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For Liverpool fans of a certain vintage, the 1974 FA Cup was the zenith of Bill Shankly’s reign.
Everything Shankly had spent 15 years building at Anfield, came to fruition that May afternoon at Wembley as Liverpool outclassed Newcastle playing a brand of football years ahead of its time.
Alan Kennedy, who would go on to score the winning goal in two European Cup Finals for Liverpool, was then a 19-year-old left-back for Newcastle and recalls: “It was 3-0, but it could have been six.”
Liverpool were utterly dominant as they tore Joe Harvey’s Newcastle apart, prompting commentator David Coleman to say: “Newcastle were stripped naked.” The two teams’ approach to the game could hardly have been more different and Newcastle arrived at their hotel on the Monday afternoon, determined to make the most of their first FA Cup Final since the glory days of Jackie Milburn in 1955.
Alec Lindsay had a wonderful strike wrongly disallowed for offside before Liverpool took total charge.
“I think it was our third goal, we had 35 or 36 passes, and it was one of the great team goals.” No-one, perhaps not even Shankly, knew that would be the legendary Scot’s last game as Liverpool boss and he stunned the football world when he retired two months later.
Thompson grew up idolising Shankly as a diehard Liverpool fan and said: “It was a bombshell.
If you remember his words, he said he was building Liverpool up to be a bastion of invincibility.
“I was in awe of the man so when he decided to retire, it shocked the entire football world and us as Liverpool fans.” Bob Paisley took Liverpool to even greater heights, but that May day is still treasured by Thompson and every other Liverpool fan.
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