Liverpool made history twice as Bill Shankly led them out for the final in the 1974 Community Shield final

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Liverpool will make their 25th appearance in the Community Shield final as they look to win the traditional curtain-raiser to the new season for the 17th time.

However, the game is unlikely to be as memorable as the 1974 Community Shield final, when Liverpool claimed the trophy for the fourth time in their history.

Having narrowly lost out in the race for the 1974 league title, Liverpool had an early shot at revenge on Leeds United, who Brian Clough led out in the first game of his controversial reign.

The game also marked a changing of the guard, as Bill Shankly was invited to lead out the Reds for the final time, having been replaced by Bob Paisley at the end of the following season.

Now, as Liverpool prepare to face Crystal Palace in the 2025 edition, TBR Football looks back on the infamous “uncharitable” shield game in 1974.

Kevin Keegan makes unwanted history for Liverpool

A bitter rivalry had developed between Leeds and Liverpool through the mid-1960s and early 1970s as the two sides regularly battled it out for silverware.

The 1974 Community Shield saw those tensions boil over on the field, resulting in significant sanctions for two of the biggest names in the game at the time.

A first-minute tackle by Leeds striker Allan Clarke set the tone for the game, as Phil Thompson required treatment. Clarke was then on the receiving end of fouls from Tommy Smith and Alec Lindsay.

However, the game descended into chaos after Johnny Giles punched Keegan, before hitting him with a two-footed tackle. Keegan reacted angrily, and punched Billy Bremner when several Leeds players confronted the Liverpool star.

Bremner retaliated in kind, leading to a brawl on the pitch. By a fluke of timing, Keegan was shown a red card first, as both men were sent off. As a result, Keegan became the first player to be sent off at Wembley Stadium, with Bremner following as a close second.

In what would become a defining image from the game, Keegan took his shirt off as he left the field and headed down the tunnel at Wembley. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, leading to the second piece of history of the day.

Liverpool win the first Community Shield penalty shoot-out

Prior to 1993, if the Community Shield, previously known as the Charity Shield, finished in a draw, the title was shared, with the notable exception of the 1974 final between Leeds and Liverpool.

After goals from Phil Boersma for Liverpool and Trevor Cherry for Leeds, the game ended in a stalemate in front of a 67,000-strong crowd.

Those in attendance then witnessed Charity Shield history, as the two sides conducted a penalty shootout to determine the winners.

After both teams scored five from five, the shootout went to sudden death. Leeds goalkeeper David Harvey was the unfortunate person to miss their shot at goal, and Liverpool wrote their names in the history books thanks to Ian Callaghan’s successful sixth penalty.