Defenders

Glenn Hysén

Appearances: 35
Goals: 1

Liverpool FC signed Swedish captain Glenn Hysén from ACF Fiorentina in the summer of 1989. The 29-year-old slotted in at centre-back alongside Alan Hansen and only missed three games. Calm and collected on the ball, it was easy to see why Hysén – whose silver hair matched Liverpool FC's away kit – had played at sweeper for much of his career, and he scored his only league goal of the season in the 9-0 Anfield win against Crystal Palace FC in September. Now popular with LFC fans on Twitter, Hysén remains the only Swede to have played for the Reds.

Alan Hansen

Appearances: 31
Goals: 0

Club captain Alan Hansen made his 620th and final appearance for Liverpool FC on the day our 18th league title was clinched. It came courtesy of a 2-1 victory against Queens Park Rangers FC at Anfield in April as title-rivals Aston Villa FC were held by Norwich City FC, making it mathematically impossible to catch the Reds. Three days later, the Scottish centre-back lifted the Football League First Division Trophy after a 1-0 win against Derby County FC as Anfield enjoyed a Tuesday night party. In truth, 34-year-old Hansen had done well to be so involved in the 1989/90 campaign having missed almost the entire 1988/89 season with a serious knee problem that ultimately forced him to retire in early 1991. Elegant on the ball, Hansen's experience was vital during the run-in as he added an eighth league winners' medal to his collection – a Club record he shares with Phil Neal.

David Burrows

Appearances: 26
Goals: 0

Signed from West Bromwich Albion FC in 1988, the no-nonsense full-back shared left-back duties with Steve Staunton, but was also utilised in midfield occasionally by Dalglish. Although 'Bugsy' didn't score during his 26 appearances, he should really have got the winner during the 0-0 draw on Luton Town FC's plastic pitch in August, dragging a shot just wide. Known for his fierce tackling, Burrows was 22 at the time of Liverpool FC's 1990 league title and was delighted to win the first major honour of his career. “It's beautiful, really,” he said. “I've never witnessed anything like this in my life before, I'm just going to enjoy every minute of it.”

Barry Venison

Appearances: 25
Goals: 0

Versatile Venison was right-footed but capable of playing in either full-back role, making him a hugely useful member of Dalglish's squad. When Ray Houghton missed the opening two months of the season through injury, Steve Nicol was moved forward from right-back to right midfield with 26-year-old Venison coming in. And the former AFC Sunderland captain also had a spell at left-back between December and March after recovering from a concussion sustained during the 2-1 win against Arsenal FC at Anfield in November. Over the course of the season, Venison wore the number 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 12 shirts with one of his best displays coming in a 3-1 Merseyside derby win against Everton FC at Goodison Park in September. Squad numbers, if you're wondering, were only introduced in 1993/94.

Steve Nicol

Appearances: 23
Goals: 6

Named as the 1989 Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year after being utilised by Kenny Dalglish in six different positions, Nicol would no doubt have played every game in 1989/90 had injuries not forced him into two spells on the sidelines. It says a lot that three of the Reds' five defeats came in matches Nicol missed, including a 2-0 loss to Sheffield Wednesday FC in November. Nicol contributed six goals towards the title success, including the first and last in the 9-0 win against Crystal Palace FC, and a double in a 4-1 Anfield victory against Chelsea FC in April. The Hillsborough Memorial was unveiled on Anfield Road ahead of that game against Chelsea FC and the 4-1 win left the Redmen needing just four points from their final three games to win the league.

Steve Staunton

Appearances: 20
Goals: 0

At the age of 21, Steve Staunton was the youngest member of Liverpool FC's 1989/90 title-winning team to play on any kind of regular basis. The Republic of Ireland left-back didn't start a league game until the 2-1 win against Wimbledon FC at Plough Lane in October, before getting runs in the team in November, January and March. Like his fellow full-backs Burrows and Venison, Staunton didn't get his name on the scoresheet in 1989/90, but came close to doing so in victories at Millwall FC (2-1) and Manchester City FC (4-1) during a tricky pre-Christmas period when injuries forced Dalglish to use 19 different players in 10 games. He also contributed assists, including crosses for Ian Rush's winning goal against Sheffield Wednesday FC and John Barnes' winner against Charlton Athletic FC at Anfield in December.

Gary Ablett

Appearances: 15
Goals: 0

The only player to have won the FA Cup with Liverpool FC and Everton FC, and sadly missed since his tragic death from cancer aged 46 in 2012, Gary Ablett was a regular in 1988/89, but lost his place at centre-back to Glenn Hysén in 1989/90. Nine of Scouser Ablett's 15 appearances came from November onwards, when the Reds were in the midst of an injury crisis, he also played on coronation day against Derby County FC and in the final game of the season – a stunning 6-1 win against Coventry City FC at Highfield Road.

Gary Gillespie

Appearances: 13
Goals: 4

Used as an emergency right-back early and late on during the season, Scottish centre-back Gary Gillespie missed much of 1989/90 through injury, but had a knack of scoring winning goals when he played. His goal against Crystal Palace FC in the 9-0 win at Anfield certainly didn't fall into that category, but his header gave the Reds an important late 1-0 victory at home to Millwall FC in March. He followed that up with the winning strike in a 2-1 success against Wimbledon FC at Anfield in April, and on the night Liverpool FC were presented with their 18th league championship it was an 81st minute finish by Gillespie, past Derby County FC goalkeeper Peter Shilton, that won the game. An average of a goal almost every three games wasn't bad for the 29-year-old defender.

Nick Tanner

Appearances: 4
Goals: 0

Kenny Dalglish signed Nick Tanner from Bristol Rovers FC in 1988, but the defender had to wait until December 1989 to make his Liverpool FC debut, coming on as a substitute in the 4-1 win at Maine Road against Manchester City FC. His Anfield debut, again from the bench in a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa FC, followed a week later, but it was April before he made his first start. Tanner played in a 4-0 victory over Charlton Athletic FC at Selhurst Park – the Addicks' temporary home while The Valley was closed for safety reasons – and in a 2-2 draw at home to Nottingham Forest FC. That was Tanner's final appearance of the season and although he didn't qualify for a league winners' medal due to not playing enough games, he had at least made a breakthrough into the team.