14 August 1976

It is perhaps unsurprising that the 1976 Charity Shield clash against Southampton is overlooked when assessing a campaign that ended with Liverpool being crowned champions of Europe for the very first time.

Bob Paisley's men had finished the previous season as league and UEFA Cup winners and so few observers would have been shocked to see them beat FA Cup holders Southampton.

A scrappy 1-0 win in a tight curtain raiser against Lawrie McMenemy's side is hardly a match that lingers long in the memory, especially in a season that climaxed with a league and European Cup double, but never-the-less it got the Reds' campaign off on the right foot.

 The Saints had already proved themselves to be no pushovers after their shock 1-0 win over Manchester United in the FA Cup final just three months earlier and it took Liverpool until the second-half to break down their stubborn resistance.

John Toshack was the man who proved to be the Reds' match-winner, grabbing the only goal of the contest on 50 minutes.

It ensured the majority of the 76,500 fans packed inside Wembley would go home happy and saw Liverpool claim only the third outright Charity Shield success in our history.