Tuesday, February 18, 2014

18 February 1896 - Liverpool Rolls Over Rotherham

On 18 February 1896, Liverpool beat Rotherham Town by the record margin of 10-1.

Back in Division Two after a season in Division One, Liverpool were pushing hard for a return to the top flight. They had been battling Manchester City for the top spot in the table since January and were sitting one point back when they hosted Rotherham, despite having already played one match more than the Blues.

They had beaten Rotherham 0-5 away seven weeks earlier, so the return fixture never appeared to be in doubt. But few expected the day to unfold as it did, with the hosts taking a three-goal lead in the first eight minutes. Center forward George Allan scored four by the final whistle, with Malcolm McVean adding a hat-trick. Captain Jimmy Ross got a brace and Frank Beacon also netted to give the Reds a 10-1 victory.

At the time, it was Liverpool's largest margin of victory. They later surpassed it with an 11-0 win over Strømsgodset in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1974, but the Rotherham scoreline remains the club's largest margin in a league match.

Liverpool went on to win the division and returned to the top flight, beating Manchester City to promotion by virtue of goal differential.

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