Alan Kennedy's goal in Paris gave Paisley a third European Cup

For two seasons after Wembley, Liverpool won the league and could not get out of the first round in Europe.

In the first round in September 1978 the holders met the English champions, Nottingham Forest, who were playing in the European Cup for the first time. Forest won 2–0 at the City Ground and held Liverpool 0–0 at Anfield, and went on to win the competition. Liverpool won the First Division that season, and in 1979–80 they were back in the European Cup. Again they went out at the first hurdle: 2–1 up from the first leg, they lost 3–0 in Tbilisi to Dinamo. At home they were champions again.

In 1980–81 it went the other way. Liverpool finished only fifth in the league, although they won the League Cup for the first time, beating West Ham in a replay. In Europe they drew 1–1 away to Oulun Palloseura and then beat them 10–1 at Anfield, with hat-tricks from Graeme Souness and Terry McDermott. They beat Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen 1–0 in Aberdeen and 4–0 at Anfield. In the quarter-final CSKA Sofia lost 5–1 at Anfield, Souness scoring another hat-trick, and 1–0 in Sofia.

Munich

The semi-final was against Bayern Munich, and the first leg at Anfield on 8 April finished 0–0. Afterwards Paul Breitner more or less wrote Liverpool off in an interview on West German television.

Paisley had injuries. Phil Thompson and Alan Kennedy were both out for the second leg, and Colin Irwin and Richard Money came into the defence. The team was Ray Clemence, Phil Neal, Money, Irwin, Ray Kennedy, Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish, Sammy Lee, David Johnson, McDermott and Souness. Pál Csernai's Bayern had Breitner, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Klaus Augenthaler and Dieter Hoeneß. In the Olympiastadion on 22 April, Bayern supporters were given information on how to get to the final in Paris.

Liverpool lost Dalglish early. Karl Del'Haye caught him from behind and he could not go on. Paisley sent on Howard Gayle, Liverpool's first black player. Gayle was booked in the second half, and Paisley, worried that he would react to more rough treatment, took him off again and sent on Jimmy Case.

It was goalless at half-time and goalless until late in the game. Then Johnson found Ray Kennedy, and Kennedy scored. Rummenigge equalised near the end, but 1–1 was enough. Liverpool were through on away goals.

"I have never been in a dressing room that was more determined to get a result than that one," Money said years later.

Paris

Real Madrid had won the European Cup six times, but not since 1966. They had reached Paris by beating Limerick, Honvéd, Spartak Moscow and, in the semi-final, Inter. Their coach, Vujadin Boškov, was in his first European final. They had finished second in La Liga, and Laurie Cunningham, who had been out since November, was not fully fit.

Liverpool had their own doubts. Dalglish had not trained for weeks. Alan Kennedy had been out for six weeks with a broken wrist. "I told Bob Paisley, the coach, not to worry and that I was fine," he said. "They put a very uncomfortable metal plate in my wrist, but the desire to play overcame the pain."

The final was played at the Parc des Princes on 27 May 1981, in front of 48,360. Paisley picked Clemence, Neal, Alan Kennedy, Thompson, Ray Kennedy, Hansen, Dalglish, Lee, Johnson, McDermott and Souness. Real Madrid had Uli Stielike, José Camacho, Vicente del Bosque, Santillana, Juanito and Cunningham.

It was not much of a game. There was little goalmouth action, and the first half was goalless. "It was a very physical first half," Paisley said, "and some of the Real Madrid tackling was outrageous, to say the least."

In the 81st minute Ray Kennedy took a throw-in on the left and found Alan Kennedy. "The defender of Real Madrid failed to clear it and the ball hit me in the chest," Alan Kennedy said. He went past Rafael García Cortés into the area and shot from a narrow angle. "Then I hit the ball with my left leg and the goalkeeper threw himself to the wrong side." Agustín was beaten, and Liverpool won 1–0.

"It was an act of courage," Kennedy said of the goal. "Maybe I had some luck, but I think it was a prize for my persistence."

Three

Liverpool were the first British club to win the European Cup three times, and Paisley was the first manager to do it. "It was a triumph for our character once again," he said. "I was so proud to be the manager of the first British club to win the European Cup three times."