People remember the singing and the Bruce wobbly legs but we knew we would win.. and Roma knew it too RUSHIE RELIVES HOW THE KOP GLADIATORS TRIUMPHED

were a fantastic team and that year it all came together for us. It was the perfect mixture of youth and experience. There were world-class players like Souness and Dalglish, and younger lads coming through. The manager, Joe Fagan, instilled a perfect balance and a real belief. It was a wonderful team.”

After Phil Neal’s opener, the Italians levelled and seemed content to go to penalties. Big mistake.

Grobbelaar’s wobbly legs unnerved the Roma players in the shoot-out and leftback Alan Kennedy, who admitted to being hopeless from 12 yards, converted the winning penalty as Liverpool lifted the European Cup for the fourth time in eight years.

Rush (with the trophy, above) laughs about the shootout now. “Graeme Souness was organising it,” he recalled. “Him, Nealy, Me. Kenny had gone off, and that was it, no one else. The only two who volunteered were Alan Kennedy and Bruce. Souey went with the keeper. I swear he was sixth man! Then as Souey was still doing the order, Steve Nicol picked up the ball and marched forward. And missed.

“That ripped up the order, we couldn’t afford another miss. That’s how Kennedy came to take the winning pen!”

Rush is modest about his own role. Bruno Conti’s miss meant it was game on, and his spot-kick was suddenly vital.

“There were 60,000 screaming at me,” he said. “The walk from the halfway line was the most frightening time of my life. Socks down, heart pumping, brain whirring, where do I put it? Just as I was about to hit it, the keeper moved, so he made up my mind for me.

“It wasn’t the best pen but I knew if I got it on target it was in. I’ve honestly never been more relieved.”

It was never so important, either. Scoring piled pressure on Francesco Graziani, and he caved. Kennedy stepped up, history was made.