Liverpool vs Ipswich Town Timeline & H2H Stats

Modern day football fans might well imagine that there isn’t a huge amount of history to discuss between Liverpool and Ipswich Town. Even those that only think of the sport as having begun with the advent of the Premier League would still be mistake to take that point of view, however, with the Tractor Boys being in it when the new-look top-flight first launched. Long before, that, though, the Reds had cause to travel down to the far end of the country on several occasions, not least of which because the two teams found themselves playing in the Second Division together, as well as being promoted at the same time.

In the first few years it was a reasonably even battle, but once Bill Shankly had taken control of Liverpool and turned Anfield into a ‘Bastion of Invincibility’, the Reds began to dominate not only their games against the Tractor Boys but their matches against pretty much any opponent that they came up against. It wasn’t just in the league that the sides would do battle. On the 16th of February 1964 they met in the FA Cup for the first time, with Liverpool leaving Anfield with a 2-0 win. A year later and there was another FA Cup coming together, this time with the Tractor Boys progressing to the next round thanks to a famous 1-0 win.

Vying for League Titles

It might seem strange to think about now, but for a time Liverpool and Ipswich Town were trying to take points off one another in the search for a First Division title. The first time that they were genuinely close to one another was at the end of the 1976-1977 campaign, which the Reds won by a point from Manchester City, with Ipswich just five points behind in third place. Three years on and Liverpool were once again champions, this time pipping another Manchester club to the top spot in the form of Manchester United. Once more it was Ipswich Town keeping both teams honest, missing out by seven points in third place.

It was the 1981-1982 season that will most live in the memory of Ipswich Town supporters; at least in terms of coming close but missing out. When Liverpool travelled South for the first league game between the two they were soundly beaten 2-0. The Tractor Boys then lost by the same scoreline in the first-leg of the League Cup semi-final in the February of 1982, drawing 2-2 in the second-leg as Liverpool went on to win it. In the league, meanwhile, the Reds won 4-0 at home. That would prove to be crucial, with Liverpool winning the title when the finished four points ahead of Ipswich on their way to winning the double.

Liverpool’s Full Match History Against Ipswich Town