The last of Liverpool's three goals at Wembley left little room for argument. Steve Heighway released Tommy Smith on the right of the penalty area, Smith sent the ball across goal and Kevin Keegan finished from close range. Newcastle United had been pulled apart by the movement and passing of Bill Shankly's side.
It was the 88th minute of the FA Cup final on 4 May 1974. Keegan had scored twice, Heighway once, and Liverpool were about to lift the trophy for only the second time. Both victories had come under Shankly.
At half-time, the outcome had been much less clear. The teams had reached the interval at 0–0 before a crowd of 100,000. Liverpool's eventual three-goal margin would be built entirely in the second half.
Alec Lindsay thought he had made the breakthrough, driving the ball inside the post, but an offside decision ruled out his effort. Liverpool nevertheless found a way through before the hour. Smith supplied the ball, Brian Hall let it run across him and Keegan struck to put his side ahead.
The goal began the sequence which separated the teams. With a quarter of an hour remaining, John Toshack's header sent Heighway into position for the second. Heighway finished low across the goalkeeper, giving Liverpool a cushion their performance had been building towards.
Smith and Heighway then combined in the move for Keegan's second. The finish was simple because the work before it had been so effective: the ball arrived across the goalmouth with Keegan ready to apply the final touch.
Smith and Ian Callaghan were the two Liverpool players who had also appeared in the victorious 1965 final. Around them, a rebuilt side had delivered another Wembley success, with captain Emlyn Hughes collecting the cup.
It proved to be Shankly's final major honour as Liverpool manager. It was not his last league match: Liverpool still had a trip to Tottenham Hotspur four days later. But the final supplied the defining achievement of his last full season, a three-goal second half which turned an undecided contest into a demonstration of his team's attacking quality.