21 Years Ago:

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21 Years Ago:

Postby SE13 » Wed May 26, 2010 5:19 pm

Brian Moore: The clock shows two minutes to go. Arsenal fans imploring their team with "come on you yellows", they want that second important goal and suddenly the break is on, Beardsley leading the charge. Aldridge in a perfect position on the far side, but Lukic is there, he’ll want to get the ball forward quickly. Richardson is down with a leg injury and he’s still down and Arsenal want to go on. 41,783 is the crowd here at Anfield and not a soul has left before the final whistle you can be sure. Treatment for Kevin Richardson. Unless there is an amazing and dramatic twist now it looks like Liverpool David.

David Pleat: Yes I think they’ve set out, they’ve been very professional tonight, they’ve made certain of doing their job, they’ve defended very well in the second half when Arsenal have powered forward in search of the second goal. Barnes who has probably been as creative and as brilliant player for them at times this season has been mainly defending this half and quite happy to do so. And that will all be worthwhile if in a couple of minutes time they’ve won the Championship.

Brian Moore: Well theres John Barnes saying "come on" as he shouts to his team mates. John Aldridge over there. Lets just keep it going for a few seconds more. Richardson is down again, presumably he’ll have to go off and remember Arsenal have both their substitutes already on. One minute to go. McMahon has got the word from the Kop obviously. But nobody knows quite how much time the referee will add on. But there’s a real competitor, a man that really has earned a Championship medal. <<<Steve McMahon>>> The faces of the players are something to behold at the moment.

David Pleat: I think in a way if Arsenal are to lose a Championship having had such a lead at one time its somewhat poetic justice that they have got the result on the last day even if their not to win it.

Brian Moore: They would see that as small consolation David, but has you can see we are well into time added on. Just a few seconds away now for Kenny Dalglish unless Arsenal can mount something absolutely spectacular in the few seconds that remain. Nichols in there, Barnes is in there, Adams has stopped him, Barnes has beaten Adams, Aldridge is waiting at the far side, Adams is after his man but Barnes will not be denied, yes he will by Richardson moments ago down and injured.

Arsenal come streaming forward now in surely what will be their last attack. A good ball by Dixon finding Smith, for Thomas charging through the midfield, Thomas, its up for grabs now! Thomas right at the end. An unbelievable climax to the League season.

We’re well into injury time. The Liverpool players are down, absolutely abject! Aldridge is down, Barnes is down, Dalglish just stands there, Nichols on his knees, McMahons on his knees, suddenly it was Michael Thomas, bursting through, the bounce fell his way, he flicks it wide of Grobbellar and we have the most dramatic finish maybe in the history of the Football League. The top two challenging on the night, and the title possibly decided in the last minute of the whole season, but wait a moment Whealan turning it in and Thomas gets it back to Lukic. We’ve played nearly two minutes of injury time. George Graham would love to get out there and play himself and so would Kenny Dalglish, its agony for them and for the fans, as Liverpool now for so long it seemed in command. Except! The final whistle. Arsenal the Champions. A momentous occasion this for Arsenal, coming here requiring a two goal lead and snatched it in the most dramatic fashion in the last minute of the game.

A hammer blow for Liverpool, for the likes of John Barnes who over the season has produced football of the most majestic standard. David O’Leary helps Aldridge to his feet and Aldridge wasn’t too happy with that. The Kop bravely and gamely applauding their heroes. But the winners are Arsenal who have gone over to their fans. And they came it seems without a chance, but the Gunners have kept their powder dry until it really matters. They’ve denied Liverpool the League and Cup Double, Arsenal the Champions for the first time since 1971, the ninth time in their history, the first team to win by two goals here at Anfield since 1986, a super human effort against the odds and achieved with that goal in the last minute by Michael Thomas.



My diary of the day: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2517

8:05pm tonight is 21 years exactly since kick-off that night.
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Re: 21 Years Ago:

Postby Massa » Wed May 26, 2010 5:29 pm

'Thomas, charging through the midfield, Thomas, IT'S UP FOR GRABS NOW...!'
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Re: 21 Years Ago:

Postby SE13 » Wed May 26, 2010 5:48 pm

From this forum, I think it's only me and Libertine that were there that night, but if anyone else was, please add your memory of it, and even if you only watched it on the box (and live games were rare back then) please add your memory of that.
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Re: 21 Years Ago:

Postby Briggsy » Wed May 26, 2010 5:58 pm

I was in london sadly as a 11 year old kid :-( but best night ever!
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Re: 21 Years Ago:

Postby Briggsy » Wed May 26, 2010 6:55 pm

Imagine it now. Denilson charging through the midfield its up for grabs now oh he has passed it side ways to Diaby its up for grabs now oh no he has been muscled off the ball by ronnie Corbett
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Re: 21 Years Ago:

Postby Gunflash » Wed May 26, 2010 7:13 pm

:arse flag.gif:

The greatest finish ever to a season. What a way to win the title. McMahon walking around saying "one minute" and then Mickey popping up and silencing Anfield. Just think, if he hadn't scored that goal, Arsenal would have been remembered for blowing a big lead at the top of the table - although subsequent Arsenal teams have more than made up for that! The heart and bottle that they showed was really impressive, given how the team was a shambles against Derby and Wimbledon. It's possible to feel a deeper connection with the 1989 team because they were quite "low grade" but they achieved great success. The team was a great mix of academy graduates (O'Leary and Davis had been around for years but Adams, Rocastle, Thomas, Merson and Hayes were the new broom), cheap but important buys (Richardson, Groves and Marwood) solid defenders (Bould, Dixon and Winterburn), a solid goalkeeper (Lukic) and a prolific and unselfish striker (Smith). The greatest moment in Arsenal's history.

:arsenal3:
There's David O'Leary and big Willie Young, sending Rixy and Stapleton off on a run
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Re: 21 Years Ago:

Postby SE13 » Wed May 26, 2010 7:33 pm

I still find it hard to put into words the emotion at the second going in. The first is easy, is was a pure release of relief, and the belief we could do it, and a sense of utter madness, with that sort of "we can easily do this" feeling.

But when Mickey Thomas made that net bulge, it's just undescribable, I'd been supporting Arsenal years and years, and there was nothing comparable in all that time. I wouldn't be kidding if I said we went utterly mental in that corner, my feet certainly didn't touch the floor for ages, we just went potty! I felt like I'd jumped 100 feet into the air, I think we all did.

I'd love to hear Libertine's take on it, as he's about the only other person I know that was there that night, and he was there with me at Liverpool Lime Street Station the morning after, among others. (The difference being that I wasn't going to Scotland Vs England the following day, and I didn't miss my train)
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Re: 21 Years Ago:

Postby Arsenal Tone » Wed May 26, 2010 7:45 pm

It was the first match that I ever watched from start to finish (albeit on TV). I was 11 (I guess I'm the same age as Briggsy). My dad didn't support a team but usually supports the underdog and he told me we wanted Arsenal to win. I had never seen my dad get excited about a football match before but he was going mental cheering when Arsenal scored. I wasn't interested in football until that moment, but I finally got what all the fuss was about. My mum said how my great Aunt would be pleased because they were her team (she lived in north london and my uncle was a proper londoner/arsenal fan).

After that I watched the 1990 world cup and the following season collected the panini football stickers. Arsenal were the first team that I got all the stickers for. My auntie had been sending me down programmes from Arsenal matches and Arsenal became my team. I bought the shirt, joined the junior gunners and the rest is history.

That moment turned me into both a football fan and an Arsenal fan.
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Re: 21 Years Ago:

Postby SE13 » Wed May 26, 2010 8:04 pm

If you look at the footage of those on the terraces after Thomas scores, it kind of sums it up. (About 7.11 into the video) I was to the left of the picture, just slightly out of sight which p!sses me off to a huge degree, though I should be somewhere in the first goal celebrations, I was wearing one of those kagool things in blue which were all the rage back then, centre of the terrace, near to the entry drop. I didn't make the second goal, the camera was too far round, but at 4m 37s on this video, just after the first, look to the very right of the screen, diagonally back from the flag, and that's me in a blur of blue (diagonally back from someone in green)
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Re: 21 Years Ago:

Postby tkmullan » Wed May 26, 2010 9:11 pm

Hah. I wasn't even alive back then.

Can only imagine how amazing it must have been to actually be there when it happened.

Imagine it now. Denilson charging through the midfield its up for grabs now oh he has passed it side ways to Diaby its up for grabs now oh no he has been muscled off the ball by ronnie Corbett

this isn't funny, because it's what would actually happen.
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Re: 21 Years Ago:

Postby AFC111158 » Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:06 pm

I'm glad to say i was there,what a match to miss!It was certainly something that will never happen again even though Sky Sports have tried with the way they announce their televised games.We made history that night winning the league on a Friday night means we've won it every day of the week!
It was well worth getting stopped the days pay for as i had us to win the League at 8/1 £20 on,and a £10 to win 2-0 at 16/1 nice odds!!Good old Mickey Thomas,should've scored about five minutes earlier though!!!!
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Re: 21 Years Ago:

Postby SE13 » Tue Oct 19, 2010 11:49 am

There's a review of my take on the day kicking around somewhere titled something along the lines of "A day in Liverpool"

Feel free to add your thoughts or take on the day.
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Re: 21 Years Ago:

Postby Gunner Down Under » Fri Dec 31, 2010 11:33 pm

Now that I think of it it's almost a Hollywood ending- the top two teams play on the final day of the season, if Arsenal win by 2 goals they win the title which they had been leading, but Liverpool hadn't been beaten since January and lead the title race. Even the fixture was pushed back because of Hillsborough, Arsenal also play away from home and start with a 5-4-1 formation. Arsenal win the game by scoring in the final seconds of the game, which basically follows a 'script' in all major movies.
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Re: 21 Years Ago:

Postby gzagee » Thu May 26, 2011 3:28 pm

22 years ago tonight....
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Re: 21 Years Ago:

Postby StLGooner » Thu May 26, 2011 3:42 pm

gzagee wrote:22 years ago tonight....



Stop living in the past.... ;)
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