Well, what a crazy season that was! In August last year the majority of us would have snapped your hand off for 4th and guaranteed Champions League yet we found ourselves right in the mix of a Premier League race, something unfamiliar to many younger Liverpool fans. We pushed all the way to the last day but unfortunately some mistakes in our last few matches meant it was Manchester City's to lose, nevertheless it was a fantastic season for the Reds under Brendan Rodgers.
August
Liverpool started the season home to Stoke and I was in sunny Tenerife! This game will be remembered not for Daniel Sturridge's winning goal but for Simon Mignolet's superb double save to deny Stoke a penalty and a Kenwyne Jones follow up. Who'd have known the season we would have after that display of heroics?
The next game for the Reds was Aston Villa away where Daniel Sturridge scored once again to give the Reds all three points.
August ended for the Reds with a league cup tie against Notts County. The Reds were perhaps a bit complacent in the game but eventually won in extra time 4-2.
In the news...
- Peter Capaldi announced as the 20th Doctor Who.
- A burger grown from stem cells is cooked and eaten in London.
- Area 51 is acknowledged officially by USA.
- Sir David Frost dies at the age of 74.
September
September started with a massive game for the Reds against their old foes Manchester United. After getting off to a rather poor start themselves, the Anfield faithful had every hope that they would do over United on this occasion. Daniel Sturridge scored once again to give Liverpool yet another 1-0 win. This one felt special though!
This was perhaps the best result for the Reds in September as they fell at the hands of Southampton and only managed a draw with Swansea (Shelvey was a right pain in the arse that game!). A 3-1 win over Sunderland to end the month though meant the Reds could move into October on a high.
A league cup tie with Manchester United sandwiched in September took the shine off the Reds win over them in the league though as United sealed a 1-0 win. This game also saw the return of Luis Suarez who had missed the first five games through serving a ban.
In the news...
- 68 people are injured after a series of collisions on the Sheppey Crossing in thick fog.
- 6000 people are forced to evacuate after an eruption of Mount Sinabung in Indonesia.
- GTA V is released, millions of wives and girlfriends weep as they lose their fellas to a games console.
- 67 people are killed after terrorists take over the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi.
October
October saw the Reds only feature in three matches. Part of the reason Liverpool were so successful this season had to be the fact they had less games but during the month of October there were still some imperfections.
Emphatic wins over Crystal Palace (3-1) and West Brom (4-1) left the Reds very happy but a 2-2 draw with Newcastle in the middle of the month left Liverpool feeling they could have perhaps done better.
In the news...
- Tom Clancy dies at the age of 66.
- Divers find a portion of the Chelyabinsk meteor that landed in Russia in February 2013.
- The St Jude storm batters the United Kingdom.
- The Boston Red Sox win the World Series.
November
This was an interesting month for Liverpool. It began with a loss to Arsenal at the Emirates that featured a great goal from Ramsey. The next fixture saw the Reds beat Fulham 4-0 with Skrtel, Gerrard and Suarez on the score sheet.
The month ended though with a truly brilliant Merseyside derby. Coutinho opened the scoring but Mirallas quickly equalised. Luis Suarez then put the Reds ahead but Lukaku scored in the 72nd minute. As Liverpool searched for a winner it was Everton who looked like they'd found one when Lukaku scored again but substitute Daniel Sturridge found Rodgers' side an equaliser in the 89th minute! I was in work for this match and that goal resulted in me doing the Studge in a corporate restaurant whilst I was supposed to be taking bets! Haha.
In the news...
- Typhoon Haiyan causes devastation in the Phillippines as one of the strongest ever typhoons in history. Vietnam, China, Micronesia and Palau are also affected.
- Sheffield City Council makes plans to demolish Don Valley athletics stadium, much to the dismay of athletes such as Jessica Ennis.
- Nine people died after a helicopter crashed into a Glasgow pub.
- Australia win the Rugby League World Cup.
December
This was a busy month for Liverpool and an important one if they were serious about challenging for the title. The month got off to a bad start for the Reds after a 3-1 loss away to Hull. This was soon forgotten though with three fantastic results following.
A 5-1 win over Norwich saw Luis Suarez bag four goals against what must be his favourite team. Then the Reds secured a 4-1 win over West Brom and an emphatic 5-0 win over Tottenham followed.
This was a brilliant run of form for Liverpool and the month only got better when the Reds beat Cardiff on the 21st to put them top for Christmas!!
The real test though for Liverpool came at the end of December with Manchester City and Chelsea to face away from home. The Reds were very unlucky in the City game after playing well and seeing Raheem Sterling called offside in one of the poorest decisions of the campaign. They eventually lost 2-1.
The Chelsea game still saw Rodgers' boys show fight and promise but Mourinho's men won the game 2-1. It was a blow for Liverpool but this was a marathon, not a sprint after all.
In the news...
- The draw for the 2014 World Cup is completed.
- Nelson Mandela dies at the age of 95.
- Uruguay legalises the growth, use and sale of the drug marijuana.
- Part of the ceiling of the Apollo Theatre in London collapses injuring 81 people.
January
As we moved into 2014 the Reds were dropped into the FA Cup. Their first match against Oldham at Anfield saw Iago Aspas net his first Liverpool goal in a 2-0 win. A match later in the month against Bournemouth in the FA Cup also saw the Reds win 2-0 and progress.
League games this month began against Hull and Liverpool made sure they got their revenge in a 2-0 win with goals from Daniel Agger and Luis Suarez.
A crazy game in the middle of the month away to Stoke saw the Reds eventually beat Mark Hughes' side 5-3. Goals from Suarez, Sturridge and a Steven Gerrard penalty secured the three points. A 2-2 draw with Aston Villa followed but the month would end brilliantly!
A 4-0 win over Everton was recorded at Anfield as the Reds blew their cross city rivals away. Two goals from Sturridge, one from Suarez and one from Gerrard sent Anfield wild and it could have been even better for the Reds had Sturridge not missed a penalty. He was gutted to miss the chance of a Merseyside derby hat trick!
In the news...
- Thomas Hitzlsperger the former German international footballer announces he is gay.
- Yaya Toure wins the African Footballer of the Year award.
- Australian Open matches had to be postponed after temperatures soared to 43C.
February
February could have started better for the Reds if it wasn't for a lack of concentration from Kolo Toure. At this stage of the season Liverpool needed all the points they could get but they had to settle for a point after walking away with a 1-1 draw against the Baggies.
The next fixture against Arsenal at Anfield looked daunting after the West Brom slip up and also considering Arsenal had spent a lot of their time at the top of the table this season. However, this game turned out to be one of the best of the season!
Four goals came from the Reds in the first half with Martin Skrtel scoring in the first minute! I was absolutely delirious during this game, I couldn't believe how quickly and efficiently we were scoring against Arsenal and Skrtel had also won me some money so I was well happy!
A 3-2 win over Fulham for Liverpool followed meaning they remained on track in their title race.
Next though was an FA Cup match for Liverpool and Arsenal fully took their chance to get revenge on the Reds for humiliating them earlier in the month and knocked us out of the cup with a 2-1 win.
Liverpool ended the month with a 4-3 win over Swansea, just one of several matches this season that showed Liverpool's defensive weakness however the Reds were simply prepared to "score more" and so at the time, as long as the points were coming in, that's all that mattered.
In the news...
- Part of the South Devon railway is washed away into the sea leaving the tracks hanging after another heavy storm hits the UK.
- A new species of giant jellyfish is discovered off the coast of Australia.
- The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics begin.
March
March began with two away victories for Liverpool and both with three goals. The first came against Southampton with the second against Manchester United. The United game saw Liverpool awarded two penalties, a rarity at Old Trafford! Gerrard scored them both and Luis Suarez also netted in the game.
A 6-3 win over Cardiff, a 2-1 win over Sunderland and a 4-0 win over Spurs meant Liverpool ended March unbeaten. The Reds were really proving themselves as title challengers as we moved to the business end of the season.
In the news...
- Alan Pardew headbutts David Meyler.
- Flight MH370 goes missing after leaving Kuala Lumpar.
- A mudslide kills 41 people in Washington state.
- Russia annexes Crimea.
April
April began with a win over West Ham but it was the following City game that really mattered. With three teams left in the race Liverpool had to beat City to be in with a real chance of winning the title and in one of the most exciting games I have watched as a Liverpool fan, this match will forever be remembered for COUTINHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Who sealed Liverpool all three points by scoring late on to win the game 3-2.
Liverpool now had the title in their hands and with only four games to go, everybody was daring to dream. After going on such a long winning streak it seemed almost certain that Liverpool would be able to do it, along with the form they were in and considering they'd just beaten City? Anything felt possible.
Things began well for the Reds in the pursuit of the title after they beat Norwich 3-2 but the next game against Chelsea was where dreams were crushed.
Mourinho parked a bus and Rodgers' admirably refused to do the same, with a draw feasibly enough for Liverpool some question why Brendan went down this route but if it wasn't for a Steven Gerrard slip you have to wonder whether Chelsea would have walked away with all three points.
In the news...
- The 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster is marked at an Anfield ceremony.
- An 8.2 magnitude earthquake strikes the coast of Chile.
- Pineau De Re wins the Grand National.
- A ferry filled with school children capsises off the South Korean coast.
May
Still in with a shot of the title but definitely needing to win against Crystal Palace, May began with a real horror show. After going 3-0 up against Palace and bossing the game the Reds completely lost concentration and eventually conceded three goals. Whenever I think about this match I still can't believe what happened, fair enough they scored their first but all the lads had to do was calm down and focus however it wasn't to be.
Going into the last day of the season against Newcastle at Anfield, Liverpool had to hope and pray that West Ham would beat Manchester City to be in with a shot of the title however City beat West Ham and whilst Liverpool also beat Newcastle there was a mixture of sadness and pride in the air.
In the news...
- Football remembers the 39 people that lost their lives in the Heysel disaster.
- Football remembers the 56 people that lost their lives in the Bradford fire.
- An explosion at a mine in Turkey kills 230+ miners and leaves many more trapped.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Reds ended May second in the league and were only pipped to the post by moneybags City. Whilst most argue this was our best chance for the title in a long time, I disagree, yes of course next season will be harder and the season after that but I think with a couple of new additions in the side (namely in defence) Liverpool could push once again next season and best of all we're back in the Champions League!
Thanks for reading this season folks, as always it is much appreciated. Keep your eyes peeled for a past players/managers post over the summer and some updates on transfers/friendlies etc. Have a top summer!
August
Liverpool started the season home to Stoke and I was in sunny Tenerife! This game will be remembered not for Daniel Sturridge's winning goal but for Simon Mignolet's superb double save to deny Stoke a penalty and a Kenwyne Jones follow up. Who'd have known the season we would have after that display of heroics?
The next game for the Reds was Aston Villa away where Daniel Sturridge scored once again to give the Reds all three points.
August ended for the Reds with a league cup tie against Notts County. The Reds were perhaps a bit complacent in the game but eventually won in extra time 4-2.
In the news...
- Peter Capaldi announced as the 20th Doctor Who.
- A burger grown from stem cells is cooked and eaten in London.
- Area 51 is acknowledged officially by USA.
- Sir David Frost dies at the age of 74.
September
September started with a massive game for the Reds against their old foes Manchester United. After getting off to a rather poor start themselves, the Anfield faithful had every hope that they would do over United on this occasion. Daniel Sturridge scored once again to give Liverpool yet another 1-0 win. This one felt special though!
This was perhaps the best result for the Reds in September as they fell at the hands of Southampton and only managed a draw with Swansea (Shelvey was a right pain in the arse that game!). A 3-1 win over Sunderland to end the month though meant the Reds could move into October on a high.
A league cup tie with Manchester United sandwiched in September took the shine off the Reds win over them in the league though as United sealed a 1-0 win. This game also saw the return of Luis Suarez who had missed the first five games through serving a ban.
In the news...
- 68 people are injured after a series of collisions on the Sheppey Crossing in thick fog.
- 6000 people are forced to evacuate after an eruption of Mount Sinabung in Indonesia.
- GTA V is released, millions of wives and girlfriends weep as they lose their fellas to a games console.
- 67 people are killed after terrorists take over the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi.
October
October saw the Reds only feature in three matches. Part of the reason Liverpool were so successful this season had to be the fact they had less games but during the month of October there were still some imperfections.
Emphatic wins over Crystal Palace (3-1) and West Brom (4-1) left the Reds very happy but a 2-2 draw with Newcastle in the middle of the month left Liverpool feeling they could have perhaps done better.
In the news...
- Tom Clancy dies at the age of 66.
- Divers find a portion of the Chelyabinsk meteor that landed in Russia in February 2013.
- The St Jude storm batters the United Kingdom.
- The Boston Red Sox win the World Series.
November
This was an interesting month for Liverpool. It began with a loss to Arsenal at the Emirates that featured a great goal from Ramsey. The next fixture saw the Reds beat Fulham 4-0 with Skrtel, Gerrard and Suarez on the score sheet.
The month ended though with a truly brilliant Merseyside derby. Coutinho opened the scoring but Mirallas quickly equalised. Luis Suarez then put the Reds ahead but Lukaku scored in the 72nd minute. As Liverpool searched for a winner it was Everton who looked like they'd found one when Lukaku scored again but substitute Daniel Sturridge found Rodgers' side an equaliser in the 89th minute! I was in work for this match and that goal resulted in me doing the Studge in a corporate restaurant whilst I was supposed to be taking bets! Haha.
In the news...
- Typhoon Haiyan causes devastation in the Phillippines as one of the strongest ever typhoons in history. Vietnam, China, Micronesia and Palau are also affected.
- Sheffield City Council makes plans to demolish Don Valley athletics stadium, much to the dismay of athletes such as Jessica Ennis.
- Nine people died after a helicopter crashed into a Glasgow pub.
- Australia win the Rugby League World Cup.
December
This was a busy month for Liverpool and an important one if they were serious about challenging for the title. The month got off to a bad start for the Reds after a 3-1 loss away to Hull. This was soon forgotten though with three fantastic results following.
A 5-1 win over Norwich saw Luis Suarez bag four goals against what must be his favourite team. Then the Reds secured a 4-1 win over West Brom and an emphatic 5-0 win over Tottenham followed.
This was a brilliant run of form for Liverpool and the month only got better when the Reds beat Cardiff on the 21st to put them top for Christmas!!
The real test though for Liverpool came at the end of December with Manchester City and Chelsea to face away from home. The Reds were very unlucky in the City game after playing well and seeing Raheem Sterling called offside in one of the poorest decisions of the campaign. They eventually lost 2-1.
The Chelsea game still saw Rodgers' boys show fight and promise but Mourinho's men won the game 2-1. It was a blow for Liverpool but this was a marathon, not a sprint after all.
In the news...
- The draw for the 2014 World Cup is completed.
- Nelson Mandela dies at the age of 95.
- Uruguay legalises the growth, use and sale of the drug marijuana.
- Part of the ceiling of the Apollo Theatre in London collapses injuring 81 people.
January
As we moved into 2014 the Reds were dropped into the FA Cup. Their first match against Oldham at Anfield saw Iago Aspas net his first Liverpool goal in a 2-0 win. A match later in the month against Bournemouth in the FA Cup also saw the Reds win 2-0 and progress.
League games this month began against Hull and Liverpool made sure they got their revenge in a 2-0 win with goals from Daniel Agger and Luis Suarez.
A crazy game in the middle of the month away to Stoke saw the Reds eventually beat Mark Hughes' side 5-3. Goals from Suarez, Sturridge and a Steven Gerrard penalty secured the three points. A 2-2 draw with Aston Villa followed but the month would end brilliantly!
A 4-0 win over Everton was recorded at Anfield as the Reds blew their cross city rivals away. Two goals from Sturridge, one from Suarez and one from Gerrard sent Anfield wild and it could have been even better for the Reds had Sturridge not missed a penalty. He was gutted to miss the chance of a Merseyside derby hat trick!
In the news...
- Thomas Hitzlsperger the former German international footballer announces he is gay.
- Yaya Toure wins the African Footballer of the Year award.
- Australian Open matches had to be postponed after temperatures soared to 43C.
February
February could have started better for the Reds if it wasn't for a lack of concentration from Kolo Toure. At this stage of the season Liverpool needed all the points they could get but they had to settle for a point after walking away with a 1-1 draw against the Baggies.
The next fixture against Arsenal at Anfield looked daunting after the West Brom slip up and also considering Arsenal had spent a lot of their time at the top of the table this season. However, this game turned out to be one of the best of the season!
Four goals came from the Reds in the first half with Martin Skrtel scoring in the first minute! I was absolutely delirious during this game, I couldn't believe how quickly and efficiently we were scoring against Arsenal and Skrtel had also won me some money so I was well happy!
A 3-2 win over Fulham for Liverpool followed meaning they remained on track in their title race.
Next though was an FA Cup match for Liverpool and Arsenal fully took their chance to get revenge on the Reds for humiliating them earlier in the month and knocked us out of the cup with a 2-1 win.
Liverpool ended the month with a 4-3 win over Swansea, just one of several matches this season that showed Liverpool's defensive weakness however the Reds were simply prepared to "score more" and so at the time, as long as the points were coming in, that's all that mattered.
In the news...
- Part of the South Devon railway is washed away into the sea leaving the tracks hanging after another heavy storm hits the UK.
- A new species of giant jellyfish is discovered off the coast of Australia.
- The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics begin.
March
March began with two away victories for Liverpool and both with three goals. The first came against Southampton with the second against Manchester United. The United game saw Liverpool awarded two penalties, a rarity at Old Trafford! Gerrard scored them both and Luis Suarez also netted in the game.
A 6-3 win over Cardiff, a 2-1 win over Sunderland and a 4-0 win over Spurs meant Liverpool ended March unbeaten. The Reds were really proving themselves as title challengers as we moved to the business end of the season.
In the news...
- Alan Pardew headbutts David Meyler.
- Flight MH370 goes missing after leaving Kuala Lumpar.
- A mudslide kills 41 people in Washington state.
- Russia annexes Crimea.
April
April began with a win over West Ham but it was the following City game that really mattered. With three teams left in the race Liverpool had to beat City to be in with a real chance of winning the title and in one of the most exciting games I have watched as a Liverpool fan, this match will forever be remembered for COUTINHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Who sealed Liverpool all three points by scoring late on to win the game 3-2.
Liverpool now had the title in their hands and with only four games to go, everybody was daring to dream. After going on such a long winning streak it seemed almost certain that Liverpool would be able to do it, along with the form they were in and considering they'd just beaten City? Anything felt possible.
Things began well for the Reds in the pursuit of the title after they beat Norwich 3-2 but the next game against Chelsea was where dreams were crushed.
Mourinho parked a bus and Rodgers' admirably refused to do the same, with a draw feasibly enough for Liverpool some question why Brendan went down this route but if it wasn't for a Steven Gerrard slip you have to wonder whether Chelsea would have walked away with all three points.
In the news...
- The 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster is marked at an Anfield ceremony.
- An 8.2 magnitude earthquake strikes the coast of Chile.
- Pineau De Re wins the Grand National.
- A ferry filled with school children capsises off the South Korean coast.
May
Still in with a shot of the title but definitely needing to win against Crystal Palace, May began with a real horror show. After going 3-0 up against Palace and bossing the game the Reds completely lost concentration and eventually conceded three goals. Whenever I think about this match I still can't believe what happened, fair enough they scored their first but all the lads had to do was calm down and focus however it wasn't to be.
Going into the last day of the season against Newcastle at Anfield, Liverpool had to hope and pray that West Ham would beat Manchester City to be in with a shot of the title however City beat West Ham and whilst Liverpool also beat Newcastle there was a mixture of sadness and pride in the air.
In the news...
- Football remembers the 39 people that lost their lives in the Heysel disaster.
- Football remembers the 56 people that lost their lives in the Bradford fire.
- An explosion at a mine in Turkey kills 230+ miners and leaves many more trapped.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Reds ended May second in the league and were only pipped to the post by moneybags City. Whilst most argue this was our best chance for the title in a long time, I disagree, yes of course next season will be harder and the season after that but I think with a couple of new additions in the side (namely in defence) Liverpool could push once again next season and best of all we're back in the Champions League!
Thanks for reading this season folks, as always it is much appreciated. Keep your eyes peeled for a past players/managers post over the summer and some updates on transfers/friendlies etc. Have a top summer!