Liverpool beat Stoke City 5–3 at Anfield on 17 April 1976, recovering from a first-half deficit and twice extending a lead that the visitors had threatened to erode. Five different Liverpool players scored in an Easter Saturday match which left Bob Paisley's side top of the First Division.
Only three days earlier, Anfield had staged the UEFA Cup semi-final draw with Barcelona that secured a place in the final. Now the immediate business was league points. Paisley retained the same starting eleven, with John Toshack and Kevin Keegan in attack and Emlyn Hughes captaining the side. David Fairclough was the substitute.
Stoke took the lead through Terry Conroy after half an hour. Liverpool's answer came before the interval: Phil Neal equalised from the penalty spot in the 37th minute, and Toshack scored six minutes later. The home side went in 2–1 ahead, having turned the match round within the closing stages of the half.
Ray Kennedy made it three six minutes after the restart. That created Liverpool's first two-goal cushion, but it did not settle matters. Ian Moores scored for Stoke on the hour, reducing the deficit to 3–2 and leaving the visitors a single goal from drawing level.
Paisley replaced Jimmy Case with Fairclough in the 72nd minute. Almost immediately, Hughes restored the two-goal lead, becoming Liverpool's fourth scorer. Fairclough then added the fifth in the 78th minute, making a scoring contribution just six minutes after coming on.
Alan Bloor scored Stoke's third late in the game. Liverpool nevertheless finished with the two-goal margin their second-half scoring had established, winning in front of 44,069 spectators. The three goals conceded meant this was no routine defensive afternoon; the range of scorers had provided the answer at the other end.
Liverpool had 56 points from 40 matches, one more than Queens Park Rangers with both clubs having two fixtures left. A trip to Manchester City followed on Easter Monday. The title was not yet secured, but an afternoon which began with Liverpool falling behind had ended with them leading the table.