When Liverpool and Nottingham Forest’s miracle made England rule Europe | OneFootball

In the late 1970s, England seized the European Cup. Liverpool and then Nottingham Forest won back-to-back titles, starting a run of seven in eight seasons that ended with Heysel in 1985 and the ensuing ban.

Before that surge, England had lifted the trophy only once, Manchester United in 1968. L'Équipe notes the story unfolded amid industrial decline, political crises and a Division One that overpowered Europe despite crumbling grounds and volatile terraces.

Bob Paisley extended Bill Shankly’s work. Liverpool beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1 in Rome in 1977 after ousting Saint-Etienne 0-1 and 3-1, then, with Kenny Dalglish and Alan Hansen replacing the departed Kevin Keegan, edged Bruges 1-0 at Wembley in 1978. Graeme Souness argued rivals avoided risk, which often produced tight scorelines.

Brian Clough took Nottingham Forest from the second tier in 1975 to promotion in 1977 and the title in 1978. Forest removed Liverpool 2-0 and 0-0, beat Malmö 1-0 to win in 1979, then retained the crown against Hamburg 1-0 in 1980. True to character, Clough maintained that repeating it silenced talk of luck.

Peter Shilton anchored Forest. Trevor Francis became Britain’s first £1,180,000 footballer in February 1979, was ineligible until the final, then scored the only goal against Malmö. He died in 2023, aged 69, had 52 England caps, and missed the 1980 final after an Achilles rupture three weeks earlier.

The golden sequence also featured Aston Villa in 1982 and another Liverpool triumph in 1984, confirming English supremacy until the gates closed in 1985.

Source: L'Équipe