The 2008–2009 season was Liverpool's 117th season in existence and their 47th consecutive season in the top-flight of English football. The season began on 1 July 2008 and concluded on 30 June 2009, with competitive matches played between August and May. Having finished the previous Premier League season in fourth place behind Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal, Liverpool improved to end the 2008–09 campaign in second place, four points behind Manchester United, with a record of 25 wins, 11 draws and two defeats. Liverpool made little progress in the domestic cup competitions and were eliminated in the fourth round of both the FA Cup and League Cup by Everton and Tottenham Hotspur respectively. They were defeated in the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League by Chelsea.
Liverpool acquired eight players in the transfer market, including Philipp Degen, Andrea Dossena and Diego Cavalieri who arrived in early July. They were supplemented by striker Robbie Keane from Tottenham and midfielder Albert Riera in August. A total of eight players departed including John Arne Riise, Steve Finnan, Harry Kewell, goalkeeper Scott Carson and striker Peter Crouch who were all transferred in the summer transfer window. Six months after arriving at Liverpool, Keane was sold back to Tottenham in the winter transfer window.
Liverpool began the season in good form; they won eight of their first ten matches before suffering a defeat against Tottenham. They picked up their form after this and a 5–1 victory over Newcastle United at the end of 2008 ensured that they would be top of the league going into the New Year. Three successive draws at the turn of the year meant that Manchester United caught Liverpool and a 2–0 defeat by Middlesbrough at the end of February dented their hopes of winning the league. Liverpool then won ten of their final eleven matches, including a 4–1 victory over Manchester United. The run was not enough to overhaul United and Liverpool finished four points behind in second place.
Twenty-six different players represented the club in four competitions, and there were 16 different goalscorers. Liverpool's top goalscorer was Steven Gerrard, who scored 24 goals in 44 matches. Defender Jamie Carragher made the most appearances during the season with 54.
Background
Liverpool did not win any trophies in the 2007–08 season. Despite new signing Fernando Torres scoring 33 goals in all competitions, including 24 in the Premier League, the team finished in fourth place, 11 points behind eventual winners Manchester United. They fared little better in the cup competitions, exiting the FA Cup in the fifth round by losing 2–1 to Championship club Barnsley at Anfield. A 2–0 defeat against Chelsea resulted in Liverpool's exit from the League Cup in the quarter-finals. Liverpool fared better in European competition, reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. For the fourth consecutive year in the competition, they faced Chelsea, but lost the tie 4–3 on aggregate.
Liverpool made a number of additions to their squad during the pre-season. Defenders Philipp Degen and Andrea Dossena were the first to arrive from Borussia Dortmund and Udinese respectively. Goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri was signed from Brazilian club Palmeiras as backup to Pepe Reina, while French striker David Ngog joined from Paris Saint-Germain. The biggest signing of the summer transfer window was the purchase of striker Robbie Keane from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £19.3 million. Midfielder Albert Riera joined from Spanish club Espanyol at the end of the summer transfer window.
At the end of the 2007–08 season, Liverpool sold a number of players. Defender John Arne Riise was sold to Serie A club Roma after seven years at the club. Forward Anthony Le Tallec was sold to French club Le Mans, while midfielder Harry Kewell joined Turkish club Galatasaray on a free transfer. Later in July, striker Peter Crouch joined his former club, Portsmouth, for £11 million and goalkeeper Scott Carson was sold to West Bromwich Albion. Defender Steve Finnan and midfielder Danny Guthrie left in August to join Espanyol and Newcastle United respectively. During the January transfer window, striker Robbie Keane returned to Tottenham after only six months at Liverpool. Sebastián Leto joined Olympiacos on a two-year loan after his application for a work permit was rejected, while striker Andriy Voronin was loaned to Hertha BSC.
Manchester United were the pre-season favourites to retain their league title with Chelsea considered their main challengers. Liverpool were expected to struggle initially while their new signings adapted to the squad. The Guardian's Paul Doyle opined, "If they are to sustain a challenge for the title beyond Christmas, Liverpool will have to develop the offensive diversity and unpredictability to turn last season's costly draws against smaller teams into victories."
Transfers In +Players transferred inNo.PositionPlayerTransferred fromFeeDateRef27 Borussia Dortmund 4 July 20082 Udinese 4 July 20081 Palmeiras 11 July 200824 Paris Saint-Germain 24 July 20087 Tottenham Hotspur 28 July 2008 Botafogo 1 September 200842 MTK 1 September 200811 Espanyol 1 September 2008
Out +Players transferred outNo.PositionPlayerTransferred toFeeDateRef6 Roma 1 July 2008 Le Mans 5 July 20087 Galatasaray 5 July 2008 West Bromwich Albion 18 July 200815 Portsmouth 11 July 20083 Espanyol 1 September 2008 Newcastle United 11 July 20087 Tottenham Hotspur 2 February 2009
Loaned out No.PositionPlayerLoaned toDateRef33 Olympiacos 5 August 200810 Hertha BSC 1 September 2008
Transfer summary +Summary of transfer activity during the seasonPeriodSpendingIncomeNet expenditureSummer £38,800,000 £21,600,000 £17,200,000Winter £0 £12,000,000 £12,000,000Total £38,800,000 £33,600,000 £5,200,000
Pre-season matches DateOpponentsVenueResultScoreScorersAttendance12 July 2008Tranmere RoversAW1–0Benayoun 43'15,00016 July 2008LuzernAW2–1Lucas 10', Voronin 36'9,50019 July 2008Wisła KrakówAD1–1Voronin 6'6,00022 July 2008Hertha BSCAD0–051,68430 July 2008VillarrealAD0–022,0002 August 2008RangersAW4–0Torres 22', Ngog 56', Benayoun 58', Alonso 70' pen.50,2235 August 2008VålerengaAW4–1Alonso 19', Torres 49', Benayoun 60', Ngog 84'25,3378 August 2008LazioHW1–0Voronin 90+3'43,062
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Premier League
A total of 20 teams competed in the Premier League in the 2008–09 season. Each team played 38 matches; two against every other team and one match at each club's stadium. Three points were awarded for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. At the end of the season the top two teams qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League; teams in third and fourth needed to play a qualifier. The provisional fixture list was released on 16 June 2008, but was subject to change in the event of clashes with other competitions, international football, inclement weather, or matches being selected for television coverage.
August–October
Liverpool travelled to Sunderland on the opening weekend of the season. The match was goalless until the 83rd minute when striker Fernando Torres scored from to secure a 1–0 victory. The following weekend, Liverpool hosted Middlesbrough at Anfield. The visitors went ahead in the 70th minute when Mido scored. They appeared to be heading for victory, until the 86th minute when Jamie Carragher's shot deflected off Middlesbrough defender Emanuel Pogatetz into the Middlesbrough goal. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Steven Gerrard scored from the edge of the penalty area to secure a 2–1 victory for Liverpool. A trip to Villa Park to face Aston Villa was next for Liverpool. Torres was forced off with an injury within the first half-hour and both sides failed to capitalise on chances to win, as the match finished 0–0.
Due to international fixtures, Liverpool did not play another game for two weeks. On the resumption of club football, they faced reigning champions Manchester United at home. Liverpool started without Gerrard and Torres, who were substitutes following their return from injury. The visitors took the lead in the third minute when Carlos Tevez scored. An own goal by United defender Wes Brown levelled the score in the 27th minute. Liverpool took control of the match following their equaliser, but it was not until the 71st minute that they asserted their dominance, when substitute Ryan Babel scored. United's misery was compounded when defender Nemanja Vidić was sent off in the 90th minute for a second bookable offence. The win marked the first time, Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez had beaten United in the League since his arrival in 2004.
The following weekend, Stoke City were the visitors to Anfield. Liverpool appeared to have taken the lead in the second minute when Gerrard scored from a free kick, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Despite a number of chances, neither side was able to score and the match finished 0–0. Benítez was adamant Gerrard's goal should not have been disallowed stating: "Nobody knows why the effort was ruled out." Liverpool's next match was against local rivals Everton in the Merseyside derby. Following a goalless first half, Torres scored twice in three minutes to secure a 2–0 win. Torres was confident Liverpool could challenge for the title following the victory: "We know if we can stay near the top of the table in January or February we can win it."
Manchester City were the opposition the following week, as Liverpool travelled to their home ground, the City of Manchester Stadium. They were losing 2–0 at half-time after goals by Stephen Ireland and Javier Garrido. However, Liverpool improved in the second half and two goals from Torres levelled the score. A draw appeared likely until Dirk Kuyt scored in the 90th minute to give Liverpool a 3–2 victory. The following weekend, Liverpool faced Wigan Athletic at Anfield. Liverpool went behind when Wigan striker Amr Zaki opened the scoring, Kuyt equalised in the 37th minute, before Zaki scored again in the 45th minute. Liverpool struggled to find an equaliser until the 80th minute when Riera scored. Kuyt scored again in the 85th minute, to secure a 3–2 victory for Liverpool. The following weekend, they travelled to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea. A Xabi Alonso goal in the 10th minute was enough to secure victory for Liverpool, as they won the match 1–0, becoming the first team since February 2004 to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. Three days later, a Gerrard penalty in the 76th minute secured a 1–0 home victory over Portsmouth.
November–December The following weekend, Liverpool faced Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. They took the lead in the 3rd minute, when Kuyt scored. However, an own goal by Carragher and a last-minute goal from Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko meant Liverpool suffered their first defeat of the season in the Premier League. Liverpool rebounded the following week as they beat West Bromwich Albion 3–0 at Anfield, courtesy of two goals from Keane and one from Álvaro Arbeloa. They faced Bolton Wanderers the following weekend, at the Reebok Stadium, with goals from Kuyt and Gerrard securing a 2–0 victory. Liverpool hosted Fulham at Anfield the following weekend. They were without injured captain Gerrard for the match, but welcomed back Torres from injury. However, his return did not have the desired impact, as Liverpool failed to score, drawing 0–0. After the match, manager Benítez lamented his side's performance: "It was a bad day, we did not have enough energy and we did not pass the ball well enough."