| Club: | Liverpool |
| Season: | 1999–2000 |
| Manager: | Gérard Houllier |
| Chairman: | David Moores |
| League: | Premier League |
| League Result: | 4th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Fourth round |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Third round |
| League Topscorer: | Michael Owen (11) |
| Season Topscorer: | Michael Owen (12) |
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| Average Attendance: | 41,564[1] |
| Prevseason: | 1998–99 |
| Nextseason: | 2000–01 |
The 1999–2000 season was Liverpool Football Club's 108th season in existence and their 38th consecutive season in the top-flight of English football. The club finished fourth in the Premier League, thus qualifying for the 2000–01 UEFA Cup.
Squad at end of season[2]
Sami Hyypiä - Willem II, 18 May, £2,600,000
Marseille, 2 June, £2,600,000
Vladimír Šmicer - Lens,1 July, £4,200,000
Real Madrid, 1 July, free Jean-Michel Ferri - Sochaux, 14 July, £1,500,000
Øyvind Leonhardsen - Tottenham Hotspur, 6 August, £3,000,000 Bjørn Tore Kvarme - Saint-Étienne, 30 August, £1,000,000After a disappointing seventh-place finish the previous season, which left Liverpool without even UEFA Cup qualification, manager Gérard Houllier began to rebuild his squad and made seven close season signings. The attack was bolstered with the arrival of Titi Camara, Erik Meijer and Vladimír Šmicer. Succeeding Aston Villa-bound David James in goal was Dutchman Sander Westerveld. A new look central defence featured Stéphane Henchoz and Sami Hyypiä.[7] Following the summer departure of former captain Paul Ince, Jamie Redknapp was made the new captain of the side, with Robbie Fowler appointed as vice-captain.
The season began on 7 August 1999 with a 2–1 win at Sheffield Wednesday, with Robbie Fowler and the debutant Titi Camara finding the net.[8] However, the next game saw newly promoted Watford – in the top flight for the first time in over a decade – travel to Anfield and come away surprise 1–0 winners. Defeat followed in the next game as Liverpool travelled to Middlesbrough, but then came victories over Leeds United and Arsenal which saw the Reds occupy eighth place as the first month of the season drew to a close.[9]
September saw the Reds navigate the second round of the Football League Cup with a comfortable aggregate win over financially troubled Division Three side Hull City, though they failed to achieve any victories in the league, losing 3–2 at home to Manchester United (with Jamie Carragher scoring two own goals), drawing 2–2 at Leicester City and finally losing 1–0 at home to Everton in the Merseyside derby. This left Liverpool 12th by the end of September, while their cross-city rivals were showing signs of a revival after three dismal seasons by occupying sixth place.[10] Things improved slightly in October with two league victories over Chelsea and West Ham United. Southampton had ended Liverpool's League Cup hopes with a third round defeat earlier in the month, which ended with Liverpool's league standing slightly improved to ninth place. With a third of the season now gone, they were eight points off the top of a table being led by Leeds United.[11]
November was a much better month for the Reds, who achieved wins over Bradford, Derby County and Sunderland to occupy fifth place by 20 November. They were now just six points behind leaders Manchester United.[12] However, the month ended on a low note as they lost 1–0 at West Ham United.
Liverpool's revival continued in December as they beat struggling Sheffield Wednesday 4–1 at Anfield. With the FA Cup third round unusually being played before Christmas, they travelled to Division One promotion chasers Huddersfield Town on 12 December and came away 2-0 victors. A 2–0 win over Coventry City on 18 December meant that the Reds were still fifth in the league at Christmas, six points behind Manchester United.[13]
Their FA Cup quest ended in a shock 1–0 fourth round defeat at home to Blackburn Rovers.
Liverpool's attack was bolstered with the club record £11 million signing of Leicester City's Emile Heskey on 10 March 2000.[14]
The first two months of the new millennium saw mixed results for the Reds, but many of the teams around them dropped points as well, meaning that by mid February they were third in the league and just six points behind leaders Manchester United, who had a game in hand. There now appeared to be a realistic chance that the Reds might finally be able to end their ten-year wait for the league title.[15] Three successive draws followed in March, then came a five-match winning run which lifted them to second place by 16 April. However, Manchester United now had an 11-point lead at the top of the table with just five games remaining, and needed just five points from those remaining games to be certain of retaining the league title. However, Liverpool still had something to play for, as the top three places in the Premier League now meant Champions League qualification. Competition for second and third place was still fierce, with Arsenal, Leeds United, Chelsea and Aston Villa all in close contention.[16]
However, the season ended with a disastrous run of results. A goalless draw at Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby was followed by a 2–0 defeat at Chelsea. Emile Heskey's first game against old club Leicester on 3 May was a disaster as the East Midlanders came away from Anfield with a 2–0 victory. A goalless draw against Southampton followed, and on the final day of the season, 14 May, the Reds travelled to a Bradford City side battling it out with Wimbledon to avoid the last relegation place. An early David Wetherall goal gave Bradford a 1–0 win over the Reds, who surrendered a Champions League place and were forced to settle for a place in the UEFA Cup instead. The result also relegated Wimbledon, who, 12 years to the day, had beaten the Reds in one of the greatest FA Cup final shocks of all time.[17]
Players with no appearances not included in the list|-|colspan="14"|Players featured for club who have left:|}Source:[18]
| Competition | Result | Top Scorer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 4th | Michael Owen, 11 | |
| FA Cup | Fourth round | Titi Camara, 1 Dominic Matteo, 1 | |
| League Cup | Third round | Danny Murphy, 3 | |
| Overall | Michael Owen, 12 |
| No. | Pos. | Name | FA Premier League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Sander Westerveld | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2 | DF | Stéphane Henchoz | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 4 | DF | Rigobert Song | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 5 | DF | Steve Staunton | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| 7 | MF | Vladimír Šmicer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 9 | FW | Robbie Fowler | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 10 | FW | Michael Owen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 11 | MF | Jamie Redknapp | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| 12 | DF | Sami Hyypiä | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 15 | MF | Patrik Berger | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 16 | MF | Dietmar Hamann | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| 18 | FW | Erik Meijer | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 21 | DF | Dominic Matteo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 22 | FW | Titi Camara | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| 23 | DF | Jamie Carragher | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 24 | MF | Danny Murphy | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 25 | MF | David Thompson | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | |
| 28 | MF | Steven Gerrard | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 60 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 62 | 4 | |||
| Date | Opponents | H / A | ResultF–A | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 July 1999 | German XI | A | 8–0 | Fowler (3), Berger (2), Murphy, Camara, Heggem | |
| 20 July 1999 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 2–0 | Fowler 26', Riedle 80' | |
| 22 July 1999 | Linfield[20] | A | 4–0 | Porter 14' (o.g.), Murphy 46', Redknapp 52' (pen.), Berger 63' | |
| 24 July 1999 | Feyenoord[21] | N | 2–0 | Šmicer 53', Camara 61' | |
| 29 July 1999 | Valerenga | A | 4–1 | Riedle 21', Hamann 32', Kjølner 50' (o.g.), Meijer 60' | |
| 31 July 1999 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 2–2 | Fowler 22', Berger 40' | |
| 3 August 1999 | Manchester City | A | 1–2 | Thompson 42' | |
| 18 October 1999 | Omagh Town | A | 7–1 | Camara 23', 69', Meijer 37', 44', Šmicer 44', Berger 73', Redknapp 77' | |
| 16 February 2000 | Bournemouth | A | 4–0 | Partridge 8', Berger 21', Murphy 32', Camara 52' | |
| 16 May 2000 | Celtic[22] | H | 4–1 | Meijer 37', 61', Thompson 45', Camara 53' | |
| 21 May 2000 | Ireland XI[23] | A | 2–4 | Heskey 3', Owen 84' |
See main article: 1999–2000 FA Premier League.