The 1998–99 Liverpool F.C. season was the 107th season in the club's existence, and their 37th consecutive year in the top-flight of English football. In addition to the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
, the club also competed in the FA Cup, League Cup, and the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
.
This season covered the period of 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999.
Season overview
The appointment of former
France national team head coach
Gérard Houllier
Gérard Paul Francis Houllier (; 3 September 194714 December 2020) was a French professional football manager and player. Clubs he managed include Paris Saint-Germain, Lens and Liverpool, where he won the FA Cup, League Cup, FA Charity Shield, U ...
as joint manager alongside
Roy Evans
Roy Quentin Echlin Evans (born 4 October 1948) is an English former footballer who played as a defender for Liverpool. He eventually rose through the coaching ranks to become the team manager. While predominantly plyi ...
was seen as Liverpool's best chance of making a title challenge, but Evans did not enjoy the partnership and resigned in November to leave Houllier in sole charge.
Despite
Michael Owen
Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City, as well as for the England national team. Since r ...
's brilliant form, Liverpool were unable to mount anything like a title challenge and seemed to be a side in transition following the appointment of their new head coach and adapting to a new style, which saw new signing
Rigobert Song
Rigobert Song Bahanag (born 1 July 1976) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who is the manager of the Cameroon national team.
Known for his defensive skills, Song usually played as a centre-back but could also operate at right-back ...
arrive and the likes of
Jason McAteer
Jason Wynne McAteer (born 18 June 1971) is a former professional footballer. His primary position was in centre midfield, though he was also an able right winger and full-back.
During his professional career from 1992 to 2007, McAteer played ...
and
Rob Jones leave, along with the club's longest serving player
Steve Harkness, who joined
Benfica on 7 March 1999 after almost ten years at
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
.
By January, the side was reshuffled but the failure of the club to retain the services of
Steve McManaman, transferred to
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
at the end of the season in a deal labelled as the
Bosman scandal of the season, hurt the club financially. Performance wise, their seventh-place finish was not enough to attain even a
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
place, as well as being the club's lowest finish in five years.
The season had not started poorly, with a 2–1 win at
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
followed by a 0–0 draw at home to the previous season's
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
winners
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
and an impressive 4–1 away win over
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
just days after ''the
Tynesiders'' had sacked former Liverpool boss
Kenny Dalglish
Sir Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish (born 4 March 1951) is a Scottish former association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. During his career, he made 338 appearances for Celtic F.C., Celtic and 515 for Liverpoo ...
. September began with a 2–0 win over
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
which saw ''the Reds'' top the table after four matches, level on points with
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
, while title favourites Arsenal and
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
were fifth and ninth respectively.
However, Liverpool's lead of the Premier League was lost in their fifth match after they lost 2–1 at
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
. They travelled to
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
for an encounter with fierce rivals Manchester United on 24 September, but lost 2–0. They were now fourth in the league, while United were third, unfancied
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
were second and Aston Villa now led the league.
15 September saw the beginning of the club's
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
campaign, where they defeated Slovakian side
Košice
Košice ( , ; german: Kaschau ; hu, Kassa ; pl, Коszyce) is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of app ...
3–0 away in
Košice
Košice ( , ; german: Kaschau ; hu, Kassa ; pl, Коszyce) is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of app ...
. A comprehensive 5–0 win in the second leg booked Liverpool's place in the next round.
October was a mixed month for ''the Reds'', who crushed
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
5–1 in the Premier League at Anfield but were held to draws by
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
and
Everton and ended the month with a 1–0 defeat at
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
which saw them still restricted to fourth place. However, they were now six points behind leaders Aston Villa – who had a game in hand – and more than a quarter of the league season had now passed. Manchester United were now one point off the top, while Arsenal had re-emerged as contenders for the title they had won the previous season, now occupying third place. Derby County's challenge had fallen away as they slipped to mid-table.
There was positive news on the European scene that late autumn as they edged past
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
on away goals in the UEFA Cup second round.
Liverpool's
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
quest began well with a 3–1 home win over
Division Two leaders
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
in the third round, but ended in the next round with a 3–1 home defeat to a
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
side who were recovering well from their dismal start to the season since the appointment of
George Graham
George Graham (born 30 November 1944), nicknamed "Stroller", is a Scottish former Association football, football player and manager (association football), manager.
In his successful playing career, he made 455 appearances in England's Football ...
as manager. The first half of November was a disaster for ''the Reds'', who lost at home to both Derby County and
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
. However, the month ended on a higher note as wins over Aston Villa and
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
lifted them back up to eighth place.
Liverpool's dreams of European glory were ended on 8 December 1998 when they suffered a hefty defeat to
Celta Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo (; ), commonly known as Celta de Vigo or simply Celta, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed ''Os Celestes'' (The Sky Blues) ...
in the UEFA Cup third round. ''The Reds'' had stuttered in the league early in the month and a 1–0 defeat at
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
on 13 December saw them occupy 12th place in the league. However, three straight wins saw them rise to seventh by the end of the year.
By the dawn of the new year, Liverpool's last hope of silverware was in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
. They had an easy start in the competition, travelling to
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It has been the home ground of Port Vale F.C. since 1950.
The ground has seen its capacity go up and down, its peak being 42,000 in 1954 against Blackpool, although a club record 49, ...
for a third round tie with Division One strugglers
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
, coming away 3–0 winners. However, their hopes of glory ended in the fourth round when they surrendered a 1–0 lead in the dying minutes to lose 2–1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford. Their dismal league form that month saw them draw 0–0 at Arsenal and lose 2–1 at Coventry City, though they had some wry consolation in the form of a 7–1 hammering of strugglers Southampton at Anfield, in a match that saw
Robbie Fowler
Robert Bernard Fowler (born 9 April 1975) is an English football manager and former player, who most recently managed East Bengal in the Indian Super League.
As a player, he was a striker, and is the eighth-highest goalscorer in the history ...
score his 100th Premier League goal. They were now sixth in the league, now being led by Chelsea, who were eight points ahead of them with a game in hand.
Spring brought a similar pattern of results, and by 21 April, they had slid down to tenth place in the league with even their UEFA Cup qualification hopes looking slim. They needed a good run of results to even finish eighth, the lowest position they had finished in since their current spell as a top flight club began in 1962.
Wins over Blackburn and Tottenham kept ''the Reds'' in contention for European qualification with three matches to play, but a draw at home to Manchester United and a defeat at
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
meant a 3–0 home win over Wimbledon on the final day of the season was not enough for anything higher than seventh place, meaning the
1999–2000 season would be Liverpool's first season in five years without European football.
Players
First-team squad
:''Squad at end of season''
Left club during season
Reserves
Results
Pre-season and friendlies
Premier League
League table
Results summary
Results by round
Matches
FA Cup
League Cup
UEFA Cup
First round
Second round
Third round
Statistics
Appearances and Goals
, -
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center, Goalkeepers
, -
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center, Defenders
, -
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center, Midfielders
, -
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center, Forwards
, -
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center, Players transferred out during the season
Goal scorers
Competition top scorers
Notes
References
External links
1998–99 Liverpool F.C. season at LFC History
{{DEFAULTSORT:1998-99 Liverpool F.C. season
Liverpool F.C. seasons
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...