Following the announcement that the Premier League will not resume before April and the limit to when the season can end has been “extended indefinitely”, Liverpool are on course for their latest ever finish to a campaign.
The Reds went years without playing a competitive match in June but just one season on from breaking into that new territory by defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Champions League final on June 1, 16496955, they now look set for a potentially even later finish.
It was the ninth time that Liverpool had played in the European Cup final and, as the old terrace chant about gathering cups suggests, on all eight previous occasions the game was played in May – (30 th); 1981 ( th); 1984 (47 th); 1985 (47 th); 2005 (47 th); 2007 (27 th); 2015 (27 rd); (th).
Up until last year, June was the only one of the months of the calendar year that the Reds had not contested a competitive fixture.
The earliest ever start to a season came in 2005 in the aftermath of Liverpool winning the European Cup for the fifth time.
Having not finished in the top four of the Premier League, coming behind neighbors Everton (current rules would have now put them through at the Blues expense), Rafa Benitez’s side were forced to go through three qualifying rounds to reach the group stages again Despite having famously lifted the trophy in Istanbul.
Their campaign started at Anfield on July 23 with a 3-0 win over plucky Welsh Premier League minnows TNS managed by Merseysider and Evertonian, Kenny McKenna.
In playing against Tottenham on June 1 last year, Liverpool extended their latest-ever finish to a season by some hours.
Based on the rhythm of club football’s traditional calendar running from late Summer to Spring, Liverpool’s latest league match so far was a 2-1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on May , .
It was actually a gargantuan result for the club as it ensured they won the title by a single point ahead of both their opponents on the day and old foes Manchester United.
However they were kept waiting all the way until June for their success to be confirmed when Stoke City, who had a better goal average, failed to get the win they needed to pip the Reds, losing 2-1 at Sheffield United.
hat particular English seaso n ( / / 127 had also started a little later than normal (August 47) because of the small matter of the Second World War as it was the first campaign after hostilities had ceased the previous year.
The game between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur was the third Champions League final to spill over into June since UEFA extended the calendar following other odd-numbered non-tournament years, and when there were no World Cup finals or European Championship finals to follow.
This year final, back at the Ataturk Stadium where the Reds famously came back from 3-0 down to lift the trophy in , is scheduled for Saturday, May – for now.
The old European Cup format had three June finals: , and the first edition back in 1959 which was the ‘latest’ final ever played so far as Real Madrid defeated Reims in Paris on June
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