Surprisingly, our record against Cardiff is pretty poor. Having played the Bluebirds on thirty-three occasions, Liverpool have lost eighteen times and won on only thirteen occasions, drawing just twice. Despite this, our last defeat to Cardiff was in 1959 and the last time the points were shared between the two sides was 90 years ago.
Anyway here we go, here are our five most recent results against Cardiff…
27th October 2018 – Liverpool 4-1 Cardiff City
When the two sides met earlier on in the season, the Reds were victorious by a four goals to one scoreline at Anfield. Liverpool took the lead after just ten minutes as Sadio Mane’s scuffed shot fell into the path of Gini Wijnaldum. The Dutchman saw his shot blocked but land at the feet of Mo Salah who made no mistake in making it 1-0 to LFC.
It took Liverpool a while to get the second goal of the game but with twenty-five minutes left on the clock Sadio Mane doubled Liverpool’s lead. It was worth the wait as well as Mane produced a brilliant strike with his so-called weaker foot to put the Reds two-nil up and it seemed like it would be a matter of ’how many.’
Eleven minutes later, Cardiff pulled a goal back. Callum Patterson poked a Hoilett cross past Alisson into the back of the net which then saw a nervy spell for LFC.
The ‘nervy’ spell wasn’t to last long though, seven minutes to be exact. Salah found Xherdan Shaqiri and the Swiss Action Man produced a fantastic feint to go past Sean Morrison and produced a very composed finish to make it 3-1.
Three minutes later, it was four and Sadio Mane bagged his second of the game, chipping the ball over Neil Etheridge and into the back of the net. Mohamed Salah was yet again the provider having played a brilliant one-two with Mane and producing a perfectly weighted through ball to Mane who finished the move off perfectly.
Though we seemed nervy for a brief period of the game, we cruised past Cardiff at Anfield and Klopp will be hoping for exactly the same performance (bar that ten minute spell) in Wales on Easter Sunday.
22nd March 2014 – Cardiff 3-6 Liverpool
Oh my goal fest. In much the same was as this season, Liverpool were enthralled in a title race and Cardiff were battling relegation. It was Cardiff who took the lead early on when Fraizer Campbell latched on to a loose Joe Allen pass and found Jordon Mutch who fired a shot into the back of the net.
It was a lead that lasted seven minutes with Luis Suarez’s first goal of the game. A lovely move from Liverpool was finished with Glen Johnson putting the ball across the face of goal and Suarez finishing past David Marshall with ease.
Nine minutes later, Cardiff were back in the lead through former Manchester United striker Fraizer Campbell. Campbell found himself in loads of space and danced passed Daniel Agger and finished well to put the home side 2-1 up.
Liverpool levelled the score again just before halftime through Martin Skrtel who got on the end of a Phillipe Coutinho, whipped cross to make it 2-2 at half-time.
Liverpool started the second half a lot better than they started the first and were rewarded nine minutes after the break with yet another goal by Martin Skrtel who headed a Phillipe Coutinho corner down to the ground and into the back of the net and putting Liverpool into the lead for the first time in the game.
On the hour mark, Liverpool strengthened their lead with Suarez’s second of the day. A back-heel from Sturridge went right into the path of Suarez who finished superbly making it 4-2. Another lovely move from LFC and another goal for the brilliant Luis Suarez.
It got worse for Cardiff fifteen minutes later when Daniel Sturridge joined the party. After assisting Suarez for Liverpool’s fourth, Sturridge himself got the fifth for the Reds. The Englishman tapping in from a brilliant ball from Luis Suarez.
Cardiff got another consolation goal in the 88th minute, Jordon Mutch getting his second of the game with a header assisted by Kenwyne Jones after poor defending from LFC.
The goalscoring didn’t stop there though as Suarez was yet to get his hat-trick which of course he was going to get. The Uruguayan got the match ball after his third in stoppage time, using his strength to make the most out of poor Cardiff defending and finishing past a sorry David Marshall to complete the scoring in a 6-3 thriller.
21stDecember 2013 – Liverpool 3-1 Cardiff
The Reds took the lead in this one after twenty-five minutes through Luis Suarez who volleyed in from the edge of the area after a lovely ball from Jordan Henderson.
The Reds dominated the game and the eventual victory took them top of the table. Raheem Sterling made it two-nil three minutes before the break with a ‘sweaty-goal’ after poor defending from Cardiff. Another brilliant ball from Jordan Henderson found Luis Suarez who was clean through and layed a short pass across the face of goal to Sterling who had an empty net to finish in.
Three minutes later it was three and Luis Suarez bagged his second of the day. With his family watching Suarez produced a magnificent curled finish to beat David Marshall in the Cardiff city net. Once again Jordan Henderson was the provider as his back-heeled pass set up Suarez to attempt the strike from 25 yards.
In the second half, Jordon Mutch pulled a goal back for the Bluebirds, heading home after finding himself completely unmarked at the back post but it wasn’t enough and Liverpool ran out 3-1 winners.
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26th February 2012 – Liverpool 2-2 Cardiff (Liverpool win 3-2 on Penalties)
Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool and Malky Mackay’s Cardiff met in the League Cup final in 2012, where the Reds claimed our most recent major trophy.
Joe Mason put Cardiff 1-0 up in the opening twenty minutes, nutmegging Pepe Reina after being put through by Kenny Miller. The Championship side found themselves ahead, against the odds in their first ever League Cup final.
Their lead would last a while too and lasted until the 66th minute when Liverpool drew level. Martin Skrtel poking the ball into the back of the net after Luis Suarez had flicked an Andy Carroll header onto the post. Before the equaliser, Liverpool had been constantly threatening Cardiff butt were struggling to find a way through a rather resolute defensive display from Malky Mackay’s side.
The match finished 1-1 and the game headed into extra time. Just after the break, in the second half of extra time, Liverpool thought that they’d scored the winner when Dirk Kuyt got on the scoresheet. The Dutchman saw his shot from 25 yards blocked but followed up his own effort and beat To Heaton on the second attempt putting the Reds 2-1 up with twelve minutes to go.
But the game wasn’t over there, with two minutes to go, Cardiff equalised to send the game into a penalty shootout. A mix up at a corner allowed Ben Turner to score from close range.
Liverpool’s opening spot-kick was taken by Skipper, Steven Gerrard, who saw his penalty saved by Tom Heaton. Kenny Miller followed up and missed the chance to put Cardiff ahead from the spot as he hit the post.
The second penalty taker for LFC was Charlie Adam but like his Scottish counterpart Kenny Miller, Adam missed his penalty, blazing it miles over the crossbar. It really was a poor penalty by Adam who could only put his hands on his head in disbelief. Don Cowie replied by scoring, despite Pepe Reina diving the right way to put Cardiff 1-0 up after two penalties each. Dirk Kuyt took Liverpool’s third penalty and scored it sending Heaton the wrong way to equalise for the Reds. Next up was Rudy Gustede who missed, hitting the opposite post to Kenny Miller meaning it was one a piece after three penalties each.
Fourth up for the Reds was Stewart Downing, who won Man of the Match for his performance in the final. Downing made no mistake with his penalty, cooly slotting it passed Tom Heaton. Peter Whittingham mate it 2-2 with his spot-kick with a good penalty that sent Reina the wrong way.
Liverpool’s fifth taker was Glen Johnson. Johnson calmly placed his penalty into the top corner of the net and though Tom Heaton went the right way, there was no keeping that one out. Liverpool were now 3-2 up on penalties meaning Cardiff’s Anthony Gerrard (Stevie’s cousin), had to score to send the spot-kicks onto sudden death.
Just like his cousin, Anthony missed from the spot, meaning Liverpool were the champions of the League Cup, though they definitely did it the hard way.
31st October 2007 – Liverpool 2-1 Cardiff
Cardiff came to Anfield for the 4th round of the League cup in the 2007/08 season and went back to Wales defeated but only narrowly. Nabil (No, not Fekir), El Zhar scored just after half-time to put the Reds 1-0 ahead with an absolute belter from thirty yards.
With 25 minutes to go, Darren Purse equalised for Cardiff City but Cardiff weren’t back in the game for long, one minute to be exact before Steven Gerrard won the game for Liverpool just a minute later after great link up play between the Captain and Yossi Benayoun and finished off with a terrific finish from Stevie G.
Sunday’s game is going to be far from easy with Cardiff battling relegation and their recent brilliant result against Brighton in midweek. If we are going to win the league though, we have to be winning games like this and with City having Tottenham and United this week, it could be a pivotal week in the title race.
Up the Reds!
Article by Jack Gill (@JackLFCGill)
