11 December 1954

On a freezing December afternoon, in front of 17,500 gleeful Brummies, Liverpool sunk to their lowest ever depths on the pitch.

As if the previous season's relegation hadn't been humiliating enough, a record 9-1 defeat against Birmingham City at a frosty St Andrews left Liverpudlians reeling.

Asked about the game, winger Alan A' Court recalled: "We went to Birmingham, had a pre-match meal of boiled potatoes, chicken and rice pudding. It was the middle of winter, the pitch was frozen, it was hard underneath and wet on top. In those days, there were no rubber boots, so they came out with plimsolls on.

"We were slipping and sliding all over the place and went three goals down in the first 15 minutes. Billy Liddell pulled one back for us and I still say that was the best of the 10!

"He kept his balance beautifully on that surface, turned like an ice-skater and hit a screamer into the top corner of the net. It was a one-off game. I cannot explain why it happened. The game kept slipping away, literally."

The defeat topped an 8-0 reverse to Huddersfield Town in 1934.