Who’re one of the best penalty takers within the historical past of Liverpool FC? Right here’s our prime 10.
When penalties are awarded, they’re celebrated by followers as if a purpose has already been scored.
However should you don’t have a participant you’ll be able to depend on from the spot, these celebrations can turn into meaningless.
Fortunately, Liverpool have had their fair proportion of wonderful penalty takers. Right here, we rank our prime 10.
10. Mark Walters
Taken: 6 Scored: 6 Success Charge: 100%
A reputation you had been anticipating to see on this listing? Perhaps not, however the stats don’t lie.
Walters, who performed for the Reds between 1991 and 1995, took six penalties for the membership and scored all six.
Just one different participant who has scored greater than 5 penalties for the membership has a 100% success fee. Can’t argue with that!
9. Tommy Smith
Taken: 32 Scored: 22 Success Charge: 68.8%
As issues stand, Smith has scored the sixth-highest quantity of penalties than another participant in Liverpool’s historical past, not dangerous for a centre half!
The previous Reds captain earned the nickname of the ‘Anfield Iron’ as a result of his uncompromising model as a defender for his hometown membership.
However when it got here to penalties, he was often dependable, and he additionally scored his fair proportion of free-kicks.
8. Billy Liddell
Taken: 45 Scored: 34 Success Charge: 75.6%
Solely three gamers have scored extra penalties for Liverpool than Liddell, who’s considered one of solely 4 gamers to breach the 200-goal mark within the membership’s historical past.
In his early years with the membership, he studied as an accountant alongside his soccer commitments, along with his mother and father eager to make sure he had one thing to fall again on if soccer didn’t work out.
They needn’t have fearful about that, with Liddell happening to turn into one of the crucial prolific strikers and penalty scorers in Reds historical past.
7. Danny Murphy
Taken: 8 Scored: 8 Success Charge: 100%
Murphy is the opposite participant to have taken greater than 5 Liverpool penalties with a 100% success fee.
All eight of the spot kicks he took for the Reds discovered the again of the web, with the midfielder additionally excelling in free-kicks.
“Danny Murphy beloved his penalties!”
– Owen Tan on Fb
6. Mohamed Salah
Taken: 26 Scored: 23 Success Charge: 88.5%
Salah is Liverpool’s present first-choice penalty taker.
He wasn’t the Reds’ go-to man from the spot in his first season, however such is his thirst for targets, he made positive that’s what he grew to become.
His most vital penalty was towards Tottenham within the 2019 Champions League remaining, and he made no mistake.
5. James Milner
Taken: 21 Scored: 19 Success Charge: 90.5%
Had it not been for Salah’s arrival, Milner would certainly have extra penalty targets to his title.
As one of the crucial skilled gamers within the Liverpool squad, Milner has perfected his penalty taking routine over a few years.
His most vital penalties for the Reds embody his ninety fifth minute winner towards Leicester within the membership’s title-winning season.
“By no means goes for the audacious, at all times retains it easy.”
– Ricky Umunna on Fb
“If my life relied on it, James Milner is the one participant I need taking that penalty.”
– @dimitrihondros2 on Twitter
4. Phil Neal
Taken: 51 Scored: 38 Success Charge: 74.5%
Probably the most adorned participant in Liverpool’s historical past, regardless of being a right-back, Neal was the penalty taker relied on for a lot of the Reds’ success within the 70s and 80s.
He scored from the spot within the 1977 European Cup remaining and within the shootout towards Rome in 1984.
The one factor stopping him from rating larger was the actual fact he missed 13 of the 51 penalties he took for the membership, which can shock a few of you.
“Nice pen taker and full-back, so underrated.”
– Les Arnold on Fb
“So dependable over so lengthy on the largest of events.”
– Rob Widespread on Fb
3. Steven Gerrard
Taken: 57 Scored: 47 Success Charge: 82.5%
Gerrard is the participant to have scored essentially the most penalties in Liverpool’s historical past.
All through his years because the membership’s captain and talisman, Gerrard was the membership’s first-choice penalty taker, with a few of his most well-known spot kicks coming towards the likes of Actual Madrid in 2009, in addition to a number of at Previous Trafford.
“At all times believed in him!”
– @Northyy16 on Twitter
2. John Aldridge
Taken: 18 Scored: 17 Success Charge: 94.4%
Aldridge’s one miss occurred to be within the 1988 FA Cup remaining towards Wimbledon.
That season, he had scored all 11 of his spot kicks within the construct as much as the ultimate, and Liverpool went on to lose 1-0.
Rotten luck, however Aldridge will nonetheless go down as one of many membership’s most dependable penalty takers.
“His little stutter on his run up fooled many a goalie!”
– @mcm488 on Twitter
1. Jan Molby
Taken: 45 Scored: 42 Success Charge: 93.3%
Molby’s reliability from 12 yards performed an enormous half within the Reds’ achievements within the late 80s.
When requested about his three misses by LFCHistory, Molby rapidly responded “Three of the best saves you have got ever seen!”
The perfect penalty taker in Liverpool’s historical past up to now.
“Cool as.”
– @robbohuyton on Twitter
“Rarely missed. Extremely dependable.”
– @TheKopHQ on Twitter