August The only major signing of the season was that of Danish goalkeeper Michael Stensgaard as understudy to David James, following Bruce Grobbelaar's departure to Southampton. Defender Julian Dicks had returned to West Ham United after an unsuccessful season at Anfield, followed by midfielder Don Hutchison just after the start of the season, around the same time that veteran Ronnie Whelan called time on 15 years at Anfield and signed for Southend United. The league campaign began in style with a 6–1 away win over newly promoted
Crystal Palace in which Ian Rush and Steve McManaman both scored twice, with Robbie Fowler and Jan Molby scoring the other goals.
Robbie Fowler then managed a hat-trick in less than five minutes in the next game, when Liverpool beat
Arsenal 3–0 at Anfield. Fowler was on target again, along with John Barnes, in the next game – a 2–0 win at
Southampton.
September The month began with Roy Evans breaking the national defender transfer fee with a £3.6 million move for Wimbledon's John Scales, followed 24 hours later by a £3.5 million signing of Coventry's Phil Babb. Liverpool saw league action just three times in September, and failed to record any wins. The first game was a goalless draw at home to West Ham, followed by a 2–0 defeat at Manchester United before Ian Rush scored Liverpool's only league goal of the month in a 1–1 away draw with
Newcastle United. The Reds were sixth in the league, which was being led by Newcastle. The League Cup quest began on 21 September, in which John Scales scored his first goal for the club and was joined on the scoresheet by Robbie Fowler in a 2-0 second-round first-leg win over
Burnley at
Turf Moor.
October October saw mixed results for Liverpool, who were beaten 3-2 by
Kenny Dalglish's title chasers
Blackburn Rovers at
Ewood Park before recording a 3–0 home win over Wimbledon and a 3–1 away win over
Ipswich Town. The month ended on a sour note with a 2–1 defeat at
QPR. Liverpool eliminated Burnley from the League Cup with a 4–1 win in the second leg, in which Jamie Redknapp was on the scoresheet twice and
Nigel Clough scored what would be his only goal of the season. In the next round, Ian Rush scored twice as the Reds defeated
Stoke City 2–1 at Anfield.
November A goal from
Robbie Fowler on 5 November gave Liverpool a 1–0 home win over fellow title challengers Nottingham Forest at Anfield. Fowler then scored twice in the next game, a 3–1 win home win over Chelsea. Liverpool were then on the losing side in the
Merseyside derby at
Goodison Park, where a struggling
Everton won 2–0. The month ended with a 1–1 home draw against
Tottenham Hotspur. The League Cup quest continued at the end of the month when an Ian Rush hat-trick disposed of Blackburn in the fourth round at
Ewood Park.
December Liverpool were unbeaten in the six league games they played in December, but the first three of those were draws so the subsequent wins over
Leicester City,
Manchester City and
Leeds United restricted them to third place in the league when wins from those first three games would have put them just one point behind leaders Blackburn.
January The first month of 1995 saw the departure of Liverpool's longest serving player
Steve Nicol, who signed for Division One strugglers
Notts County after losing his place in the first team to new arrivals John Scales and Phil Babb. However, the year began on a bright note with a 4–0 home win over
Norwich City. Then came a 1–0 defeat at home to struggling Ipswich, followed by a goalless draw in the second Merseyside derby of the season at Anfield. There was success in the cup competitions as an Ian Rush goal gave the Reds 1–0 win over Arsenal in the League Cup quarter-final. However, it took a penalty shoot-out in a replay to see off Division Two underdogs
Birmingham City in the FA Cup third round, while Division One strugglers Burnley faced Liverpool again after the League Cup meeting to hold the Reds to a goalless draw at Turf Moor, forcing yet another replay against lower league opposition.
March March brought the familiar pattern for Liverpool of mixed results in the league but good form in the cups. Wins over title hopefuls Manchester United and Newcastle but a home defeat by relegation-threatened Coventry and an away draw with Tottenham Hotspur saw them fall to fifth place in the table and leave their title hopes almost completely dead. The FA Cup fifth round replay against Wimbledon saw Liverpool win 2–0, but their hopes of glory ended in the quarter-finals when they 2–1 at home to Tottenham Hotspur. However, the League Cup campaign continued with another 1–0 win over Crystal Palace and another goal from Robbie Fowler in the second leg of the semi-final, to book the Reds a
Wembley date with
Bolton Wanderers and a chance of becoming the first team to win the League Cup five times.
May A draw with Wimbledon and defeats to two sides climbing clear of relegation danger (Aston Villa and West Ham United) were of little importance to a Liverpool side who could no longer win the title but had already booked European action with their League Cup glory. There was, however, one more game left to play. The final game of the league season was at Anfield on 14 May, and the opponents were Blackburn. Kenny Dalglish's new team were two points ahead of Manchester United – the last side capable of catching them – and a win for them would secure their first league title since 1914. However, if they lost or drew and Manchester United won at West Ham, the title would remain at
Old Trafford for the third successive season. There was speculation that Liverpool would give their old manager an easy ride and let him add to the three title success he had managed them to in his time there, but Roy Evans dismissed such talk and his Liverpool side defeated Dalglish's men 2–1. The stadium was a scene of jubilation after the final whistle when news came through that the game in east London had ended in a 1–1 draw and Blackburn had ended their 81-year title wait. ==Notes==