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European Cup Winners Cup Semi-final: First leg

• Agg: Celtic 1-2 Liverpool
  
• Link to second leg: Liverpool 2-0 Celtic
  

Trivia

• Thousands of fans queued for hours for tickets in anticipation of the big game.
  
• Celtic's second ECWC semi final in three seasons.
  
• Great friends Jock Stein and Bill Shankly pit their wits against each other.
  
• Massive 76,446 crowd turns out at Celtic Park on the night although 80,000 tickets were said to have been sold.
• Concern before the game over forged tickets which were said to be 'poor imitations'.
• Liverpool team based in Largs.
• Five Liverpool fans broke into Celtic Park the day before the game and were found playing football on the pitch. Police were called and they were ejected.
• Betting was 4-6 Celtic and 5-2 Liverpool on the day.

Review

Celtic were deserved winners and although Liverpool were splendidly organised the Scottish press thought they were a disappointment.

Hughes failed a fitness test for Celtic which was a severe blow to Jock Stein and although Smith wore the number 10 shirt for Liverpool he was deployed as a sweeper.

The weather was said to be unseasonably cold and a strong wind spoiled the game as a spectacle.

In 4 minutes Celtic had the first chance when Auld's pass was beautifully dummied by Lennox to allow McBride a shot at goal which Lawrence saved.

Ian St John was booked for a foul on Johnstone as Liverpool settled and the large crowd became quieter.

Celtic then had a series of chances that could have killed the tie. From a Murdoch lob McNeill headed down and Lennox volleyed over from 6 yards.

Chalmers then saw a shot deflected just past by Smith before Lennox screwed a shot wide when clean through. Shortly after Smith was lucky to avoid a penalty when he fouled Lennox in the area.

In 50 minutes with the wind at their backs Celtic got the deserved breakthrough. Murdoch back heeled a Chalmers cross on the bye line and Lennox poked a low shot into the net.

Liverpool then came out a bit more and Simpson made an agile save from St John. In 80 minutes Liverpool were reduced to 10 men when Gerry Byrne was taken off with a dislocated elbow. Late on Smith was booked for a foul on Chalmers.

Shankly (ever the optimist and spin master) was happier with the result than Stein and said he was confident of overturning Celtic's lead at Anfield.

Teams

Celtic:
Simpson, Young, Gemmell, Murdoch, McNeill, Clark, Johnstone, McBride, Chalmers, Lennox, Auld
Celtic scorer: Lennox 52'

Liverpool:
Lawrence, Lawler, Byrne, Milne, Yeats, Stevenson, Callaghan, Chisnall, St. John, Smith, Thompson

Referee: Rudolf Glöckner (DDR)
Att: 76,446

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