During the 1995–96 English football season, Liverpool F.C. competed in the FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons).
1994–95 had arguably been Liverpool’s best season of the post-Dalglish era, as they had finished fourth and won the Football League Cup. They already possessed some of the country’s finest young talent in the shape of prolific striker Robbie Fowler and talented midfielders Steve McManaman and Jamie Redknapp. Fowler would end the season as the second highest goalscorer in the country, behind Alan Shearer, while McManaman was the leading goal assists maker in the country, with 25 assists in the Premier League alone.
Having paid a national record £8.5million for Nottingham Forest striker Stan Collymore in the close season, Liverpool were many people’s favourites for the league title in 1995–96 – especially as defending champions Blackburn Rovers had failed to significantly add to their squad and runners-up Manchester United had sold three key players but begun the season without a single major signing.
Liverpool 1995/1996
Man United 1995/1996
September started on a low note for the Reds as they lost 1–0 at Wimbledon, but pulled together to win their following games 3–0 over Blackburn Rovers and 5–2 over newly promoted Bolton Wanderers (with Robbie Fowler scoring four times) to end September in third place, with a young Manchester United side and a bolstered Newcastle United leading the way. The month also the arrival of midfielder Jason McAteer from newly promoted Bolton Wanderers for £4.5million. McAteer was soon utilized as a right-back, with Rob Jones switching to left-back.