Liverpool 3–1 Arsenal: McDermott scores twice at Wembley
Terry McDermott scored either side of Kenny Dalglish's goal as Liverpool beat FA Cup holders Arsenal to win the Charity Shield.
Liverpool · Season reference
1979–80
A historical reference entry. Original long-form writing appears in Articles.
- Manager
- Bob Paisley
- League / division
- First Division
- League finish
- Champions
- Top scorer
- David Johnson · 27 goalsAll competitive first-team matches
- Trophies won
- First DivisionCharity Shield
Season overview
Liverpool retained the First Division title under Bob Paisley, finishing on 60 points, two ahead of Manchester United. They were unbeaten at Anfield in the league and scored 81 league goals. The season also brought the Charity Shield, with Arsenal beaten 3–1 at Wembley.
David Johnson led the scoring with 27 goals in all competitions. Terry McDermott became the first player to win the football writers’ and PFA player awards in the same season. Emlyn Hughes left for Wolves, while Ronnie Whelan and Ian Rush joined from Home Farm and Chester City respectively.
Liverpool reached both domestic cup semi-finals but went no further: Nottingham Forest won their League Cup tie, while Arsenal needed three FA Cup replays before winning 1–0. Dinamo Tbilisi ended Liverpool’s European Cup campaign in the first round, overturning a 2–1 Anfield defeat with a 3–0 home win.
Match reports
Explore 11 published reports from 1979–80, in match order.
Liverpool 4–0 Tranmere Rovers: four second-half goals settle the tie
Tranmere held Liverpool scoreless for three halves before Phil Thompson's goal began a four-goal second half at Anfield.
Dinamo Tbilisi 3–0 Liverpool: three second-half goals end the European campaign
Liverpool's first-leg advantage disappeared in Georgia as Dinamo scored three times after the interval to win the tie 4–2 on aggregate.
Manchester City 0–4 Liverpool: Dalglish ends City’s unbeaten run
Kenny Dalglish scored twice as Liverpool ended Manchester City's six-match unbeaten league run with four goals at Maine Road.
Liverpool 2–0 Manchester United: Boxing Day separation
Alan Hansen and David Johnson scored as Liverpool beat their nearest challengers to open a two-point lead at the top of the First Division.
Everton 1–2 Liverpool: victory on the day Dixie Dean died
David Johnson and Phil Neal gave Liverpool a winning lead at Goodison Park, where Everton great Dixie Dean died while attending the derby.
Tottenham 0–1 Liverpool: McDermott volleys into the semi-finals
Terry McDermott's first-half volley settled Liverpool's FA Cup quarter-final at Tottenham and continued a cup run without a goal conceded.
Liverpool 0–0 Arsenal: no way through at Hillsborough
Brian Talbot hit the crossbar late on as Liverpool and Arsenal remained goalless in the first match of a semi-final that would require three replays.
Liverpool 1–1 Arsenal: Dalglish keeps the semi-final alive
Kenny Dalglish equalised in stoppage time at Villa Park, forcing extra-time and a fourth match in the FA Cup semi-final.
Liverpool 0–1 Arsenal: Talbot ends the four-match semi-final
Brian Talbot’s early header settled the fourth meeting of an FA Cup semi-final spread over 19 days.
Liverpool 4–1 Aston Villa: Cohen scores at both ends as the title is secured
Avi Cohen recovered from an own goal to restore Liverpool’s lead, and David Johnson scored twice as the champions retained the league title.
Domestic cups
- FA Cup
- Semi-final — lost 1–0 to Arsenal in the third replay.
- League Cup
- Semi-final — lost 2–1 on aggregate to Nottingham Forest.
Europe
- European Cup
- First round — lost 4–2 on aggregate to Dinamo Tbilisi.
Other major competitions
- Charity Shield
- Winners — beat Arsenal 3–1 at Wembley.
Key players
- David Johnson
- Kenny Dalglish
- Terry McDermott
- Phil Neal
- Phil Thompson
- Graeme Souness
- Ray Clemence
- Alan Hansen
Transfers
Significant senior moves. Fees are included only where established reliably; summer arrivals are grouped with the campaign they joined.
Transfers in
- Avi CohenFrom Maccabi Tel AvivPermanent transfer
Joined in July 1979.
- Ronnie WhelanFrom Home FarmFree transfer
Joined in September 1979.
- Ian RushFrom Chester CityPermanent transfer
Signed in April 1980.
- Richard MoneyFrom FulhamPermanent transfer
Signed in May 1980.
Transfers out
- Emlyn HughesTo Wolverhampton WanderersPermanent transfer
Left in August 1979.
- Frank McGarveyTo CelticPermanent transfer
Left in March 1980.
Important connections
Four against Aston Villa
Liverpool beat Aston Villa 4–1 at Anfield.
In the History Explorer
Bob Paisley · 1974–1983Related seasons
1978–79Sources & 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: Bob Paisley, manager Manager from 1974 to 1983; the 1980 title, 1981 European Cup and final-season league and League Cup double.
- RSSSF: Football League 1979-80 Final division, position and points; home and away league records.
- LFChistory: 1979-80 games Competitive fixtures, dates, scores, cup stages and venues; aggregate scores calculated from the two legs.
- LFChistory: 1979-80 goalscorers All-competitive goalscorers, including the Charity Shield and excluding friendlies.
- LFChistory: 1979-80 transfers Transfer clubs, type and dates for the selected senior moves.
- LFChistory: 1979-80 appearances Competitive first-team involvement supporting the editorial key-player selection.
- Liverpool FC: David Johnson 27 competitive goals in 1979–80.
- Liverpool FC: Terry McDermott awards First player to win the FWA and PFA player awards in the same season, in 1980.
- Liverpool FC: Ian Rush Joined from Chester in 1980; 30 competitive goals in 1981–82, 31 in 1982–83 and 47 in 1983–84; four goals at Everton in November 1982.
Notes on the record
Overview evidence: paragraph 1 — rsssf-league, lfc-paisley and lfch-games; paragraph 2 — lfch-scorers, lfc-johnson, lfc-mcdermott-awards, lfch-transfers and lfc-rush; paragraph 3 — lfch-games.
League points used two points for a win. Rush’s April and Money’s early-May signings remain in this campaign; neither is selected as a key player before making a competitive appearance. Whelan’s signing date is distinct from his 1981 debut.