Rafa's reign has helped reinvent fortress Anfield

Rafa's reign has helped re-invent fortress Anfield

David Prentice, Liverpool Echo

THEY conducted an old-fashioned experiment at Anfield on Saturday.

Men with recording equipment stood at the Kop End and asked the Kopites to sing.

The idea was to capture authentic crowd noise as backing for the club's forthcoming FA Cup song.

Cheesy maybe, but it reminded us slightly older viewers of the days when the Kop regularly featured on vinyl records, TV documentaries and in opposing players' nightmares..

Which was all very apt, because another home victory saw Liverpool end the season boasting the kind of home record not seen since those halcyon days.

Look back at the record books.

Not since the last truly great Liverpool team charged to the championship in 1988 has a Reds team been so dominant at Anfield.

Kenny Dalglish's great entertainers were unbeaten at Anfield throughout 1987-88, winning 15 and drawing five, with a strike-force of Barnes, Beardsley and Aldridge firing 49 goals to just nine goals conceded.

Rafa's Reds may not be quite as free-scoring, 32 scored, eight conceded, but their home record of 15 wins, three draws and just that solitary defeat to Chelsea is enormously impressive.

Even the champions of 1990 couldn't match a home record like that (13 wins, five draws and one defeat) - and in the years which followed, Shank-ly's bastion of invincibility became more of an open house, with visitors often invited to make themselves at home.

Roy Evans' underrated side of 1995-96 came close, with 14 wins, four draws and one defeat, but the fact remains that Rafael Benitez has successfully turned back the clock to a time when Anfield was an arena opposing players feared to visit.

The Reds coach chose to pay credit to the home fans again on Saturday, which was about the only thing he got wrong.

The Reds didn't need the backing of fans clearly saving their voices for Cardiff, such was the dominance of their team's performance.

Liverpool wrapped up their Anfield campaign in much the same way as they started it last summer - with a Steven Gerrard inspired romp against hopelessly outclbutted opponents.

And the supporters simply sat back and watched in admiration, refusing to respond to the taunts from visiting fans who didn't know whether to cry at their own team's ineptitude or celebrate neighbours Birmingham's even more wretched form.

Benitez mixed up his starting line-up a little, Steve Finnan, Harry Kewell and Momo Sissoko enjoying their turn for an afternoon off, but it made no difference whatsoever to the outcome.

John Arne Riise was selected to start, but also enjoyed an afternoon off, performing like he had been celebrating non-stop since his FA Cup semi-final strike. But he was due an off-day.

So, too, is Gerrard - although it seems that he simply doesn't have them.

David O'Leary suggested the Reds skip-per had been the difference between the two sides. "World clbutt players made the difference. 3-1 flattered Liverpool. The third goal was just world clbutt from a clbutt lad off the field as well as on it."

Gerrard undoubtedly was the difference in front of goal, but you couldn't help thinking that if he hadn't weighed in, somebody else would have.

Because this Liverpool team is one which can be trusted - and their home record this season is one to be proud of.

The identity of the side which Reds fans had the greatest trust in, then?

In 1978-79, Liverpool won 19 and drew two of their 21 home matches, scoring 51 goals and conceding . . . wait for it, just four goals.

They also won three FA Cup ties at Anfield, without conceding a goal - and went unbeaten at home the following season, too.

If the perfectionist Benitez is looking for a target, then how about aspiring for that?