Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool
First Division, May 3, 1986
Liverpool travelled to Stamford Bridge for the final league game of the season knowing that three points would take the title back to Anfield, 12 months after they had finished runners-up to local rivals Everton
Kenny Dalglish (23)
First Division,
May 3, 1986
Stamford Bridge,
Referee: Lester Shapter,
Att: 43, 900
Liverpool had seemed to be out of the title race as the season entered its final couple of weeks, but a 2-0 win over Leicester, coupled with a shock Everton defeat against relegation-threatened Oxford, had tipped the Championship scales back in their favour.
And even though their Mersey rivals still had two games to go, at home to Southampton and Everton, Reds' fans knew that a win in west London would see them regain the title they had surrendered to the men across Stanley Park the previous season.
And it was fitting that one Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish should be the man to score the decisive goal that clinched the trophy.
The Scot was in his first season as player-manager at Anfield and it was his strike, midway through the first half, that settled the match as he took the ball on his thigh before firing a right foot volley wide of goalkeeper Tony Godden.
Key Figures
Kenny Dalglish
Already an Anfield legend, Dalglish was in the process of making himself even more of a hero (were that possible) with the Kop faithful. Having swept all before him as a player, he was now in the process of doing much the same as player-manager.
Bruce Grobbelaar
Old 'spaghetti legs' had been a key figure for the Reds throughout the season, playing every minute of all their 64 games in all competitions. His clean sheet at Stamford Bridge was his eighth in the final nine league games of the season as Liverpool amassed 25 points from a possible 27 to overhaul Everton at the top.
Jan Molby
The rotund Dane might not have looked like a finely tuned thoroughbred, but he sure as hell played like one. His 14 goals from midfield were key to Liverpool's title success, and he was in typically imperious form in west London. He may barely have left the centre circle, but he barely played a stray pass either.
Did You Know...?
This crucial win over Chelsea was Liverpool's first League success at Stamford Bridge for 12 years.
Remarkably, however, even though they seemingly couldn't buy the points in west London, Liverpool had already won at Stamford Bridge once this season, knocking the Blues out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win in late January.
Dalglish scored only three league goals in the whole of the season, with two of them coming in the final four matches.
What Happened Next
Seven days after Liverpool clinched the League title, they completed the Double by winning the FA Cup at Wembley. Just as in the title race, it was neighbours Everton they consigned to the role of runners-up, recovering from 1-0 down to win 3-1 under the Twin Towers thanks to two goals from Ian Rush and one from Craig Johnston.
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