me. I was a Liverpool fan and I’d only just turned 20 in the January and it was an absolutely huge game for me, playing in an FA Cup Final.
“To play so well and get the man of the match in so many of the papers, even though Kevin Keegan scored twice, but I kept Malcolm Macdonald quiet, I think all that makes it the game for me. Malcolm, in the Press in the week before, was saying what John Tudor, his strike partner, and him were going to do to Emlyn Hughes and myself.”
Liverpool legend Thompson recalls the 1983 Milk Cup semi-final loss to Burnley as one of the most agonizing moments of his playing days, revealing: “I think the cutting was one of the first times I remember it being put up on our notice board and it was a red rag to a bull. If you could go back and replay one game in our career, that would be the game for me because we played so well and played such great football.”
(Image: James Gill/Getty Images)
As the Reds prepare to clash with Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final, Thompson – who steered Liverpool to their inaugural League Cup victory in 1981 – cautions against taking the underdogs lightly, despite the injury woes plaguing Eddie Howe’s side. Thompson draws parallels with last year’s final, where an injury-battered Liverpool defied the odds to overcome Chelsea, requiring youngsters to fill in and seal the win for Jurgen Klopp in his Anfield swansong.
“I’ve always been happy with a 1-0 win or 2-1, I don’t get carried away,” he warns. “I certainly don’t get carried away by the injuries Newcastle have had and the suspension to Anthony Gordon, who’s always a thorn in our side.
“I relate to Chelsea versus Liverpool last year and that would be my first port of call, remember that game last year. How much we were disrupted by injuries, how we had to play so many kids that we became underdogs as the game went on and how we responded. That’s how Newcastle could play. That could be inspiration for Newcastle. So we have to be at our best to win this game.”
