21 April 1923

They say it's harder to retain the Championship than to win it in the first place – and the task is made even tougher when your manager jumps ship midway through the season.

But this is exactly what the Reds did in 1922-23 despite the departure in February of boss David Ashworth, who, with his side on the brink of back to back titles, decided to return to the club where he started out, Oldham Athletic.

His decision was never fully explained to the Anfield faithful. It seemed even more bizarre given the fact Oldham were bottom of the League at the time, and indeed went on to suffer relegation.

Thankfully, Ashworth's bombshell didn't affect things on the pitch and Liverpool went on to clinch the Championship by finishing six points ahead of Sunderland.

There were memorable victories against Arsenal (5-2) and Sunderland (5-1) along the way, though the highlight of the campaign undoubtedly came with a 5-1 victory in the Merseyside derby.

Liverpool had actually fallen behind early in the game, but an unforgettable victory was sealed thanks largely to top scorer Harry Chambers.

It was he who netted a bullet header to level things up before firing again shortly after the restart. Match reports suggest many Kopites missed the latter because they were still drinking Brown Ale at the bar.

The former shipyard worker went on to complete a hat-trick against the old enemy with a curler from outside the box.

Chambers finished the season with an impressive tally of 25 goals in all competitions, but he wasn't the only star in the title-winning side of 1922-23.

There was Dick Forshaw, who bagged 20 goals including a hat-trick against Preston North End.

Then there was legendary goalkeeper Elisha Scott, an ever present in what was the 10^th of his 22-year Anfield career. What he lacked in size, he made up for in courage and agility, and it's unlikely the title would have once again found its way back to Merseyside without him.