Page "Peter Beardsley" Paragraph 8

Beardsley joined Liverpool at the same time as John Barnes, the Watford winger who would be voted PFA Player of the Year for the 1987 – 88 season.

They were added to John Aldridge, who had signed during the previous campaign, with the three tearing Arsenal apart on Beardsley's debut at Highbury for Aldridge to score after just nine minutes of the opening day of the 1987 – 88 season, 15 August 1987.

Liverpool went on to win 2 – 1 and this would shape the rest of the season for the Reds.

The new-look striker partnership of Beardsley and Aldridge took over from the long-standing partnership of Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush, which was arguably the most successful partnership in English football during the 1980s.

Rush had departed to Juventus of Italy, while player-manager Kenny Dalglish had decided only to make occasional first-team appearances from then on.

Aldridge had signed during the 1986 – 87 season as Dalglish prepared to build his new strike force.