Liverpool · Season reference
2005–06
A historical reference entry. Original long-form writing appears in Articles.
- Manager
- Rafael Benítez
- League / division
- Premier League
- League finish
- 3rd
- Top scorer
- Steven Gerrard · 23 goalsAll competitive first-team matches
- Trophies won
- European Super CupFA Cup
Season overview
Liverpool won the FA Cup and UEFA Super Cup, and finished third in the Premier League with 82 points, one behind Manchester United. Steven Gerrard scored twice in the FA Cup final against West Ham, including the late equaliser that made it 3–3. Liverpool won the shoot-out 3–1 in Cardiff on 13 May.
The Super Cup came through a 3–1 extra-time victory over CSKA Moscow in August. In December, São Paulo beat Liverpool 1–0 in the Club World Championship final in Yokohama. Benfica ended their Champions League defence in the round of 16, winning 3–0 on aggregate, while Crystal Palace knocked them out of the League Cup.
Gerrard was leading scorer with 23 competitive goals and won the PFA Player of the Year award. Pepe Reina, Peter Crouch and Mohamed Sissoko joined in the summer, and Robbie Fowler returned from Manchester City in January. Liverpool won their final nine league matches and conceded 25 league goals across the season.
Domestic cups
- FA Cup
- Winners — beat West Ham United 3–1 on penalties after a 3–3 draw.
- League Cup
- Third round — lost 2–1 away to Crystal Palace.
Europe
- European Super Cup
- Winners — beat CSKA Moscow 3–1 after extra time.
- European Cup
- Champions League round of 16 — lost 3–0 on aggregate to Benfica.
Other major competitions
- FIFA Club World Cup
- Runners-up — lost 1–0 to São Paulo in the Club World Championship final.
Key players
- Steven Gerrard
- Sami Hyypiä
- Jamie Carragher
- Djibril Cissé
- Xabi Alonso
- Pepe Reina
- John Arne Riise
- Steve Finnan
- Luis García
- Peter Crouch
- Mohamed Sissoko
- Harry Kewell
Transfers
Significant senior moves. Fees are included only where established reliably; summer arrivals are grouped with the campaign they joined.
Transfers in
- Bolo ZendenFrom MiddlesbroughFree transfer
Joined in July 2005.
- Pepe ReinaFrom VillarrealPermanent transfer
Joined in July 2005.
- Mohamed SissokoFrom ValenciaPermanent transfer
Joined in July 2005.
- Peter CrouchFrom SouthamptonPermanent transfer
Joined in July 2005.
- Jan KromkampFrom VillarrealPermanent transfer
Joined in a player-exchange deal in January 2006.
- Daniel AggerFrom BrøndbyPermanent transfer
Joined in January 2006.
- Robbie FowlerFrom Manchester CityFree transfer
Returned in January 2006.
Transfers out
- Vladimír ŠmicerTo BordeauxFree transfer
Left in June 2005.
- El Hadji DioufTo Bolton WanderersPermanent transfer
Permanent move in June 2005.
- Mauricio PellegrinoTo AlavésFree transfer
Left in June 2005.
- Antonio NúñezTo Celta VigoPermanent transfer
Left in July 2005.
- Milan BarošTo Aston VillaPermanent transfer
Left in August 2005.
- JosemiTo VillarrealPermanent transfer
Left in a player-exchange deal in January 2006.
Important connections
In the History Explorer
Rafael Benítez · 2004–2010Related seasons
2004–05Sources & 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: 2005-06 final league table Premier League finish, points, goals and records. Comparisons and margins calculated from the table.
- LFChistory: 2005-06 games Full competitive fixtures, dates, results and cup stages. Two-leg aggregates and league runs calculated from the fixture list.
- LFChistory: 2005-06 goalscorers All-competitive scoring, including qualifying rounds and other competitive trophies, excluding friendlies and shoot-out kicks.
- LFChistory: 2005-06 transfers Selected senior transfers and deal types; summer moves assigned to incoming campaigns. Date anomalies are documented rather than copied.
- LFChistory: 2005-06 appearances Competitive appearance totals supporting key-player selections.
- Liverpool FC: Rafael Benítez Arrival from Valencia in 2004; fifth European Cup, 2006 FA Cup and Super Cup, Athens final, 2008 semi-final and 2009 title challenge. Conditional claims about injuries changing the title outcome are not used.
- Liverpool FC: Steven Gerrard Olympiacos goal and Istanbul comeback; 23 competitive goals and PFA award in 2005–06, two goals in that FA Cup final; 24 goals and football writers’ award in 2008–09.
- Liverpool FC: Peter Crouch Joined from Southampton in 2005; 18 competitive goals in 2006–07, including the Community Shield winner; 2008 Portsmouth move.
- Liverpool FC: FA Cup Liverpool beat West Ham 3–1 on penalties after a 3–3 final on 13 May 2006; Gerrard’s late equaliser kept the match alive.
- Liverpool FC: UEFA Super Cup Liverpool beat CSKA Moscow 3–1 after extra time in Monaco on 26 August 2005.
- Liverpool FC: FIFA Club World Cup Liverpool lost the 2005 final 1–0 to São Paulo in Yokohama after beating Saprissa in the semi-final.
- Liverpool FC: Bolo Zenden Free transfer from Middlesbrough in July 2005.
Notes on the record
Overview evidence: paragraph 1 — rsssf-league, lfc-fa-cup, lfc-gerrard and lfch-games; paragraph 2 — lfc-super-cup, lfc-world-cup and lfch-games; paragraph 3 — lfch-scorers, lfc-gerrard, lfch-transfers, lfch-games and rsssf-league.
The nine-match winning run concerns league games, not all competitions. Gerrard’s total includes qualifying matches and the Club World Championship; shoot-out kicks are excluded.
The FIFA tournament has its own competition identity, distinct from the earlier Intercontinental Cup. Its 2005 name is preserved in the result. Mark González’s contractual and playing-arrival chronology is not inferred from the transfer ledger; his transfer is omitted from this selected list.