Phil Thompson’s League Cup final memories: What it meant to lift that trophy for the first time

We played in our first League Cup final and lost to Nottingham Forest in 1978 after a replay at Old Trafford and it broke my heart. Looking back, I wished we had VAR back then.

Chris Woods, the future England goalkeeper, was only 18 and he deputised for Peter Shilton, who was cup-tied. Chris was absolutely magnificent in the two games – everything we hit at him he saved it.

I can remember Terry McDermott chesting the ball down, going through and scoring, only for the referee Pat Partridge to disallow it for handball. To this very day, Terry still says he didn’t handle it.

Nottingham Forest got their goal from a penalty that never was. John O’Hare was racing through the middle towards Clem [Ray Clemence] and I just thought I would bring him down because you didn’t get sent off in those days.

I clipped him right on the edge of the ‘D’ and the referee gave a penalty! It was the most bewildering thing I had ever seen and it wasn’t even near the edge of the box and John didn’t even fall into the box!

I was devastated because it cost us the game. We battered them but just couldn’t score.

That’s why winning it for the first time in 1981 will always mean so much to me.

We needed to crack it and when we did it in 1981, we didn’t half crack it!

I was injured and missed the first game at Wembley but I was back as captain for the replay against West Ham United at Villa Park.

During that first game at Wembley watching on from the sidelines, I was probably one of the few Liverpool fans delighted that it was a draw! I was captain and I wanted to be the first one to lift the trophy for us. Ray Kennedy must have been cursing me!

We actually went a goal down in the replay when Paul Goddard scored after 10 minutes. But my word, talk about a complete performance. Up until half-time, we were just sensational!

It still sticks in my mind now how well we played. They couldn’t get out of their own half, we went 2-1 up and controlled the game. Kenny Dalglish equalised and big Alan Hansen got a rare goal for the winner.

We tried to take big Al’s goal off him but he wasn’t having any of it!

As big Al headed the ball towards goal, Billy Bonds put his knee up to try to block it but he flicked it over the diving Phil Parkes, who would have comfortably saved it. Well, we still tell Al that anyway!

It was then my great honour to lift the trophy in the white away kit. It was brilliant. Winning that, the first of four straight wins it was to be, we realised what a great pick-me-up it gave you for the rest of the season.

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