Liverpool 3–2 Arsenal: Ian Ross finds the late winner
Ian Ross scored only four goals for Liverpool. His last arrived three minutes from the end against Arsenal, turning a 2–2 draw into victory over the reigning league and FA Cup champions.
Liverpool · Season reference
1971–72
A historical reference entry. Original long-form writing appears in Articles.
- Manager
- Bill Shankly
- League / division
- First Division
- League finish
- 3rd
- Top scorer
- John Toshack · 13 goalsAll competitive first-team matches
- Trophies won
- None
Season overview
Liverpool finished third with 57 points, just one behind champions Derby County. A 1–0 defeat at Derby and a goalless draw at Arsenal in their final two league games left them short of the title.
Kevin Keegan arrived from Scunthorpe United and scored on his competitive debut in a 3–1 home win over Nottingham Forest. He finished with 11 goals in all competitions, while John Toshack led the scoring with 13, all in the league. Ian St John, Tommy Lawrence and Ron Yeats left the club during 1971.
There was no trophy in the cups either. Leeds United won an FA Cup fourth-round replay, West Ham United ended the League Cup run at the same stage, and Bayern Munich beat Liverpool 3–1 on aggregate in the second round of the Cup Winners’ Cup. The campaign had begun with a 1–0 Charity Shield defeat by Leicester City.
Match reports
Explore 6 published reports from 1971–72, in match order.
Liverpool 3–2 Derby County: Jack Whitham’s afternoon
Jack Whitham scored seven goals in his Liverpool career. Three came in one afternoon against Derby County, and Liverpool needed every one of them.
Liverpool 4–0 Everton: a derby won from the first minute
Liverpool were ahead before the first minute was over. By the end of the derby at Anfield on 4 March 1972, Everton had conceded four without reply.
Liverpool 5–0 Newcastle United: five scorers and a warning in the tunnel
Five Liverpool players scored against Newcastle at Anfield on 18 March 1972. The goalkeeper’s contribution also mattered.
Manchester United 0–3 Liverpool: two quick goals and a debut for Phil Thompson
Liverpool scored twice in two minutes at Old Trafford on Easter Monday 1972. By the end of the afternoon they had a third goal, another clean sheet and a new first-team player.
Derby County 1–0 Liverpool: the goal that left the title hanging
John McGovern’s goal ended Derby County’s league season with a win over Liverpool. It did not settle the championship that evening, but it gave Brian Clough’s side the total that would eventually be enough.
Domestic cups
- FA Cup
- Fourth round — lost 2–0 to Leeds United at Elland Road in a replay, after a 0–0 draw at Anfield.
- League Cup
- Fourth round — lost 2–1 away to West Ham United.
Europe
- European Cup Winners’ Cup
- Second round — lost 3–1 on aggregate to Bayern Munich after a 0–0 home draw and a 3–1 away defeat.
Other major competitions
- Charity Shield
- Runners-up — lost 1–0 to Leicester City at Filbert Street.
Key players
- Ray Clemence
- Emlyn Hughes
- Chris Lawler
- Ian Callaghan
- Steve Heighway
- Tommy Smith
- Alec Lindsay
- Larry Lloyd
- Kevin Keegan
- John Toshack
- Brian Hall
Transfers
Significant senior moves. Fees are included only where established reliably; summer arrivals are grouped with the campaign they joined.
Transfers in
- Kevin KeeganFrom Scunthorpe UnitedPermanent transfer
Signed in May 1971 for the incoming campaign; made his competitive debut in August.
- Frank LaneFrom Tranmere RoversPermanent transfer
Joined in September 1971.
Transfers out
- Ian St JohnTo Free agencyReleased
Left Liverpool in May 1971.
- Tommy LawrenceTo Tranmere RoversFree transfer
Left in November 1971.
- Ron YeatsTo Tranmere RoversFree transfer
Left in December 1971.
- Ian RossTo Aston VillaPermanent transfer
Left in February 1972.
- Bobby GrahamTo Coventry CityPermanent transfer
Left in March 1972.
Important connections
Keegan scores on debut
Keegan scored in Liverpool’s 3–1 league win over Nottingham Forest at Anfield.
Four goals against Everton
Liverpool beat Everton 4–0 at Anfield.
A goalless finish at Highbury
Liverpool drew 0–0 with Arsenal in their final league fixture and finished one point behind Derby County.
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: 1971–72 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 1971–72 Third with 57 points, one behind champions Derby County. Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester City each had 57 points and were separated by goal average.
- LFChistory: 1971–72 goalscorers Toshack led with 13 competitive goals, all in the league; Keegan scored 11, comprising nine league and two FA Cup goals.
- LFChistory: 1971–72 appearances Competitive first-team involvement supporting the selected key players; starts and substitute appearances are considered together.
- Football Club History Database: FA Cup 1971–72 Fourth-round exit: 0–0 with Leeds at Anfield, then a 2–0 replay defeat at Elland Road.
- RSSSF: League Cup results Fourth-round exit: West Ham United won 2–1 at Upton Park.
- RSSSF: European competitions 1971–72 Cup Winners’ Cup second-round exit to Bayern Munich: 0–0 at Anfield and 3–1 defeat away.
- LFChistory: 1971–72 transfers Frank Lane arrived from Tranmere in September 1971. St John left on a free transfer in May; Lawrence and Yeats joined Tranmere in November and December; Ross joined Aston Villa in February 1972 and Graham joined Coventry in March.
- 11v11: Liverpool players, 1971–72 Independently corroborates Toshack’s leading total of 13 and Keegan’s 11 competitive goals.
- LFChistory: Keegan’s May 1971 arrival Keegan joined from Scunthorpe United on 3 May 1971. The incoming campaign convention places the move here; the disputed fee is omitted.
- Liverpool FC: Kevin Keegan’s debut May 1971 signing from Scunthorpe; scored on debut in the opening league game against Nottingham Forest after not playing in the Charity Shield.
- RSSSF: Charity Shield results Leicester City beat Liverpool 1–0 in the 1971 Charity Shield.
- Liverpool FC: Ian St John St John left Liverpool in 1971.
- Liverpool FC: Tommy Lawrence Lawrence moved to Tranmere Rovers in November 1971.
- Liverpool FC: Ron Yeats Yeats left Liverpool late in 1971 and subsequently played for Tranmere Rovers.
- Liverpool FC: Bobby Graham remembered Graham left for Coventry City in March 1972; unrelated injury and return chronology in this article is not used.
Notes on the record
Toshack’s 13 goals were all scored in the league and were also Liverpool’s highest all-competition total. The Charity Shield is included among competitive matches; Liverpool did not score in it.
The three clubs on 57 points were separated by goal average, not modern goal difference. No disputed refereeing decision is needed to explain the final table.
Keegan’s signing is allocated to this incoming campaign. Published accounts give both £33,000 and £35,000, so no fee is stated.
St John is recorded as leaving into free agency rather than as a direct transfer to Coventry. The precise terms of his intervening spell outside England are not asserted.