Saturday, April 15 – 1922
Match: Football League, 1st Division, at Anfield, kick-off: 15:15.
Liverpool – Cardiff City 5-1 (1-1).
Attendance: 50,000.
Referee: Mr. J. Holmes.
Liverpool (2-3-5): Elisha Scott; Ted Parry, Ephraim Longworth; John McNab, Walter Wadsworth, Tom Bromilow; William Lacey, Dick Forshaw, Harry Chambers, Harry Lewis, Fred Hopkin.
Cardiff City (2-3-5): Ben Davies; Jack Page, Jimmy Blair; Herbie Evans, Bert Smith, Billy Hardy; Billy Grimshaw, Jimmy Gill, Len Davies, Joe Clennell, Jimmy Evans.
The goals: 0-1 Clennell (15 min.), 1-1 Bromilow (34 min.), 2-1 Chambers (46 min.), 3-1 Chambers (60 min.), 4-1 McNab (73 min.), 5-1 Chambers (86 min.).
Liverpool, by drawing at Burnley yesterday – they had a penalty kick, and Bromilow, usually so safe, missed fire – practically made sure the championship honours, for Burnley were looked upon as dangers, and ‘Spurs and Villa had been sliding down the scale at the very moment that the Anfield men had recovered their seemingly lost form.
Liverpool have both hands on the League trophy and won’t let go. They have won in the main through brilliance of defence, yet all round the team has played good-class football, and the honours have gone to a good side – from stem to stern. I hear (writes “Bee”) that the club intend to have a social “do” celebrating the event, with all the old players of the club that they can get together.
That should be a talking dinner!
Cardiff City – ever welcome here for many reasons – were against the Anfield side to-day, and they came with something more than a good reputation – a good record.
Coincidence.
When Liverpool last won the League in 1906 – their last match was with West Brom. It will be the same this year if Liverpool do win the championship.
Play was fierce and the crowd was of enormous dimensions. It was probably the best crowd ever seen at ground this season.
Cardiff City were clever and quick, and Liverpool were plainly anxious to make sure early on. Thus it was a battle royal, and there were many points in the opening play.
Page was hurt on the thigh in a rush by Chambers, and after Hardy had robbed McNab Len Davies took the half clearance on the part of Longworth and made a drive that went over.
All along the ground.
Cardiff delighted the crowd with a perfect sample of all-along-the-ground, passing each of the forwards taking a part.
Cardiff attacked again, and when Scott tried to cover Grishaw so that the ball would pass for a goal kick the winger slipped round his man and narrowly failed to catch the ball in time.
It must not be forgotten that Cardiff had a strong wind favouring them, and they were not afraid to take the advantage. For instance, Len Davies shot over, half-back Hardy had a shot of sting and good direction, and Clennell and Gill got into each other’s way and thus prevented another test of the home goalkeeper.
Gill was inclined to move about, and when he went to inside left he made a lovely shot that went very close.
A ragged scoop.
Liverpool were not only by any means, Hopkins and Chambers were in shooting mood, and once the Cardiff goalkeeper scooped out the ball in anything but a clean manner, while very strong shots – first time drives, in fact – on the part of Forshaw and Lacey went into the Kop.
Still, they were fine drives, and it was good to see them taken at the first opportunity.
The Cardiff defence was playing very well, and Page was causing the locals to wonder where he had gathered his form. Another ex-Liverton in Clennell was bewildering in his movements, and his footwork earned him applause.
Clennells low and true mark.
However, he scored a goal in 15 minutes with a shot that went beyond Scott’s right hand, low and true, into the goal.
Cardiff had to thank Grimshaw and laxity on the part of one of the Red Jerseys for the opening for this goal.
Naturally, the old Liverton was delighted with his success, and Cardiff played more confidently than ever.
However, the score would have been equalised in three minutes, save for Chambers kicking round and under a pass that came from the left.
There was intense life in the Cardiff attack, and the very nippiness of the forward line kept the home defence on the stretch.
Of course, all this time it must not be forgotten that sun and wind were all favourable to Cardiff.
Parry was out of bounds with a heavy clearance which sent he ball over the grandstand. In general the Welshman’s kicks were not true, albeit one had to admire his earnestness and his useful tackling.
One had to admire also the excellent passes that Walter Wadsworth served up – it was not always thus!
Bromilow was apparently keen to score a goal so that he might redeem himself for the penalty kick failure yesterday, and after he had a shot blocked Chambers was enabled to get hold of the ball.
McNab’s N.U. trick.
Cardiff were speeding off on the left wing when we saw McNab doing a perfect Northern Union trick in handing off the veteran Evans.
Longworth, in his keenness, meandered beyond centre half, and when he returned to his point Grimshaw grazed his cheekbone accidentally. Everyone was glad to see Ephraim had not been seriously hurt.
Straight away from this point came Liverpool’s equaliser.
Bromilow equalises.
Up in the left hand corner in the shade of the Kop, Page and Hopkin had a duel, and Page was pitched towards the cement railings. From the throw-in Bromilow made a strong shot that was apparently caught in the variable wind.
At any rate, Davies in goal seemed to misjudge the flight of the ball, which entered the net after touching the goalkeeper.
After this Liverpool had much more of the play than had been the case earlier on; yet Gill took a bumping ball to Scott, who also had to deal with an awkward high one.
As against this, Lewis had a capital shot, but seemed to drag the ball, and one shot from Chambers went high over.
There were no further incidents, and half-time came with the score: –
Liverpool 1, Cardiff 1.
Chambers great stroke.
There was a sensational resumption, for Cardiff were put in arrears in exactly one minute.
Forshaw was given possession, and was just about to shoot when he “lost” the ball. Fortunately Chambers was near, and instantly took the ball, shooting into the corner of the net to the goalkeeper’s right-hand side.
This goal put Liverpool on excellent terms with themselves.
Lewis was uncommonly weak in his finishing, and he had quite a number of chances of at least testing the goalkeeper, instead of which he invariably put outside.
Fortunately for Liverpool, Len Davies was equally weak in the sense that he never got a chance, so that the able centre forward of the Welsh side was unable to lead his men.
An accident to Hardy was of a similar character to that which Longworth had suffered, Hardy getting a foot in his face, after which Bromilow tried his luck at shooting again, but this time did not thoroughly hold the ball.
The real goal-maker.
However, the cause was not lost, for in a moment Lacey had a tussle with Blair, and beat Scotland’s captain, winding up with a perfect centre, not too strong, when Chambers reached the spot.
Thus the third goal was scored in just about the hour, and the congratulations of the players went out to the scorer and to the maker of the goal (Lacey).
Chambers tried for his third goal and the hat-trick, Forshaw offering him half a chance. The centre forward was quite near, but not quite near enough.
Lewis was again at fault, and when Grimshaw centred merrily Scott caught the ball – and admirable piece of fielding.
This taking of the lead by two goals after being a goal down naturally took some of the spice out of the game, yet Cardiff continued to do some things well.
The time was 73 minutes, the score was 4-1, the championship was Liverpool’s.
The next move of any moment was a goal by McNab, who took the ball at the half-volley and scored a rasping shot.
Final. – Liverpool 5, Cardiff City 1.
(Liverpool Football Echo, 15-04-1922)
Harry Chambers
"Play Up, Liverpool" 