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LIVERPOOL 3 NEWCASTLE UNITED 0

Having seen his rebuilt team end a seven-year trophy drought with the League and UEFA Cup double the previous season, Bill Shankly brought the curtain down on his reign at Anfield with an ultimately swaggering FA Cup victory at Wembley.

The build-up to the match had been dominated by Newcastle striker Malcolm McDonald who, having scored in every round of the competition thus far, was not shy in informing the world what he was going to do to Liverpool in the Final.

After dominating a goalless first half, full back Alec Lindsay thought he made the breakthrough shortly after the break when he thumped a stunning volley past Ian McFaul only for a linesman's flag to chalk it off, despite the ball having rebounded to him off a Newcastle player.

Undeterred, Shankly's men continued to swarm forward and, shortly before the hour mark, Kevin Keegan controlled Smith's ball in to him on the edge of the box before rifling a shot past the despairing McFaul.

The Reds banished any doubt as to the destination of the Cup a quarter of an hour from time when Steve Heighway gathered John Toshack's flick-on to drill home from 15 yards and Keegan added a third near the end after a long series of Liverpool passes had carved Newcastle apart.

Kirkby-born defender Phil Thompson later recalled: 

"We beat Newcastle 3-0 and it could have been double. It was the best Liverpool display of my long time at Anfield. The European Cup win of 81 when I was skipper may be my greatest achievement but the match itself wasn't that great. Not that it mattered. 

"However, Wembley was very different. We were a class apart."

Liverpool:  Clemence, Smith, Lindsay, Thompson, Cormack, Hughes, Keegan, Hall, Heighway, Toshack, Callaghan. Sub n/u: Lawler.

Referee: Gordon Kew from Buckinghamshire

Goals: Keegan 57, Heighway 75, Keegan 88

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