2010–11 in English football City's goalless draw at Crystal Palace putting them into second place in the Championship, while Walsall keep their League One survival hopes alive with a 6–1 win over fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers. 31 January 2011: Chelsea pay a British record 50 million pounds for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. Liverpool paid 35 million pounds for Andy Carroll – breaking the transfer record for a British footballer. 2 February 2011: Gary Neville, who has played 602 times for Manchester United since his debut in September 1992, announces his retirement from playing just before his 36th birthday. He has won a total of
History of Liverpool F.C. (1985–present) businessmen George Gillett and Tom Hicks bought the club, in a deal which valued it and its outstanding debts at £218.9 million. Liverpool once more came third in the league, this time 21 points behind Manchester United. They went out of both domestic cup competitions to Arsenal, but reached the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final where they again faced Milan. Unlike 2005, Liverpool were unable to recover from going behind, and lost the match 2–1. During the summer, Benítez strengthened his team by signing Fernando Torres for a club record £24 million, and midfielders Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun. They