'Q for Quansah' gets Liverpool the full alphabet of goal scorers

A midweek jaunt to face Union St.-Gilloise (USG) in the UEFA Europa League hardly proved to be vintage fare for Liverpool, who fielded a youthful side given they had already qualified for the knockout stage and slid to a 2-1 defeat in Belgium. Nevertheless, the Reds still finished top of Group E by one point, while USG dropped into the Europa Conference League playoffs.

Liverpool also came away from the game with an unusual silver lining after seeing 20-year-old defender Jarell Quansah score their consolation goal at the Joseph Marien Stadium.

Spotted by RedmenTV and writer Andrew Beasley, then confirmed by Opta’s Michael Reed on X, the strike means that a player whose surname begins with every single letter of the alphabet has now scored for Liverpool: from A right through to Z.

The Reds had been waiting for a “Q” goal scorer since Virgil van Dijk took the “V” honours with his first goal on debut against Everton in the third round of the FA Cup in January 2018.

Quansah’s cool finish against USG completes the set, meaning that the young centre-back takes his place among some of Liverpool’s most revered goal scorers. Clearly there is more than one player for most letters (other than Q) but these are the top performers.

All stats correct as per LFCHistory.net.

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A: John Aldridge (63 goals in 104 games)

One of the most prolific strikers of the 1980s, Aldridge scored 63 goals in 104 games for Liverpool during his four-season stay at Anfield, during which he also won the First Division league title in 1987-88 and the FA Cup in 1989.

B: Jack Balmer (110 goals in 309 games)

A hot-shot striker for Liverpool in the 1930s, Balmer was robbed of his peak years by the outbreak of the Second World War. However, he returned to action thereafter and soon his goals helped propel the Reds to the league title in the maiden First Division season (1946-47) of the post-war era.

C: Harry Chambers (151 goals in 339 games)

Chambers was a left-footed striker who first signed for Liverpool in 1915. However, he was unable to make his debut for the club until the 1919-20 season due to the outbreak of the First World War. He was instrumental in the Reds’ successive championship triumphs in 1921-22 and 1922-23.

D: Kenny Dalglish (172 goals in 515 games)

Quite simply one of Liverpool’s greatest players, the majestic Scottish midfielder first arrived from Celtic in 1977 and ended his run in 1990 having collected six league titles, one FA Cup, four League Cups and three European Cups. “King Kenny” has managed the club on two separate occasions (player-manager at first from 1985-1990) and also has a stand at Anfield named in his honour.

E: John Evans (53 goals in 107 games)

Evans spent four years at Liverpool from 1953 in a stint that unfortunately coincided with the club’s relegation to the Second Division. He still managed to pitch in with regular goals and Evans is also one of only three Liverpool players in history to score five times in one game (along with two other names that appear on this A-Z list: Robbie Fowler and Ian Rush.)

F: Robbie Fowler (183 goals in 369 games)

Fowler earned the nickname “God” at Anfield by virtue of his prodigious goal scoring for the club in the early-to-mid 1990s. The striker is still the eighth-highest scorer in Premier League history and amassed a decent haul of silverware during his Reds career including the FA Cup, two League Cups, UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

G: Steven Gerrard (186 goals in 710 games)

One of Liverpool’s modern greats, Gerrard quickly rose through the ranks to become captain, winning two FA Cups, three League Cups, UEFA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Champions League during a stellar career.

H: Roger Hunt (285 goals in 492 games)

Hunt spent 11 years with Liverpool between 1958 and 1969, and departed as the club’s all-time highest goal scorer — a record that stood for many years until it was eventually surpassed by Rush in 1992.

I: Paul Ince (17 goals in 81 games)

After a stint in Italy with Inter Milan, Ince returned to the Premier League with Liverpool in 1997 (despite being a former Man United player) and proceeded to spend two years at Anfield where he fell short of winning any honours and left following an argument with manager Gerard Houllier in the summer of 1999.

J: David Johnson (78 goals in 213 games)

Johnson spent six seasons at Anfield in the late 1970s and early ’80s and won an impressive array of silverware (including four First Division titles and three European Cups) while primarily being remembered as an impact sub.

K: Kevin Keegan (100 goals in 323 games)

Another of Liverpool’s all-time greats, Keegan spent six highly successful seasons at Anfield in the 1970s and won three First Division titles, the FA Cup, European Cup and two UEFA Cups in 1972-73 and 1975-76.

L: Billy Liddell (228 goals in 534 games)

A Scottish forward who spent his entire professional career at Liverpool, joining as a teenager in 1938 and eventually retiring in 1961, Liddell also finished as the club’s leading goal scorer in eight of the nine seasons between 1949-50 and 1957-58.

M: Sadio Mané (120 goals in 269 games)

Mane formed a formidable strike partnership with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino in Liverpool’s great resurgence under Jurgen Klopp, playing an integral role in winning the 2018-19 Champions League and then the Premier League title of 2019-20.

N: Berry Nieuwenhuys ( 79 goals in 257 games)

South African winger Nieuwenhuys made well over 250 appearances for Liverpool between 1933 and 1947, becoming well known for his darting pace and powerful shooting ability.

O: Michael Owen (158 goals in 297 games)

A prodigal striking talent, Owen burst onto the scene as a teenager in the late 1990s and spent the first eight years of his professional career at Liverpool, winning five major honours in that time. He also went onto collect the 2001 Ballon d’Or and two Premier League Golden Boot awards.

P: Jack Parkinson (128 goals in 219 games)

Parkison spent 11 years at Liverpool from 1903 to 1914 and won both the Second Division and First Division title back to back in 1904-05 and 1905-06. He also finished as the league’s top goal scorer in 1905-06.

Q: Jarrell Quansah (1 goal in 12 games)

The youngest entrant to the Liverpool A-Z by a clear distance, Quansah only made his professional debut for the club in August 2023.

R: Ian Rush (346 goals in 660 games)

One of the greatest natural finishers ever, Rush is Liverpool’s all-time record goal scorer by a comfortable distance. The 1983-84 campaign was his most prolific for the Reds as the Wales international accrued 47 goals in 65 games, winning the Golden Boot in both the First Division and European Cup as Liverpool wrapped up the double.

S: Mohamed Salah (200 goals in 327 games)

Salah brought up his double century for Liverpool recently when he grabbed goal No. 200 in the club’s 2-1 comeback victory over Crystal Palace. The Egypt international therefore became only the fifth Reds’ player in history to reach 200 goals following in the footsteps of Rush, Hunt, Liddell and Gordon Hodgson.

T: John Toshack (96 goals in 247 games)

Wales stalwart Toshack was signed for Liverpool by Bill Shankly in 1970 and went onto spend eight seasons at Anfield, notably forming a highly effective “big man-little man” partnership with Keegan during that time.

U: Harold Uren (2 goals in 45 games)

Uren was a midfielder who progressed from the Liverpool reserves to the first team in the early 1900s. Both of his goals came during the 1911-12 season.

V: Virgil van Dijk (20 goals in 237 games)

The refined Netherlands defender has scored a decent amount of goals for Liverpool over the years, kicking things off with a strike against Everton in the FA Cup third round on his debut. Van Dijk’s most prolific season for the Reds came in the title-winning campaign of 2019-20 when he started and played every minute of every game, and even pitched in with five goals.

W: Ronnie Whelan (73 goals in 493 games)

Irish midfielder Whelan was a staple for Liverpool from 1979 to 1994, when he bowed out as one of the club most-decorated players having won six First Division titles, three FA Cups, three League Cups and the European Cup.

X: Abel Xavier (2 goals in 21 games)

While hardly a Liverpool legend, Xavier can at least rest assured in the knowledge that his spot in the tricky “X” slot is unlikely to ever be taken from him. The Portugal full-back spent just one mediocre season at Anfield (which also included a loan to Galatasaray) before moving onto German side Hannover for the 2003-04 campaign.

Y: Ron Yeats (16 goals in 454 games)

Scottish centre-back Yeats was signed by Shankly and spent a decade at Liverpool between 1961-1971, captaining the side for much of that time. He left having won two First Division titles, a Second Division title and the 1964-65 FA Cup.

Z: Christian Ziege (2 goals in 32 games)

Germany international Ziege spent just one season with Liverpool before departing for Tottenham in the summer of 2001. Sadly a succession of injuries curtailed the full-back’s playing career and he moved into coaching as part of the Borussia Monchengladbach academy in 2006.