Remembering the Liverpool XI that relegated Ipswich in 2002

Liverpool take on Ipswich Town on the opening weekend of the Premier League campaign, as the latter return to the top flight of English football for the first time in 22 years.

The fixture offers perfect symmetry for the Tractor Boys, whose last fixture at this level was a 5-0 defeat to Liverpool that confirmed their relegation from the Premier League. It was a case of ‘Second Season Syndrome’ for Ipswich, who just a year earlier had finished fifth to secure UEFA Cup football.

A miserable campaign ended with an emphatic loss at Anfield, as George Burley’s team dropped into the second tier and Liverpool secured second place, their highest finish of the Premier League era, at that time.

Ahead of their season-opening clash at Portman Road, we’ve remembered the Liverpool XI that relegated Ipswich in 2001/02.

Remembering the Liverpool XI that relegated Ipswich in 2002:

Goalkeeper: Jerzy Dudek

Jerzy Dudek arrived from Feyenoord ahead of the 2001/02 season and impressed in season one, earning a joint-leading 18 clean sheets in the Premier League for a Liverpool team with the division’s best defence.

Dudek’s latter career at Liverpool featured several errors, though he was a prominent part of silverware success with a man-of-the-match performance in the 2003 League Cup final and a starring role in the 2005 Champions League win.

Right-back: Abel Xavier 

Abel Xavier made the rare move from Everton to Liverpool in January 2002, crossing the Merseyside divide after Markus Babbel was sidelined through illness. He made just 21 appearances, scoring twice, before leaving for Galatasaray on loan.

Xavier had marked his Liverpool debut with a goal against Ipswich in the reverse fixture as Gerard Houllier’s side won 6-0 at Portman Road.

Centre-back: Stephane Henchoz

Stephane Henchoz’s partnership with Sami Hyypia was the foundation on which Houllier’s side was built, with the defensive duo signed in 1999. Henchoz helped Liverpool to a cup treble in 2000/01 and made 205 appearances across five seasons with the Reds.

Centre-back: Sami Hyypia

One of Liverpool’s best bargains of the Premier League era, Sami Hyypia arrived from Willem II for a fee of just £2.6m in 1999. He spent a decade with Liverpool, won 10 trophies, and captained the club, for a short period. No player made more appearances than Hyypia in 2001/02, a campaign that saw the Finnish defender named Liverpool Player of the Season and earn inclusion in the PFA Team of the Year.

Defensive Rocks: Sami Hyypia – A Finnish man mountain

Left-back: Jamie Carragher

The Bootle-born defender emerged from Liverpool’s ranks to become one of the club’s greatest servants, with only Ian Callaghan (857) making more appearances for the club than Carragher (737). Used across the backline during his formative years, he later settled in a centre-back role under Rafael Benitez and won seven major trophies during a one-club career with the Reds.

Right-midfield: Danny Murphy 

A fan favourite at Liverpool, Danny Murphy scored eight goals in 56 appearances during the 2001/02 season. It was a campaign that saw Murphy become a regular in the side before the midfielder won Liverpool’s Player of the Season accolade a season later.

He earned cult status after scoring three winners in away games at Manchester United, before his 2004 exit to Charlton Athletic.

Midfield: Steven Gerrard 

Steven Gerrard’s star was on the rise with the midfielder building on a 2000/01 campaign that saw him named PFA Young Player of the Year. He scored eight goals in 48 appearances, though a groin injury sustained against Ipswich ruled him out of the 2002 World Cup with England.

Gerrard ended his career at Liverpool with 185 goals in 710 games and is regarded as arguably the Reds’ greatest-ever player.

Midfield: Dietmar Hamann

An influential presence alongside the emerging Gerrard in midfield, Hamann spent seven seasons enforcing the Liverpool engine room. After a key role in the club’s treble success under Gerard Houllier in 2000/01, Hamann’s introduction helped turn around the 2005 Champions League final as Liverpool recovered from a 3-0 half-time deficit to beat AC Milan in Istanbul.

Left-midfield: John Arne Riise

John Arne Riise arrived from AS Monaco ahead of the 2001/02 season and soon became a cult favourite for his endless energy and thumping long-range strikes. He scored seven goals during his debut campaign, including the first two of the 5-0 thrashing of Ipswich on the final day.

Golazo Merchants: John Arne Riise and a thunderous left foot

Forward: Emile Heskey

Emile Heskey was a firm favourite of Gerard Houllier’s with the powerful striker the perfect foil for several centre-forward partners. Heskey scored 36 goals across his first two full seasons with the Reds but was unable to match that goal return over the following campaigns.

He netted 60 goals in 223 appearances for the Merseysiders.

Forward: Michael Owen

Michael Owen was on the scoresheet against Ipswich to conclude the joint-best goalscoring return of his Premier League career (19). Owen had won the Ballon d’Or the previous season for his exploits in Liverpool’s cup treble, with the England forward recognised as one of Europe’s finest finishers during the early noughties.

Owen scored 158 goals in 297 games for Liverpool and twice won the Premier League’s Golden Boot before leaving for Real Madrid in 2004.

Substitute: Vladimir Smicer (’33)

Introduced as a first-half substitute for the injured Steven Gerrard, the Czech midfielder scored the fourth goal at Anfield. Smicer’s time with Liverpool was blighted by injury problems, though he saved his best contribution for last with a crucial goal in the 2005 Champions League final comeback against AC Milan.

Substitute: Gary McAllister (’82)

On for Danny Murphy with eight minutes to go, the veteran midfielder made his final appearance in a Liverpool shirt. The Scot had been a surprise signing from Coventry City in the twilight of his career but emerged as a cult hero at Liverpool for his role in the club’s 2000/01 cup treble-winning season.

The resurrection of Gary McAllister at Liverpool

Substitute: Nicolas Anelka (’84)

Xavier’s replacement, Nicolas Anelka, completed the scoring with the fifth goal against Ipswich. It was the fifth goal of his six-month loan spell as the Frenchman raced in behind to confidently convert late on. Surprisingly, the forward’s loan spell from Paris Saint-Germain was not made permanent.

Read – Liverpool predicted lineup vs Ipswich and team news

See more – Iconic Duos: Heskey and Owen – Liverpool’s ‘big man, small man’ combo that inspired a cup treble

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