Liverpool · Season reference
1997–98
A historical reference entry. Original long-form writing appears in Articles.
- Manager
- Roy Evans
- League / division
- Premier League
- League finish
- 3rd
- Top scorer
- Michael Owen · 23 goalsAll competitive first-team matches
- Trophies won
- None
Season overview
Liverpool finished third in the Premier League under Roy Evans, taking 65 points, 13 fewer than champions Arsenal. Michael Owen was the club’s leading scorer with 23 competitive goals. His 18 league goals earned a share of the Premier League Golden Boot with Dion Dublin and Chris Sutton.
Paul Ince arrived from Internazionale, Karl-Heinz Riedle from Borussia Dortmund and Øyvind Leonhardsen from Wimbledon. Danny Murphy also joined from Crewe Alexandra. Stan Collymore moved to Aston Villa after the previous campaign, and John Barnes left for Newcastle United in August.
Liverpool reached the League Cup semi-final but lost 3–2 on aggregate to Middlesbrough. Coventry City ended their FA Cup run in the third round with a 3–1 win at Anfield, while Strasbourg won their UEFA Cup second-round tie 3–2 on aggregate. Liverpool’s final two home league matches brought a 5–0 win over West Ham and a 4–0 victory over Arsenal.
Domestic cups
- FA Cup
- Third round — lost 3–1 at home to Coventry City.
- League Cup
- Semi-final — lost 3–2 on aggregate to Middlesbrough.
Europe
- UEFA Cup
- Second round — lost 3–2 on aggregate to Strasbourg.
Key players
- Michael Owen
- Steve McManaman
- Paul Ince
- David James
- Øyvind Leonhardsen
- Karl-Heinz Riedle
- Dominic Matteo
- Stig Inge Bjørnebye
- Steve Harkness
- Bjørn Tore Kvarme
- Robbie Fowler
Transfers
Significant senior moves. Fees are included only where established reliably; summer arrivals are grouped with the campaign they joined.
Transfers in
- Øyvind LeonhardsenFrom WimbledonPermanent transfer
Joined in June 1997.
- Danny MurphyFrom Crewe AlexandraPermanent transfer
Joined in July 1997.
- Paul InceFrom InternazionalePermanent transfer
Joined in July 1997.
- Karl-Heinz RiedleFrom Borussia DortmundPermanent transfer
Joined in July 1997.
- Brad FriedelFrom Columbus CrewPermanent transfer
Joined in December 1997.
Transfers out
- Stan CollymoreTo Aston VillaPermanent transfer
Left on 13 May 1997 after the previous campaign.
- John BarnesTo Newcastle UnitedFree transfer
Left in August 1997.
- Mark KennedyTo WimbledonPermanent transfer
Left in March 1998.
Important connections
In the History Explorer
Roy Evans · 1994–1998Related seasons
1996–97Sources & 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.
- RSSSF: 1997-98 final league table Premier League finish, points and goals. Gaps and comparisons are arithmetic from the final table.
- LFChistory: 1997-98 games Competitive fixtures, dates, results and cup stages. Aggregates calculated from the two legs.
- LFChistory: 1997-98 goalscorers All-competitive goal totals, excluding friendlies and shoot-out kicks.
- LFChistory: 1997-98 transfers Selected senior transfers, dates, clubs and deal types. Preparatory summer moves allocated to the incoming season.
- LFChistory: 1997-98 appearances Competitive appearances supporting key-player selections.
- Liverpool FC: Roy Evans, manager First full season brought fourth place and the League Cup; subsequent league finishes, 1996 FA Cup final defeat, joint management in 1998 and departure on 12 November.
- Liverpool FC: Michael Owen Scoring debut at Wimbledon in May 1997; 23 competitive goals in each of 1997–98 and 1998–99.
- Premier League: Golden Boot winners Owen shared the 1997–98 Golden Boot with Dublin and Sutton and the 1998–99 award with Yorke and Hasselbaink, all with 18 league goals.
- Liverpool FC: Stan Collymore Summer 1995 arrival from Nottingham Forest; 19 competitive goals in 1995–96; stoppage-time winner in the 3 April 1996 Newcastle match; May 1997 move to Aston Villa.
- LFChistory: 1996–97 transfer ledger Collymore left for Aston Villa on 13 May 1997 after the final competitive match; allocated to the incoming season.
Notes on the record
Overview evidence: paragraph 1 — rsssf-league, lfc-evans, lfch-scorers, lfc-owen and pl-golden-boot; paragraph 2 — lfch-transfers, lfch-prior-transfers and lfc-collymore; paragraph 3 — lfch-games.
Owen’s 18 is the league total; 23 is his competitive total. The Golden Boot was shared, not won outright. No unverified player-award or transfer-fee claim is included.