Liverpool vs Arsenal 1989 season title decider - 30 years ago today

SharpshooterTom

Game was moved due to the Hillsborough tragedy and eventually scheduled as it so happens to be the penultimate match of the season, turned out to be the title decider.

Liverpool were looking to wrap up the 80s with their 7th title win of that decade, all they had to do was avoid losing by two goals at Anfield and they were well on their way for another double.

I know the Aguero was an iconic moment in the Sky TV era, not less because they needed two goals to win the league in injury time (like United in 1999), but I think the actual achievement by Arsenal was better. Liverpool were like peak Barca at the Nou Camp in those days, some called that Liverpool's greatest ever side. To go there and win 0-2 was surely not expected.

It was a one off game played on a friday night bizarrely, viewing figures were greater than 12 million for UK TV since it was on terrestrial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAZK5PpOZOQ

J. Marston

Whoever signed off on changing the backpass rule should have a statue made in their honour.

How did people watch that and not break TVs?

SharpshooterTom

J. Marston wrote: »

How did people watch that and not break TVs?

I think more Liverpool fans were breaking their TV sets asking why John Barnes didn't run into the corner.

LuckyLloyd

Hard to choose between that or Agueeerrrroooo for most exciting league finish. Probably lean towards this as it was a direct showdown between the two relevant clubs.

KaiserGunner

Greatest ever finish to a league title in English football. Eclipses the Aguero moment, which would be the greatest finish to a premier league title. Was too young to have watched it in 1989. But even watching it back and hearing stories about it, makes me proud to be an Arsenal fan.

fyfe79

That game was live on RTE 2. Mental finish. Was only 10 years old at the time but was devastated, couldn't believe what I had seen. What a rollercoaster of a season that was - Hillsborough, the FA Cup final win over Everton and then that title decider. Brilliant Liverpool team though.

passatman86

I have a programme from that game. 30 years wow

citytillidie

fyfe79 wrote: »

That game was live on RTE 2. Mental finish. Was only 10 years old at the time but was devastated, couldn't believe what I had seen. What a rollercoaster of a season that was - Hillsborough, the FA Cup final win over Everton and then that title decider. Brilliant Liverpool team though.

Cup final win was the week before along with Liverpool beating West Ham on the Tuesday to set up that Friday night game

salmocab

In Nick Hornbys fever pitch that chapter was called the greatest moment ever

fyfe79

citytillidie wrote: »

Cup final win was the week before along with Liverpool beating West Ham on the Tuesday to set up that Friday night game

Yep, remembered the sequence and ninja-edited

eigrod

Liverpool had an unbelievable run from January and then obviously Hillsborough happened on 15th April.

They played the Cup final v Everton on the previous Saturday which went to ET. They then beat West Ham 5-1 on the Tuesday which gave them the GD advantage going in to Arsenal game. Never so gutted as I was that night.

DeanAustin

passatman86 wrote: »

I have a programme from that game. 20 years wow

Does someone want to tell him?

fyfe79

eigrod wrote: »

Liverpool had an unbelievable run from January and then obviously Hillsborough happened on 15th April.

They played the Cup final v Everton on the previous Saturday which went to ET. They then beat West Ham 5-1 on the Tuesday which gave them the GD advantage going in to Arsenal game. Never so gutted as I was that night.

Seems strange now that Liverpool played the cup final on Saturday, again in the league on Tuesday and Friday. I know it's because of Hillsborough but English clubs were not involved in Europe and there wasn't an international tournament in the summer. I wonder why the Arsenal game couldn't have been played on the Sunday, for example. Must leagues finish within a certain time-frame by UEFA regulations of something?

passatman86

passatman86 wrote: »

I have a programme from that game. 20 years wow

30!

SharpshooterTom

DeanAustin wrote: »

Does someone want to tell him?

20 years today, 26th May 1999, is another big anniversary for certain treble winning side. :pac:

SharpshooterTom

eigrod wrote: »

Liverpool had an unbelievable run from January and then obviously Hillsborough happened on 15th April.

They played the Cup final v Everton on the previous Saturday which went to ET. They then beat West Ham 5-1 on the Tuesday which gave them the GD advantage going in to Arsenal game. Never so gutted as I was that night.

Supposedly Liverpool had played 8 games in just 3 weeks, having just won the cup final, and attending all those funerals, there's a good chance it all had caught up with them that night.

tayto lover

The Liverpool players, well those now working on t.v., never got over that game.

SharpshooterTom

tayto lover wrote: »

The Liverpool players, well those now working on t.v., never got over that game.

They won the league the year after, bit like how Utd quickly got over 2012 thanks to Van Persie.

ozzy jr

There'll never be a more dramatic end to a league season than that. Quite amazing.

carltonleon

https://www.skysports.com/football/live-blog/11095/11727099/liverpool-vs-arsenal-89-live

passatman86

DeanAustin wrote: »

Does someone want to tell him?

Ha ha I was too quick with the typing

passatman86

DeanAustin wrote: »

Does someone want to tell him?

Ha ha I was too quick with the typing

simongurnick

Still breaks my heart. Always thought it was a wednesday night though

Sheep breeder

Remember what a great player David Rocastle was and Arsenal had a great defence.

Fr Tod Umptious

David O'Leary
Steve Stanton
Ronnie Whelan
Ray Houghton
John Aldridge

5 Republic of Ireland players started that night.

Guy:Incognito

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

Game was moved due to the Hillsborough tragedy and eventually scheduled as it so happens to be the penultimate match of the season, turned out to be the title decider.

]

It was the last game of the season

sideswipe

Have a scar on the top of my head from the moment the 2nd Arsenal goal went in. Was watching in my Auntie’s house and jumped head first into the couch in despair. There was a big wooden beam running along couch which split my head open, I was like Terry Butcher at full time!

KaiserGunner

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

They won the league the year after, bit like how Utd quickly got over 2012 thanks to Van Persie.

Great point. Liverpool were the dominant force in English football at the time, won the league the season after this heartbreak. Yet haven’t won a league since.

Man Utd were the dominant force in English football at that time, recovered after the last min heartbreak (Aguero), by winning the league. Yet haven’t won it since. That’s football and why we all love it.

Noo

"Ma, why does everyone else have fancy dangling lights in their sitting room, and we have what looks like a glass plate stuck to our ceiling?"

"Ask your father"

gimli2112

tayto lover wrote: »

The Liverpool players, well those now working on t.v., never got over that game.

2005 went a lot of the way towards fixing it. If we had won the league this year I may have been able to put it all behind me but we didn't and I can't.

ozzy jr

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

John Aldridge.

"That's for Brian Laws you c**t" - Tony Adams.

citytillidie

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

David O'Leary
Steve Stanton
Ronnie Whelan
Ray Houghton
John Aldridge

5 Republic of Ireland players started that night.

And then Graeme Souness came in and got rid of all the Irish players in the Liverpool team

citytillidie

citytillidie wrote: »

And then Graeme Souness came in and got rid of all the Irish players in the Liverpool team

Cause he hated Irish catholics according to the tinfoil hat brigade