Villa 5 Liverpool 1,

Division One, 15th December 1976.

There are many reasons why some games are special. The importance of the occasion, the atmosphere, or some other reason that may only become apparent after the event. The reason why this game is memorable is simple - it was the best performance from a Villa side within living memory.

Liverpool at the time were league champions, and more than that they were on their way to winning the European Cup for the first time and becoming the most dominant force English football has known. But on this night they were destroyed.

From the kick-off there was only one team in it, and from my vantage point on a stunned Holte End I remember the goals flooding in.

1-0 (9 minutes). Robson received a short pass on the left wing and his first-time cross saw Gray lose his marker to rise superbly ten yards out, beat Clemence to the ban and head into the unguarded left hand corner.

2-0 (12 minutes). Mortimer burst forward into the Liverpool half, before feeding Deehan who was moving clear in the inside-right position. Deehan ran on and slid the ball under .Clemence from the edge of the area.

3-0 (20 minutes). A challenge from Andy Gray brought complaints from Liverpool players and he was pulled back. Gray's pass was deflected by Callaghan to Deehan, who shot low from an acute angle some ten yards out. The ball passed neatly beyond Clemence and inside his left-hand post.

4-0 (31 minutes). Gidman receives the ball inside his own half, and takes it down the wing before pushing a short ball to Little, who cut inside and curled a brilliant 15 yard shot high into the left hand corner of the net.

4-1 (40 minutes). McDermott's centre from the right wing was punched clear by Findlay, but only as far as Kennedy, just outside the penalty area. A mass of grounded players prevented Findlay from getting up and Kennedy's low shot threaded through the crowd and just inside the post.

5-1(44 minutes). Mortimer's left wing corner flew to the near post, Gray beat Thompson five yards out and headed beyond Clemence and into the far corner of the net.

45 minutes. 42,851 stunned supporters give Villa the loudest ovation I have ever heard. It seemed to last for the whole of the half-time interval.

The second half was always going to be an and-climax. At least Liverpool could claim that they drew it 0-0, but that was little consolation for them. The last lime they had suffered a heavier defeat had been in 1963, and the scoreline Villa inflicted on them has still not been beaten since.