# 2014–15 Liverpool F.C. season
The 2014–15 [Liverpool F.C.](https://www.edgepedia.org/liverpool-f-c) season was the club's 23rd Premier League campaign, in which Liverpool, managed by [Brendan Rodgers](https://www.edgepedia.org/brendan-rodgers), played 58 competitive games across five competitions and finished sixth in the Premier League, exited the [UEFA Champions League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-champions-league) in the group stage, and reached the semi-finals of both domestic cups.[1](https://www.anfield-online.co.uk/fixtures/2014-15/) • [2](https://theliverpoolbrief.com/history/seasons/2014-15) • [16](https://www.transferleague.co.uk/liverpool-squad-2014-2015/premier-league-squads-2014-15/liverpool-squad-2014-2015)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premier League finish | 6th of 20; 38 played, 18 won, 8 drawn, 12 lost, goal difference +4, 62 points[3](https://www.premierleague.com/clubs/10/Man-Utd/season-history) • [4](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/18932/9865173/liverpool-facing-toughest-season-in-many-many-years-says-jamie-redknapp) |
| Gap to the title | 25 points behind champions Chelsea, ending the club's Champions League qualification hopes[4](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/18932/9865173/liverpool-facing-toughest-season-in-many-many-years-says-jamie-redknapp) |
| Champions League | Third place in Group B; eliminated after a 1-1 home draw with FC Basel on 9 December 2014, dropping into the Europa League[5](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/175987-draw-sends-reds-out-of-champions-league) • [6](https://fbref.com/en/squads/822bd0ba/2014-2015/matchlogs/c514/schedule/Liverpool-Scores-and-Fixtures-FA-Cup) |
| Domestic cups | League Cup semi-final lost to Chelsea; FA Cup semi-final lost 1-2 to Aston Villa at Wembley on 19 April 2015[2](https://theliverpoolbrief.com/history/seasons/2014-15) • [6](https://fbref.com/en/squads/822bd0ba/2014-2015/matchlogs/c514/schedule/Liverpool-Scores-and-Fixtures-FA-Cup) |
| Squad change | Luis Suárez, scorer of 31 Premier League goals in 2013/14, was sold to Barcelona; six new players arrived in the summer[7](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/693677) • [8](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/167514-rodgers-how-we-planned-transfers) |
| Gerrard's farewell | Steven Gerrard's 17-year Anfield career ended with a goal in a 6-1 defeat at Stoke City on the final day[7](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/693677) |
## Background and transfers
Liverpool entered the season after finishing as runners-up in 2013/14, their closest approach to a first Premier League title. The club struggled to recapture that form without [Luis Suárez](https://www.edgepedia.org/luis-suarez), who joined Barcelona after scoring 31 Premier League goals in 2013/14, a total no player had exceeded in a 38-game season.[7](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/693677) • [9](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/9516469/premier-league-five-problems-for-liverpool-in-2014-15)
**Recruitment.** Brendan Rodgers framed the summer business as long-term planning aimed at squad depth, saying the side had not been strong enough the previous year in numbers or quality. [Rickie Lambert](https://www.edgepedia.org/rickie-lambert), Adam Lallana, Emre Can, Lazar Markovic, and [Dejan Lovren](https://www.edgepedia.org/dejan-lovren) joined, followed by the Belgian striker [Divock Origi](https://www.edgepedia.org/divock-origi) from Lille, who was loaned straight back to the French club for the 2014-15 campaign.[8](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/167514-rodgers-how-we-planned-transfers) A later analysis of transfer spending put Liverpool's 2014/15 outlay at 151,430,000, the club's highest to that point.[10](https://as.com/futbol/2018/01/30/internacional/1517318923_334248.html) Mario Balotelli also arrived as the big-name replacement for Suárez, but he did not fit Rodgers' style of play.[11](https://www.friendsofliverpool.com/2017/07/season-review-201415/)
## Premier League campaign
Liverpool opened with a 2-1 home win over [Southampton](https://www.edgepedia.org/southampton) on 17 August, then lost successive away matches to Manchester City (1-3) and won 3-0 at [Tottenham](https://www.edgepedia.org/tottenham) before a 0-1 home defeat to Aston Villa in mid-September.[1](https://www.anfield-online.co.uk/fixtures/2014-15/) The season was, like Rodgers' first year in charge, slow to start, and performances in the autumn drew criticism.[12](https://cdn5.f-cdn.com/files/download/25942433/Liverpool%202014-15%20season%20review.pdf) A 1-1 home draw with Everton in late September, in which [Phil Jagielka](https://www.edgepedia.org/phil-jagielka) scored a stoppage-time equaliser for Everton, dented Liverpool's top-four push.[7](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/693677) • [1](https://www.anfield-online.co.uk/fixtures/2014-15/)
**Mid-season recovery.** From December to March Liverpool put together an unbeaten league run that included a 2-1 win over Manchester City on 1 March and victories over Southampton and Tottenham, building momentum in the race for the European places.[7](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/693677) • [1](https://www.anfield-online.co.uk/fixtures/2014-15/) The run was not enough: Manchester United, recovering from 13 points in their first 10 matches, beat Liverpool, Spurs, and City in a six-match winning streak that secured United's return to the Champions League.[7](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/693677) Liverpool finished sixth on 62 points, 25 points behind champions Chelsea.[3](https://www.premierleague.com/clubs/10/Man-Utd/season-history) • [4](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/18932/9865173/liverpool-facing-toughest-season-in-many-many-years-says-jamie-redknapp)
The final day summed up the campaign. [Steven Gerrard](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-gerrard), ending a 17-year Anfield career before a move to Los Angeles Galaxy, scored Liverpool's goal in a 6-1 defeat at Stoke City.[7](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/693677) • [2](https://theliverpoolbrief.com/history/seasons/2014-15)
## Champions League
Liverpool returned to the Champions League after a five-season absence and were drawn in [Group B](https://www.edgepedia.org/group-b) with Real Madrid, FC Basel, and Ludogorets Razgrad. They beat Ludogorets 2-1 at Anfield in their opening match but lost 0-1 away to Basel and 0-3 at home to Real Madrid on 22 October, a defeat that made clear the gulf to the European champions.[1](https://www.anfield-online.co.uk/fixtures/2014-15/) • [12](https://cdn5.f-cdn.com/files/download/25942433/Liverpool%202014-15%20season%20review.pdf) [Cristiano Ronaldo](https://www.edgepedia.org/cristiano-ronaldo)'s opening goal that night was later voted by UEFA observers as the best goal of the 2014-15 Champions League; the 0-3 result was Real Madrid's first win at Anfield and Liverpool's heaviest home defeat by a three-goal margin in European competition.[13](https://as.com/futbol/2015/06/09/primera/1433871629_247616.html)
**Elimination.** Liverpool needed a win over Basel at Anfield on 9 December 2014 to overtake the Swiss side in Group B. Fabian Frei put Basel ahead from outside the box in the first half, and Lazar Markovic, a half-time substitute, was sent off 15 minutes after coming on. Steven Gerrard curled a free-kick off the left post to level at 1-1, but Liverpool could not find a winner and were eliminated, finishing third in the group and dropping into the Europa League round of 32.[5](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/175987-draw-sends-reds-out-of-champions-league) • [6](https://fbref.com/en/squads/822bd0ba/2014-2015/matchlogs/c514/schedule/Liverpool-Scores-and-Fixtures-FA-Cup)
## Europa League and domestic cups
**Both cups, both semi-finals.** Liverpool reached the semi-finals of the League Cup and the [FA Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-cup) but lost to Chelsea in the League Cup and to Aston Villa in the FA Cup.[2](https://theliverpoolbrief.com/history/seasons/2014-15) The League Cup run included a third-round tie against [Middlesbrough](https://www.edgepedia.org/middlesbrough) on 23 September 2014 that finished 2-2 after extra time and was decided 14-13 on penalties, one of the longest shootouts in the competition's history.[1](https://www.anfield-online.co.uk/fixtures/2014-15/) • [14](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fc-liverpool/spielplan/verein/31/saison_id/2014) In the FA Cup, Liverpool came through AFC Wimbledon, Bolton Wanderers over a replay, Crystal Palace, and Blackburn Rovers over two legs, before losing 1-2 to Aston Villa in the semi-final at Wembley on 19 April 2015 in front of 85,416 spectators.[1](https://www.anfield-online.co.uk/fixtures/2014-15/) • [6](https://fbref.com/en/squads/822bd0ba/2014-2015/matchlogs/c514/schedule/Liverpool-Scores-and-Fixtures-FA-Cup)
## Aftermath
Rodgers was dismissed early the following season, on 4 October 2015, after the Merseyside derby draw, and Jürgen Klopp was appointed four days later.[2](https://theliverpoolbrief.com/history/seasons/2014-15) • [15](https://as.com/us/futbol/internacional/asi-era-el-liverpool-antes-de-jurgen-klopp-hundido-malos-resultados-titulos-perdidos-n/)
## References
1. [2014/15 LFC Fixtures and Match Reports, Anfield Online](https://www.anfield-online.co.uk/fixtures/2014-15/)
2. [Liverpool 2014–15, Seasons, The Liverpool Brief](https://theliverpoolbrief.com/history/seasons/2014-15)
3. [Liverpool FC Season History, Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com/clubs/10/Man-Utd/season-history)
4. [Liverpool facing toughest season in many years, says Jamie Redknapp, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/18932/9865173/liverpool-facing-toughest-season-in-many-many-years-says-jamie-redknapp)
5. [Draw sends Reds out of Champions League, Liverpool FC](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/175987-draw-sends-reds-out-of-champions-league)
6. [2014-2015 Liverpool Scores and Fixtures, FA Cup, FBref.com](https://fbref.com/en/squads/822bd0ba/2014-2015/matchlogs/c514/schedule/Liverpool-Scores-and-Fixtures-FA-Cup)
7. [2014/15 Season Review, Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/693677)
8. [Rodgers: How we planned transfers, Liverpool FC](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/167514-rodgers-how-we-planned-transfers)
9. [Premier League: Five problems for Liverpool in 2014/15, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/9516469/premier-league-five-problems-for-liverpool-in-2014-15)
10. [La millonaria inversión del Liverpool en busca de la Premier, AS](https://as.com/futbol/2018/01/30/internacional/1517318923_334248.html)
11. [Season in Review: 2014/15, Friends of Liverpool](https://www.friendsofliverpool.com/2017/07/season-review-201415/)
12. [Liverpool 2014-15 season review (PDF)](https://cdn5.f-cdn.com/files/download/25942433/Liverpool%202014-15%20season%20review.pdf)
13. [El gol de Cristiano en Anfield, el mejor de la Champions 2014-15, AS](https://as.com/futbol/2015/06/09/primera/1433871629_247616.html)
14. [Liverpool FC - Schedule 14/15, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fc-liverpool/spielplan/verein/31/saison_id/2014)
15. [Así era el Liverpool antes de Jürgen Klopp, AS](https://as.com/us/futbol/internacional/asi-era-el-liverpool-antes-de-jurgen-klopp-hundido-malos-resultados-titulos-perdidos-n/)
16. [Liverpool Squad 2014 - 2015 - Transfer League](https://www.transferleague.co.uk/liverpool-squad-2014-2015/premier-league-squads-2014-15/liverpool-squad-2014-2015)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Seasons and editions › Club seasons › English Premier League club seasons › 2010s club seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license