Liverpool's 5 Greatest Ever Premier League Seasons
5. 2000/01 (Final Position: 3rd)
The summer of 2000 was a productive one at Liverpool in terms of transfer activity. Houllier acquired Germany internationals Markus Babbel and Christian Ziege, from Bayern Munich and Middlesbrough respectively, while Nick Barmby signed from rivals Everton. The surprise purchase was that of 35-year-old Gary McAllister, however, but he would end up playing a huge part in the season. It's easy to forget that the Reds enjoyed an excellent Premier League season because of the fact they won all three cup competitions they participated in in 2000/01. They defeated Birmingham City in the League Cup final, Arsenal in the FA Cup final, after a late double by Michael Owen, and Alaves 5-4 in an epic UEFA Cup final tussle. At the start of the season though, Houllier's main incentive was to get Liverpool back into the Champions League with a top-three finish. Liverpool's form was patchy throughout the opening three months of the season, and losses to Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds- a game in which Mark Viduka scored all of his side's goals in a 4-3 win- meant the Reds' performances in big matches were a cause for concern. In December that changed though, as back-to-back wins over United and the Gunners gave everyone at the club an enormous boost. Danny Murphy's free-kick proved to be the only goal of the game at Old Trafford, while Arsene Wenger's side were destroyed 4-0 at Anfield. Of the 18 league games they played from New Year's Day onwards, Houllier's men lost just twice, away to Leicester and at home to Leeds. The win at Everton in April 2001, in which McAllister's last-gasp free-kick earned the Reds a vital 3-2 win, was arguably their most memorable moment in the league that year. On the final day of the campaign Liverpool knew that victory over Charlton at The Valley would secure that priceless third Champions League spot. They produced a superb second-half performance, with two goals from Robbie Fowler and further efforts from Owen and Danny Murphy rounding off a terrific campaign. Third place and three trophies was a superb effort. Strongest Starting XI: Westerveld; Babbel, Henchoz, Hyypia (c), Carragher; Hamann, McAllister, Gerrard, Murphy; Owen, Heskey
