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NOTTINGHAM FOREST HISTORY
13 September, 1978

Liverpool beaten in European Cup

On this day in 1978 Forest beat European champions Liverpool in the European Cup.

Iconic match memories

Landmark European night

Nottingham Forest announced themselves in the European Cup by beating holders Liverpool 2-0 at the City Ground.

The draw had given Brian Clough’s English champions the hardest possible start: a first-round tie against the reigning European champions. Forest needed to make the home leg count, and they did so with a performance that gave the City Ground one of its great European nights.

Garry Birtles opened the scoring in the first half, finishing left-footed after a Tony Woodcock pass. Liverpool pushed for a way back, but Forest stayed in the contest and struck again late on when Colin Barrett scored with a right-footed finish from Woodcock’s header.

The 2-0 win gave Forest a decisive advantage before the second leg at Anfield. A 0-0 draw there completed a 2-0 aggregate victory over Liverpool, and Forest went on to win the European Cup in their first season in the competition.

European Cup Highlights

Sources

UEFA; LFCHistory; European Cup records

Forest timeline

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SEPTEMBER
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Notts County 0–2 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 3–0 Blackburn
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Vitória SC 1–1 Nottingham Forest
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Portimonense 1–2 Nottingham Forest Sporting CP 4–1 Nottingham Forest
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Udinese 1–0 Nottingham Forest Barcelona 1–0 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 2–1 Bayer Leverkusen
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Nottingham Forest 2–0 Stade Brestois 29
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Nottingham Forest 0–1 Leeds
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Nottingham Forest 0–2 Leeds
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Liverpool 2–2 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 0–0 Tottenham
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Aston Villa 1–2 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 0–1 Coventry
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Crystal Palace 14:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 16:30 Arsenal
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Ipswich 20:00 Nottingham Forest
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Brentford 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 17:30 Manchester City
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Bournemouth 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 20:00 Chelsea
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Hull City 20:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Brighton
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Sunderland 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Everton
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Manchester United 16:30 Nottingham Forest
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Newcastle 19:30 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Fulham
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Nottingham Forest 19:30 Hull City
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Manchester City 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Bournemouth
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Chelsea 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Brentford
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Fulham 20:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Manchester United
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Everton 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 20:00 Newcastle
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Tottenham 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Aston Villa
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Leeds 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Liverpool
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Sunderland
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Brighton 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Crystal Palace
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Arsenal 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Ipswich
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Coventry 16:00 Nottingham Forest
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On this day in …
1961
First ever European match at Valencia

Nottingham Forest’s first match in European competition ended in defeat, but it opened a new chapter in the club’s history. Forest lost 2-0 away…

Eras and timeline markers
1977
Shilton signing transforms trophy era

Peter Shilton’s arrival from Stoke City gave Nottingham Forest one of the defining figures of the club’s greatest era. Brian Clough signed the England…

Player legacies
1978
Liverpool beaten in European Cup

Nottingham Forest announced themselves in the European Cup by beating holders Liverpool 2-0 at the City Ground. The draw had given Brian Clough’s English…

Iconic match memories