Football: Rush, Dalglish voted best British strike duo

ALAN SHEARER and Michael Owen have voted the Ian Rush-Kenny Dalglish strike force the best Britain has seen. The England forwards made their decision for Match Of The Day magazine as part of a poll to establish the most lethal forward duo of all time.

Owen selected two of his Anfield predecessors as Shearer reflected on the skills of his former Newcastle manager. Rush and Dalglish helped win the League and FA Cup Double in 1986, but their most successful season was 1982-83 when they scored 50 goals between them.

"Rush was a class striker; deadly around the box and with a scoring instinct," Owen said.

Shearer said of Dalglish: "He would take the defender out of the game with a pass and put backspin on the ball so it sat up, inviting the shot. Class."

Peter Beardsley and Gary Lineker - who scored 36 goals together as an England partnership - were voted as runners-up, while Kevin Keegan, and John Toshack were third.

The Keegan-Toshack combination was the forerunner to Dalglish and Rush and set the standard at Anfield. In 1975-76, Liverpool won their second Uefa Cup and ninth League title thanks to the strike force which bagged 39 goals between them.

Match of the Day greatest British strike partnerships: 1 Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool); 2 Peter Beardsley and Gary Lineker (England); 3 Kevin Keegan and John Toshack (Liverpool); 4 Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton (Blackburn best season 1995, 58 goals); 5 Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole (Man Utd 1998-9 43 this season); 6 Jimmy Greaves and Bobby Smith (Tottenham 1963-64, 49); 7 Gary Shaw and Peter Withe (Aston Villa 1980- 81, 41); 8 Andy Cole and Peter Beardsley (Newcastle United, 1994-95 41 + 21); 9 Frank McAvennie and Tony Cottee (West Ham, 1985-86, 53); 10 Mark Hateley and Ally McCoist (Rangers 1991-92, 23 + 39); 11 Mick Jones and Allan Clarke (Leeds United 1969-70, 26 + 26); 12 Ray Crawford and Ted Phillips (Ipswich Town 1960-61, 40 + 30); 13 Ray Kennedy and John Radford (Arsenal 1970-71, 25 + 22); 14 Derek Dougan and John Richards (Wolves 1972-73, 15 + 33); 15 Ian Wright and Mark Bright (Crystal Palace 1987- 88, 23 + 26).