Liverpool 3–2 Everton: Heighway starts the comeback
Steve Heighway and John Toshack brought Liverpool back from two goals down before Chris Lawler completed a 3–2 derby victory over Everton.
Liverpool · Season reference
1970–71
A historical reference entry. Original long-form writing appears in Articles.
- Manager
- Bill Shankly
- League / division
- First Division
- League finish
- 5th
- Top scorer
- Alun Evans · 15 goalsAll competitive first-team matches
- Trophies won
- None
Season overview
Liverpool finished fifth with 51 points for the second successive season. They conceded only 24 league goals, fewer than any other First Division side, and went unbeaten at Anfield in the league. Steve Heighway arrived from Skelmersdale United, with John Toshack joining from Cardiff City in November.
A 2–1 semi-final victory over Everton took Liverpool to Wembley, where they lost the FA Cup final 2–1 to Arsenal after extra time on 8 May. Heighway scored Liverpool’s goal, but his first season ended without silverware.
Alun Evans led the scoring with 15 goals in all competitions, including a hat-trick in the 3–0 home win over Bayern Munich. Liverpool won that Fairs Cup quarter-final 4–1 on aggregate before losing the semi-final to Leeds United by a single goal over two legs. Swindon Town had already knocked them out of the League Cup in the third round.
Match reports
Explore 7 published reports from 1970–71, in match order.
Liverpool 2–0 Arsenal: a win against the coming Double winners
Liverpool scored near the beginning of each half. Arsenal left Anfield without a reply.
Leeds United 0–1 Liverpool: an early lead, a long defence
Liverpool had beaten Arsenal. Seven days later, they beat the league leaders too.
Liverpool 3–0 Bayern Munich: Alun Evans returns with a hat-trick
Alun Evans had been out for four months. In his first start back, he scored three times against Bayern Munich.
Tottenham Hotspur 0–1 Liverpool: Heighway scores, Clemence keeps Spurs out
Steve Heighway scored the goal that took Liverpool into the 1971 FA Cup semi-final. At the other end, Ray Clemence made sure it was enough.
Liverpool 2–1 Everton: Brian Hall’s first goal sends Liverpool to Wembley
Brian Hall’s first Liverpool goal was the winner in an FA Cup semi-final against Everton. For a player who had originally come to the city to study mathematics, Old Trafford provided an extraordinary place to make his mark.
Liverpool 1–2 Arsenal: the final lost after Heighway’s breakthrough
For a few minutes at Wembley, Steve Heighway had Liverpool on course to win the FA Cup. His goal early in extra time broke a ninety-minute deadlock. By the end of the afternoon, Arsenal had recovered to complete the Double.
Domestic cups
- FA Cup
- Runners-up — lost 2–1 to Arsenal after extra time at Wembley.
- League Cup
- Third round — lost 2–0 away to Swindon Town.
Europe
- Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
- Semi-final — lost 1–0 on aggregate to Leeds United, with a 1–0 defeat at Anfield followed by a 0–0 away draw.
Key players
- Ray Clemence
- Chris Lawler
- Tommy Smith
- Larry Lloyd
- Emlyn Hughes
- Brian Hall
- Steve Heighway
- John McLaughlin
- Peter Thompson
- Alec Lindsay
- Alun Evans
- Ian Callaghan
- John Toshack
Transfers
Significant senior moves. Fees are included only where established reliably; summer arrivals are grouped with the campaign they joined.
Transfers in
- Jack WhithamFrom Sheffield WednesdayPermanent transfer
Joined ahead of the 1970–71 campaign.
- Steve HeighwayFrom Skelmersdale UnitedPermanent transfer
Joined in May 1970.
- John ToshackFrom Cardiff CityPermanent transfer
Joined in November 1970.
Transfers out
- Peter WallTo Crystal PalacePermanent transfer
Left in May 1970.
- Geoff StrongTo Coventry CityPermanent transfer
Left in August 1970.
- Doug LivermoreTo Norwich CityPermanent transfer
Left in November 1970.
Important connections
Evans scores three against Bayern
Evans scored all three goals in the 3–0 Fairs Cup quarter-final first-leg victory at Anfield.
Everton beaten in the semi-final
Liverpool won 2–1 at Old Trafford to reach the FA Cup final.
Extra-time defeat at Wembley
Arsenal won the FA Cup final 2–1 after extra time. Steve Heighway scored for Liverpool.
In the History Explorer
Bill Shankly · 1959–1974Sources & historical notes
Researched and checked 13 September 2026. These sources support this season’s statistics, transfers and historical account. Key players are an editorial selection.
- Liverpool FC: Bill Shankly Shankly was Liverpool manager throughout this campaign.
- LFChistory: 1970–71 results Dates, venues, scores and competition stages for the season’s competitive fixtures; confirms league and cup outcomes and dated match events.
- RSSSF: Football League 1970–71 Fifth with 51 points; 24 goals conceded, the division’s lowest total. Liverpool were unbeaten at home in the league: 11 wins and ten draws.
- LFChistory: 1970–71 goalscorers Alun Evans led with 15 competitive goals: ten league, one FA Cup, one League Cup and three Fairs Cup.
- LFChistory: 1970–71 appearances Competitive first-team involvement supporting the selected key players; starts and substitute appearances are considered together.
- Football Club History Database: FA Cup 1970–71 Liverpool beat Everton 2–1 in the semi-final and lost the Wembley final 2–1 to Arsenal.
- RSSSF: League Cup results Third-round exit, 2–0 at Swindon Town.
- RSSSF: European competitions 1970–71 Bayern Munich beaten 4–1 on aggregate in the quarter-final; Leeds United won the semi-final 1–0 on aggregate.
- LFChistory: 1970–71 transfers Heighway arrived from Skelmersdale in May 1970, Toshack from Cardiff in November; Wall moved to Crystal Palace in May, Strong to Coventry in August and Livermore to Norwich in November. Keegan’s May 1971 arrival is allocated to 1971–72.
- 11v11: Liverpool players, 1970–71 Independently corroborates Evans’s leading all-competition total of 15. Appearance figures elsewhere in this table differ from LFChistory and are not used.
- LFChistory: Whitham’s April 1970 transfer Whitham joined from Sheffield Wednesday after Liverpool’s last league game of 1969–70; included with the incoming campaign.
- Liverpool FC: Jack Whitham Confirms the move from Sheffield Wednesday in 1970 and that his first Liverpool season was 1970–71. Its approximate interval after Hunt’s departure is not used.
- LFChistory: FA Cup final, 8 May 1971 The final finished 2–1 to Arsenal after extra time; Heighway scored for Liverpool.
- Liverpool FC: Steve Heighway Joined from non-league Skelmersdale United in 1970, made 49 appearances in his first campaign and scored in the 1971 FA Cup final.
- Liverpool FC: John Toshack Toshack signed for Liverpool in November 1970.
- Liverpool FC: Geoff Strong Strong left Liverpool for Coventry City in 1970.
- Liverpool FC: Alun Evans Evans scored a hat-trick against Bayern Munich in the 1971 Fairs Cup.
Notes on the record
Evans’s 15 goals are an all-competition total, independently corroborated by 11v11. Its appearance figures have discrepancies, so the key-player selection follows LFChistory’s season appearance ledger.
Whitham and Heighway are allocated to the incoming campaign. Keegan’s May 1971 signing is recorded under 1971–72, when he first played competitive football for Liverpool.
No fee or free-transfer label is asserted for Heighway: the transfer ledger’s asterisked “Free” entry needs qualification. Other uncorroborated fees are omitted.