Liverpool 1–1 Everton: Rush secures a shared Charity Shield
Ian Rush met Kenny Dalglish's cross to cancel out Adrian Heath's late goal as Liverpool and Everton shared the Shield.
Liverpool · Season reference
1986–87
A historical reference entry. Original long-form writing appears in Articles.
- Manager
- Kenny Dalglish
- League / division
- First Division
- League finish
- 2nd
- Top scorer
- Ian Rush · 40 goalsAll competitive first-team matches
- Trophies won
- Charity Shield (shared)Football League Super Cup
Season overview
Liverpool finished second in the First Division, nine points behind Everton, in Kenny Dalglish’s second season as player-manager. Ian Rush scored 40 goals in all competitions, including 30 in the league. The domestic cup campaigns ended with a 2–1 League Cup final defeat by Arsenal and a third-round FA Cup exit against Luton Town after two replays.
There were two trophies: the Charity Shield was shared with Everton following a 1–1 draw, and Liverpool won the delayed Football League Super Cup final in September. They beat Everton 3–1 at Anfield and 4–1 at Goodison Park to win 7–2 on aggregate. Those final legs completed the competition begun in the previous season.
Barry Venison arrived from Sunderland and Sammy Lee left for Queens Park Rangers. John Aldridge joined from Oxford United in January, followed by Nigel Spackman from Chelsea in February. Earlier in the campaign, Liverpool had beaten Fulham 10–0 at Anfield in the League Cup second round.
Match reports
Explore 8 published reports from 1986–87, in match order.
Liverpool 3–1 Everton: Rush scores twice in the delayed final
Ian Rush's double and Steve McMahon's header gave Liverpool a two-goal advantage in the belated Super Cup final.
McMahon scores four as Liverpool put ten past Fulham
Steve McMahon scored four and missed a penalty as Liverpool beat Fulham 10–0 in a League Cup first leg at Anfield.
Everton 1–4 Liverpool: Rush's hat-trick completes the Super Cup final
Ian Rush scored three times at Goodison as Liverpool won the delayed Super Cup final 7–2 on aggregate.
Liverpool 6–2 Norwich: Walsh scores three and makes two
Paul Walsh scored a hat-trick and supplied both Ian Rush goals as Liverpool put six past Norwich at Anfield.
Rush’s hat-trick keeps Liverpool ahead of Leicester
Ian Rush scored three times as Liverpool held off Leicester City in a seven-goal match at Anfield.
Nicholas overturns Liverpool’s lead in the League Cup final
Ian Rush put Liverpool ahead at Wembley, but two Charlie Nicholas goals gave Arsenal their first League Cup.
Rush equals Dean’s derby record as Liverpool beat Everton
Two Ian Rush goals secured a 3–1 Anfield victory and brought him level with Dixie Dean on 19 goals in Merseyside derbies.
Domestic cups
- FA Cup
- Third round — lost 3–0 to Luton Town in the second replay.
- League Cup
- Runners-up — lost 2–1 to Arsenal at Wembley.
- Football League Super Cup
- Winners — beat Everton 7–2 on aggregate in the delayed final of the 1985–86 competition.
Other major competitions
- Charity Shield
- Shared — drew 1–1 with Everton.
Key players
- Ian Rush
- Alan Hansen
- Ronnie Whelan
- Gary Gillespie
- Steve McMahon
- Mark Lawrenson
- Jan Mølby
- Bruce Grobbelaar
- Barry Venison
Transfers
Significant senior moves. Fees are included only where established reliably; summer arrivals are grouped with the campaign they joined.
Transfers in
- Barry VenisonFrom SunderlandPermanent transfer
Joined in July 1986.
- Steve StauntonFrom DundalkPermanent transfer
Joined in August 1986.
- John AldridgeFrom Oxford UnitedPermanent transfer
Joined in January 1987.
- Nigel SpackmanFrom ChelseaPermanent transfer
Joined in February 1987.
Transfers out
- Sammy LeeTo Queens Park RangersPermanent transfer
Left in August 1986.
Important connections
In the History Explorer
Kenny Dalglish · 1985–1991Related seasons
1985–86Sources & 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: Kenny Dalglish, first spell Appointed player-manager in summer 1985; first league and FA Cup double, Chelsea winner, 1988 championship and Forest 5–0, 1989 cup final and Arsenal title decider. The description of 1986–87 as empty-handed is not used because it excludes the Super Cup and shared Shield.
- RSSSF: Football League 1986-87 Final division, position, points, goals and league record; title margins calculated from the table.
- LFChistory: 1986-87 games Competitive fixtures, dates, scores, venues and cup stages; aggregate scores calculated from legs.
- LFChistory: 1986-87 goalscorers All-competitive scoring, including the Shield, Super Cup and Centenary Trophy where played; excludes friendlies and shoot-outs.
- LFChistory: 1986-87 transfers Dated selected senior arrivals and departures; summer allocation explained in notes.
- LFChistory: 1986-87 appearances Competitive involvement supporting key-player selections.
- Liverpool FC: Ian Rush 40 competitive goals in 1986–87; return from Juventus after one season in Italy.
- Liverpool FC: Charity and Community Shield The 1986 Shield was shared with Everton; Liverpool beat Wimbledon in 1988.
- The Guardian / LFChistory: The forgotten story of the English Super Cup Jacob Steinberg, 26 October 2011, republished by LFChistory. Competition for clubs excluded from Europe; Rush scored twice in the final group game at Tottenham. The final was delayed until September 1986: Liverpool won 3–1 and 4–1, 7–2 on aggregate. Some incidental dates in the article differ from the fixture ledger and are not used.
Notes on the record
Overview evidence: paragraph 1 — rsssf-league, lfc-manager, lfch-scorers, lfc-rush and lfch-games; paragraph 2 — lfc-shield, lfch-games and guardian-super-cup; paragraph 3 — lfch-transfers and lfch-games.
Dalglish’s official profile describes this season as empty-handed. The fixture record, official Shield history and Guardian Super Cup account show a shared Shield and the delayed Super Cup win. The summary names those honours explicitly instead of repeating that description.
Rush’s physical departure to Juventus on 1 July 1987 is allocated to 1987–88. No claim about the earlier agreement or loan-back terms is made. The 40 goals include five in the Super Cup final and one in the Shield.