October 20, 1990: The Battle of Old Trafford

October 20, 1990: North London soccer team Arsenal travel to Old Trafford to play Manchester United. Both teams are chasing defending Champions Liverpool in the hope of winning the Football League Division One. (It became the Premier League in 1992.)

Old Trafford, located in the Borough of Salford, about 4 miles west of Central Manchester, was filled to capacity with 47,232 fans. Already known as the Theatre of Dreams since United's 1960s success, it has since been expanded to 74,310 seats, making it the largest stadium in the Premier League. The 26,000-seat Old Trafford Cricket Ground is a short walk away.

Arsenal were managed by George Graham, a midfielder on the Arsenal team that had won The Double -- the League and the FA Cup in the same season -- in 1971. A year later, he was sold to United, and became their Captain -- and still held that role when the team was relegated at the end of the 1974 season. (It was hardly his fault: He was not the only player on that team that was past his prime.) They came right back up the next season, and have been in the top flight ever since. Arsenal have been in it continuously since 1919.

United were managed by Alex Ferguson, a forward for several Scottish teams from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, and was not an especially remarkable player. They grew up 10 miles apart: Ferguson was from West Glasgow, Graham from Bargeddie to the east of downtown Glasgow.

Arsenal had won the League in 1989, needing to win away to Liverpool by at least 2 goals on the last day of the season, and doing it, on a goal by Michael Thomas in the last possible minute. Manchester United were the current holders of the FA (Football Association) Cup, the 1st trophy they would win under Ferguson. For both sides, there were more trophies to come.

There wasn't always bad blood between the teams. In the 1979 FA Cup Final, Arsenal led 2-0 in the 86th minute. Within 2 minutes, United had equalized. But Arsenal came right back, and Alan Sunderland scored in the 89th to win it. That game was clean: Neither side felt the need to play rough.

That would not be the case in 1983. Arsenal had advanced to the Semifinals of both domestic cup tournaments, but lost both to United. Losing the League Cup Semi was one thing. Losing the FA Cup Semi when Norman Whiteside should have been sent off for a dive, and then he scored the winning goal, was a bit much. This may have been the first time Arsenal had been robbed by a United-friendly referee, and there would be plenty more where that came from.

In 1987, Arsenal went into a match with United at Old Trafford with a 22-game unbeaten streak in all competitions. Graham was in his 1st season with Arsenal after managing South London team Millwall, and this was his 1st match against United. Ferguson was in his 1st season with United after managing Aberdeen F.C. in Scotland, and this was his 1st match against Arsenal. Whiteside was his usual dirty self, and he was fouled by Arsenal star David Rocastle, and Rocastle was sent off. United won it, 2-0.

In 1988, they played each other in the 5th Round of the FA Cup, at Arsenal Stadium, known as Highbury for its North London neighborhood. Arsenal led 2-1 late, but United were awarded a penalty that Arsenal considered dubious. Scottish forward Brian McClair took the penalty, and missed, sending the ball over the cross bar of the goal, and was taunted for this by Arsenal left back Nigel Winterburn.

Arsenal went into the October 20, 1990 match in 2nd place behind Liverpool, and United were in 6th. United were without their usual Captain, Bryan Robson, due to injury, so fellow midfielder Neil Webb wore the armband. Before the 1988-89 season, centreback Tony Adams, just 22, was named the youngest Captain in Arsenal history to that point, and rewarded Graham's faith by leading them to the League title.

Midfielder Thomas returned from injury. But the biggest change for Arsenal was the return from injury of Anders Limpar, the Swedish midfielder who had been Graham's big off-season signing. Limpar was one of the earliest big names in the English League not to be from the British Isles. Graham had a thing for Scandinavian players, which would eventually prove to be his undoing.

The game was scoreless until just before halftime, when Paul Davis took a corner for Arsenal, and passed it to Limpar. From a seemingly impossible angle, the Swede swatted the ball with his left foot, and sent it past United goalkeeper Les Sealey. It bounced off Sealey's hands and back out, but had clearly crossed the line, and referee Keith Hackett gave the goal.

Anders Limpar after scoring.

Michael Thomas and David Rocastle in the background.

That lead -- as a later song would put it, "One-Nil to The Arsenal" -- still held at the hour mark. Denis Irwin, United's Irish right back and a notoriously dirty player, challenged Limpar for the ball. Winterburn tackled him to stop him, a clean play. Irwin didn't think so, and he and McClair shoved Winterburn. Midfielder Paul Ince pushed Limpar into the advertising hoardings around the pitch.

Denis Irwin

Both sets of players rushed to the scene -- to both teams' credit, mostly to try to stop it from getting further out of control. It was mostly pushing and shoving, and lasted only about 20 seconds. Thomas would later say, "It wasn't a brawl, because no one threw a punch." Only 1 player did not get involved: Arsenal's new goalkeeper, David Seaman.

Hackett had correctly given Arsenal's goal, but when things settled down, his rulings defied logic. He gave yellow cards, warnings, to Limpar and Winterburn, and gave no punishment to any players from United.

Arsenal held on to win 1-0, but the game left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Both teams took action against their own people, hoping to inoculate themselves against additional charges by the FA. While United's fines were never made public, the rumor was that Irwin, McClair and Ince had all been fined. Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood announced that he had fined Limpar, Winterburn, Thomas, Davis and Rocastle undisclosed amounts, and also that he had fined Graham £9,000 for losing control of his players.

The Football Association, the governing body of English soccer -- not the League itself -- was told by UEFA, the governing body for European soccer, to take action. They fined both teams £50,000, and deducted points from both teams. This had never happened because of a fight before, and has not happened since. United were docked one point, and Arsenal were docked two points.

This was unfair. If anything, it should have been the other way around, as United had started the fight. Ferguson's career as the dirtiest manager the English football system has ever known was underway. (He may have since been surpassed by Jose Mourinho.) As Arsenal's seniormost player, Irish centreback David O'Leary, put it, "The champagne will be out at Liverpool tonight, because this makes our task very much harder."

This did not faze George Graham's Arsenal. Instead, it bred a siege mentality in them. On December 2, they demolished Liverpool 3-0 at Highbury. On February 2, 1991, they went across London to Chelsea, and sustained a 2-1 loss that turned out to be the only defeat of their season in League play. On March 3, they went to Anfield, and a Paul Merson goal gave them a 1-0 win that struck what turned out to be a fatal blow to Liverpool's hopes.

Their cup campaigns were not as successful. On November 28, just 39 days after the "brawl," they played United in the 4th Round of the League Cup at Highbury, and lost 6-2. At least that game was played without incident.

And on April 14, they lost to North London arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Semifinal of the FA Cup, at Villa Park in Birmingham, home of Aston Villa. This followed 0-0 draws with "Spurs" in League play, at Highbury on September 1, and at White Hart Lane on January 12. But Spurs tailed off, as is their custom: Just 2 points behind Arsenal following the point-docking, they finished 10th. They did, however, win the FA Cup, defeating East Midlands team Nottingham Forest in the Final.

It's been 31 years since. They have never even won another FA Cup Semifinal, going 0-8 since 1991, including defeats to Arsenal in 1993 and 2001. In that time, their only trophies have been League Cups, in 1999 and 2008.

On May 6, 1991, a Bank Holiday Monday in Britain, Forest beat Liverpool 2-1. This clinched the title for Arsenal, for the 2nd time in 3 seasons. As fate would have it, Arsenal then had to take the pitch at Highbury to play United, and received a "guard of honour" from the United players.

Alex Ferguson and George Graham.

This photo may be from Graham's later tenure at Leeds United.

Forward Alan Smith scored a hat trick to clinch the Golden Boot as the League's leading scorer, and the Gunners beat the Red Devils 3-1. And, all game long, the Arsenal fans chanted, more to the FA than to United, or Liverpool, or anyone else in particular, "You can shove yer fookin' two points up yer arse!"

In 1992-93, its 1st season of play, United won the Premier League, while Arsenal won the FA Cup. United won both in 1994, for their 1st Double. Graham was fired for financial improprieties in 1995, and after playing the 1995-96 season, another Double season for United, under Bruce Rioch, Arsenal hired French manager Arsène Wenger.

United won the League again in 1997. Wenger led Arsenal to the Double in 1998. In 1999, Ferguson led United to win the League (by just 1 point over Arsenal), the FA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League, English football's 1st "European Treble." It was the 1st of 3 straight League titles for United, and Arsenal finished 2nd every time.

Arsenal won another Double in 2002, clinching the League title at Old Trafford. In 2003, Arsenal successfully defended the Cup, but United edged them to win the League. At this point, the rivalry between the teams got really nasty, as Ferguson assembled a team of divers and thugs, playing the kind of football that made Don Revie's 1960s and '70s "Dirty Leeds" look like paragons of sportsmanship in comparison.

The 2003-04 season featured an early-season match loaded with controversy, ending in a 0-0 draw that also became known as "The Battle of Old Trafford." Arsenal won the League, going unbeaten, but could only manage a pair of draws with United, who also knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup in the Semifinal, and won it.

Arsenal began the 2004-05 season by extending their League unbeaten run to 49 games, a new record. But the 50th game, at Old Trafford, may have been the ugliest game in Premier League history. Referee Mike Riley, who officiated in Arsenal's victorious 2002 FA Cu Final win over Chelsea, should have sent off Rio Ferdinand, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and both Neville brothers, Gary and Phil, but didn't, before Wayne Rooney executed a straight-red-card-worthy dive in the 73rd minute, and Riley awarded a penalty. van Nistelrooy scored it.

Rooney finished the game off in the 90th minute, and United won 2-0, with both goals coming from players who shouldn't even have been on the pitch. United should have ended the game with only 6 players.

After the game there was shouting between the layers and staffs. Someone -- later suggested to be Cesc Fàbregas, the 18-year-old Catalan midfielder touted as Arsenal's future (and didn't turn out that way -- went into the visiting team dressing room, pulled a slice of pizza from the postgame spread, and threw it at Ferguson, splattering his jacket. The game became known as "The Battle of the Buffet."

By this point, Keith Hackett, the referee for the 1990 Battle of Old Trafford, was in his 1st full season as the general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL). This means he assigned the referees to the various matches, and disciplined them for errors. He did not discipline Riley, although he did award van Nistelrooy a retroactive 3-match ban, which he would have gotten had Riley correctly given him a straight red card.

Arsenal went on to beat United in the 2005 FA Cup Final. But United won the League again in 2007, '08, '09 (clinching the title with a next-to-the-last-weekend 0-0 draw with Arsenal at Old Trafford), '11 and '13, and won another Champions League in 2008.

In 2009, Hackett retired as head of the PGMOL. His replacement? Riley, who still holds the post. Arsenal have still not won the League since 2004, although they have won the FA Cup in 2014, '15, '17 and '20.

Sir Alex Ferguson (knighted following the 1999 Treble) retired in 2013, and United's only trophies since have been the 2016 FA Cup and the 2017 UEFA Europa League. Arsène Wenger retired in 2018. George Graham has been out of management since 2001. All 3 are still alive: Ferguson is 80, Graham is about to turn 78, and Wenger turns 73 in 2 days.

Wenger has published an autobiography, My Life in Red and White, in honor of the fact that all 4 teams he has managed as a professional wore those colors. Graham wrote one in 1996, The Glory and the Grief. Ferguson has written 2: Managing My Life in 2000, and My Autobiography following his 2013 retirement.

Although Football -- Bloody Hell! is a bio of "Fergie," and the title a quote attributed to him, it was written by Patrick Barclay. He has also written bios of Herbert Chapman, the 1st great Arsenal manager, in the 1930s; Matt Busby, the great United manager of the 1950s and '60s; and Jose Mourinho, who joined Ferguson and Wenger as the 3rd high-achieving Premier League manager of the 21st Century, winning League titles at Chelsea, and later failing as manager of United, and now manages Tottenham.

*

October 20, 1990 was a Saturday. The Cincinnati Reds beat the Oakland Athletics, 2-1 at the Oakland Coliseum, completing a 4-game sweep of the World Series, a tremendous upset. Neither team has reached the World Series since.

The NBA season wouldn't begin for another 13 days. There were 8 games played in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.

* The New York Islanders lost to the Buffalo Sabres, 3-1 at the Nassau Coliseum.

* The New Jersey Devils lost to the Washington Capitals, 4-0 at the Capital Centre in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland.

* The Quebec Nordiques beat the Detroit Red Wings, 5-3 at the Colisée de Québec.

* The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Montreal Canadiens, 5-3 at the Montreal Forum.

* The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 6-2 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

* The Minnesota North Stars and the St. Louis Blues played to a tie, 2-2 at the St. Louis Arena.

* The Calgary Flames beat the Boston Bruins, 8-1 at the Saddledome in Calgary.

And there were college football games, including the following:

* Number 1 Virginia beat Wake Forest, 49-14 at Groves Stadium in Wake Forest, North Carolina. The next week, Virginia began an awful collapse, losing 4 of their last 5 games, and blowing the Atlantic Coast Conference title. They were still invited to the Sugar Bowl.

* Number 2 Miami were upset by Number 6 Notre Dame, 29-20 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. The Fighting Irish later lost to Penn State, but were still Number 5 when they played Colorado in the Orange Bowl. Had they won that game, they wouldn't have been awarded the National Championship -- then again, it's Notre Dame, so you never know -- but Colorado certainly wouldn't have, being 8-2-1.

* Number 3 Tennessee lost to Alabama, 9-6 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee still won the Southeastern Conference title, and beat Virginia in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama went to the Fiesta Bowl, losing to the University of Louisville.

* Number 4 Nebraska beat Oklahoma State, 31-3 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. Two weeks later, Nebraska lost to Colorado, to knock them out of the Big 8, and national, title picture.

* Number 5 Auburn beat Number 7 Florida State, 20-17 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. But the Tigers blew their chance by losing 3 games the rest of the way.

* Number 10 Michigan were upset by Number 22 Iowa, 24-23 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. Iowa went on to win the Big Ten Conference title.

* Number 11 Georgia Tech were tied by North Carolina, 13-13 at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This would turn out to be the only blemish on Tech's record, as they won the Atlantic Coast Conference title, and beat Nebraska in the Citrus Bowl, finishing 11-0-1.

* Number 13 Washington beat Stanford, 52-16 at the old Stanford Stadium in the San Francisco suburb of Palo Alto, California. Washington won the Pacific-Ten Conference title, and beat Iowa in the Rose Bowl.

* Number 14 Colorado beat Kansas, 41-10 at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas. Colorado had already had their "Fifth Down" win over Missouri, and went on to win the Big Eight title, and beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, to win one of the more dubious National Championships in college football history.

Why weren't Georgia Tech, at 11-0-1, the only undefeated team in the country, and a school with a considerably better historical legacy than Colorado, given the National Championship over Colorado, who were 11-1-1 and should've been 10-2-1?

The only thing I can think of is, the ACC, while probably the most-respected league when it comes to college basketball, were not as respected in college football as the Big 8 (Colorado's league), the Big 10, the Pac-10, the SEC and the SWC. Then again, in 1984, Brigham Young (BYU) won the Western Athletic Conference title and were the only undefeated team, and were selected over Washington (11-1 and the only team with 1 blemish, but not Pac-10 Champions).

* Number 16 Oklahoma lost to Iowa State, 33-31 at Owen Field in Norman, Oklahoma.

* Number 17 Florida beat Akron, 59-0 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.

* Number 19 Texas beat Arkansas, 49-17 at Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. They got up to Number 3 before losing to then-Number 4 Miami in the Cotton Bowl. And they'd already lost to Colorado on September 22. So even if they'd won the Cotton Bowl, they probably wouldn't have been ranked any higher than 3rd in the last poll.

May 26, 1989: The Anfield Finale

How can I explain this story to people who, like me until 2008, had never heard it before?

Think of Liverpool Football Club as the 2001 New York Yankees: A storied past, a great present, but going into the finale having had an unbearable tragedy that still haunts the city to this day.

And think of Arsenal Football Club as the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers, looking for that elusive championship, and it looks like it's finally going to happen, and then the collapse.

Now imagine that Bobby Thomson plays for the Dodgers, and you've got Michael Thomas.

May 26, 1989: Arsenal clinch the title in England's Football League, beating Liverpool, 2-0 at Liverpool's ground, Anfield. The way the tiebreakers worked, Arsenal had to beat Liverpool by 2 goals, and they get the 2nd from Michael Thomas in the last minute of the last game of the season.

Both soccer teams are among England's most historic. Liverpool had dominated the League in the 1980s, and were the defending Champions, having also reach the Final of the previous season's FA Cup. Arsenal were on the rise, having won the 1987 League Cup.

Liverpool were managed by Kenny Dalglish, who had played on those late 1970s to mid-1980s trophy winners, and had still not officially retired as a player, although he hadn't played in the 1988-89 season. He might have been the best player Scotland has ever produced, and the best player ever to suit up for Liverpool.

Arsenal were managed by George Graham, a key midfielder on their 1970-71 team that won both the League and the FA Cup, "The Double." (Dalglish had led Liverpool to The Double in 1986, as player and manager, a "double" of his own.) 

Graham was a good player, but was considered a bit lazy. His nickname was "Stroller," because he didn't seem to be running much, particularly in comparison to more athletic teammates like Charlie George, Ray Kennedy and George Armstrong. As a manager, he was so discipline-oriented that, like Herb Brooks of the 1980 Gold Medal-winning U.S. Olympic hockey team, his players nicknamed him "The Ayatollah." He freely admitted, "The player I was could never have played for the manager I am."

Dalglish was from Milton, on the North Side of Glasgow; Graham, from Bargeddie, east of Glasgow, about 9 miles from Milton.

There was history between the teams: Arsenal had beaten Liverpool in the FA Cup Final in 1950, and again in 1971 to win The Double. Liverpool edged Arsenal out for the League title in 1973. The teams had played an epic FA Cup Semifinal against each other in 1980, requiring 3 replays before Arsenal finally won it (and then lost the Final). And Arsenal had beaten Liverpool in the Final to win the aforementioned 1987 League Cup.

On New Year's Eve, December 31, 1988, Arsenal beat Aston Villa of Birmingham to take 1st place, while Liverpool lost to Manchester United on New Year's Day, leaving them 9 points adrift.

Arsenal remained on top at the end of January. At the end of February, Arsenal were still top, with Liverpool in 8th, 19 points back -- but with 4 games in hand, meaning, if they won all 4, they'd be only 7 points back. They did go on a tear: At the end of March, they were only 5 points behind League-leading Arsenal, with a game in hand.

Arsenal were still top on April 15, beating Newcastle United 1-0 in a League match, while the FA Cup Semifinals were scheduled for neutral sites. Both Merseyside teams had gotten that far. Everton beat Norfolk team Norwich City 1-0 at Aston Villa's Villa Park. And Liverpool were set to play East Midlands team Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Yorkshire, home of Sheffield Wednesday.

But just 6 minutes in, the game was abandoned, as fans came onto the field. This was not a hooligans' invasion: It was a disaster. A combination of too many fans let into the wrong section by the police, and perimeter fencing, designed to prevent a pitch invasion, led to people being crushed. Over 700 were hospitalized, and 94 died that day. Another died 3 days later. Another was in a coma for 4 years before finally passing away, bringing the death toll to the sad and now-familiar 96.

Games were postponed for the next 2 weeks, including Arsenal's visit to Anfield, which was set for the following Saturday. Games were resumed on May 1, a Bank Holiday Monday. Wins that day, at home at the Arsenal Stadium, a.k.a. Highbury, to Norwich, and on the following Saturday, away to North Yorkshire team Middlesbrough, meant that Arsenal only had to win their 2 remaining home games, and they would be League Champions no matter what Liverpool did.

Those 2 home games would be against East Midlands team Derby County in the originally-intended League finale on May 13, and against South London team Wimbledon in a rescheduled game on May 17. Win those, and they would have won the League, regardless of what happened at Anfield on May 26. But Arsenal didn't win either game: Derby beat them 2-1; and Wimbledon, winners of the previous year's FA Cup in a stunning Final upset of Liverpool, forged a 2-2 draw.

Meanwhile, Liverpool kept winning, with the city rallying around the team and the survivors of the victims. They went to Glasgow for a fundraiser for the victims on April 30, and beat Celtic 4-0. Both teams had adopted the Liverpool-based band Gerry & the Pacemakers' 1963 recording of "You'll Never Walk Alone," from the 1945 Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Carousel, as a theme song. In the wake of the Hillsborough Disaster, it came to mean more than ever.

They played the rescheduled Semifinal against Forest on May 7, and won 3-1. They beat Wimbledon on May 13, avenging their Cup Final defeat of the year before. And on May 16, they beat West London team Queens Park Rangers. This, combined with the points Arsenal dropped the next night against Wimbledon and the Saturday before against Derby, moved Liverpool top of the League.

And, on May 20, Liverpool beat Everton 3-2 in extra time, in an All-Merseyside FA Cup Final. Liverpool's season of tragedy included a major trophy. On May 23, they beat East London team West Ham United.

With only the Arsenal match 3 days later to play, Liverpool led the League by 3 points, and had the 1st tiebreaker, superior goal difference. So even if Arsenal, who once led them by 19 points, beat them at Anfield, something they hadn't done in 15 years, it might not be enough: A 1-goal win by Arsenal would give Liverpool the title, and The Double. Arsenal had to win by 2. There seemed to be nobody who thought they could do it.

British TV had the same idea with soccer that American TV had once had with baseball: Why give the product away? So few games were broadcast live. Instead, they would be filmed, and later videotaped, on the Saturday afternoon, and then shown in a package on Sunday afternoon, on the BBC's Match of the Day and ITV's The Big Match.

Only the biggest of matches -- such as the FA Cup Final, or the European Cup Final, whether an English team was in it or not -- was shown live. Well, this was the biggest of matches: At the time, the 2 biggest teams in the country, going at it for the League title. ITV broadcast it, live in prime time.

A crowd of 41,783 people shoehorned themselves into Anfield. Judging by how many Arsenal fans have said they were there, one could sarcastically infer that the attendance may have been 10 times that.

Graham made a serious gamble, having Arsenal line up in a 5-4-1, defense-oriented formation. This led to what was, in the days when uniform numbers were assigned to positions rather than to players, the rare occurrence a centreback, in this case Steve Bould, wearing Number 10, usually a forward or an attacking midfielder. It almost paid off very quickly: Arsenal's first shot on goal was a header from Bould.

Despite needing 2 goals, Graham told his players to focus on defending in the 1st half, and that, if that ended 0-0, he was confident they could get the 2 goals they needed in the 2nd half. As Graham put it in an interview years later, "If it works, you're a hero. And if it doesn't work, you're a villain." Having blown the League lead, he may have been putting his job on the line with this strategy.

Sure enough, Graham's prediction came true: There were no goals in the 1st half. In the 53rd minute, Liverpool Captain Ronnie Whelan committed a foul just outside the penalty area, narrowly avoiding a major gaffe. It's a lot harder to score from a free kick, which is what referee David Hutchinson correctly awarded Arsenal, than from a penalty.

Nigle Winterburn took it. Arsenal Captain Tony Adams looked like he was trying to head it in -- ITV announcer Brian Moore said, "Adams has made a darting little run in there" -- but he stumbled. But Alan Smith, who had already clinched the League scoring title, was right behind him, and headed it into the net. As the later song would say, "One-nil to The Arsenal."

In a tactic as old as the sport itself, the Liverpool players surrounded the referee, demanding that the goal be disallowed. Hutchinson saw no foul on the play. He called the linesman over. The linesman confirmed: There was no offside, there was no interference, and Smith had actually touched the ball. With all his questions answered, Hutchinson awarded the goal. Later, Liverpool's John Aldridge took a pass from John Barnes, and put it in the net, but it was correctly disallowed for offside.

As the 90th and last minute of regular time wound down, Steve McMahon could be seen holding up one finger, as if to let his Liverpool teammates known that there would be only one minute of stoppage time (or "injury time") added, and yelling, "Hey, come on!"

In fact, Hutchison awarded two minutes of stoppage time. Arsenal's Kevin Richardson had enough left in his tank to deny a drive by Barnes, and to get the ball to goalkeeper John Lukic, who threw the ball halfway up his own half, to Lee Dixon. Dixon sent a long through ball to Smith. Smith found Michael Thomas, who was followed by Steve Nicol. Seeing Nicol practically stepping on Thomas' heels, Smith remembered yelling at Thomas, "Mickey, you've got to shoot, you've got to shoot!"

At 91 minutes and 23 seconds of the match, Thomas shot. The ball seemed to glance off his right foot, to the left of Liverpool goalie Bruce Grobbelaar. Grobbelaar dove to stop it, but couldn't. Moore had the call:

Arsenal come streaming forward now, in what will surely be their last attack. A good ball by Dixon, finding Smith, to Thomas, charging through the midfield! Thomas! It's up for grabs now! Thomas!

Right at the end! An unbelievable climax to the League season! Well into injury time!

The Liverpool players are down, absolutely abject! Aldridge is down, Barnes is down, Dalglish just stands there, Nicol's on his knees, McMahon's on his knees!

It wasn't quite Russ Hodges' 1951 "The Giants win the Pennant!" Because the match wasn't over yet. The celebration meant that there would be a 93rd minute. And Liverpool did make one last go at it, but couldn't get close.

Moore saw Graham, 45 years old, in his dark suit, and 11 years removed from his last game, with the Anaheim-based California Surf of the North American Soccer League; and Dalglish, 38 and not yet officially retired, but not having selected himself for availability in the game, in his bright red Adidas jacket; and mentioned that they would both like to get out there and see if they can make a difference in that final minute.

Finally, at 92 minutes and 49 seconds, Hutchinson blew his whistle. Arsenal were the Champions. For Liverpool fans, after all they'd gone through, it was a crushing defeat, and it's almost as if the FA Cup they'd won was an afterthought.

As TV show host and Arsenal fan Dermot O'Leary (no relation to David) put it while hosting Arsenal: 501 Goals, "For many Arsenal fans, the greatest night of their lives. And, if you have to ask why, you're either too young, or you've bought the wrong tape."

Having guided Arsenal to the League Cup in 1987, and a lost Final in that tournament in 1988, Graham had given Arsenal its 1st League title in 18 years, one whose drama would stand alongside that 1971 title-clincher, and the last one before that, in 1953. He would lead Arsenal to another League title in 1991, the 1st-ever sweep of England's domestic Cups, the FA Cup and the League Cup, in 1993; and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1994. A financial scandal, more than declining League form, forced his firing in 1995.

After managing Leeds United, and then Arsenal's arch-rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, including the 1999 League Cup, he got back into Arsenal fans' good graces -- the fact that "Spurs" fans had never fully trusted him, being an Arsenal man, helped -- and remains a beloved figure in Arsenal fandom.

David Rocastle, perhaps the most-skilled of his 1989 Arsenal players, died of lymphoma in 2001. All of the other Arsenal players from the Anfield finale, and Graham himself, are still alive as of May 26, 2022.

*

May 26, 1989 was a Friday. The NFL was in its off-season. The NBA's Conference Finals were underway. In the East, the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons were on an off-day, tied 1-1. The Pistons would win the series in 6 games. In the West, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns, 110-107 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. This gave the Lakers a 3-0 lead, and they would clinch 2 days later. However, in the NBA Finals, the Pistons would sweep them in 4 straight, to win their 1st title.

In the NHL, the Stanley Cup had been clinched the night before. The Calgary Flames beat the Montreal Canadiens, 4-2 in Game 6, to win their 1st Cup. (It's still their only one.) It was the 1st time a team had clinched the Cup against the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum. (In 1928, the New York Rangers had clinched the Cup at the Forum, but that was against the Montreal Maroons.)

There was a full slate of Major League Baseball games that night:

* The Yankees lost to the Oakland Athletics, 4-0 at Yankee Stadium. Three A's pitchers -- Todd Burns, Rick Honeycutt (who got the last out in the 7th inning) and Eric Plunk (who pitched the 8th and the 9th) -- combined to allow just 1 hit, an infield single by Rickey Henderson in the 4th. Soon, the Yankees would trade Henderson back to the A's, who would win the World Series.

* The New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* The California Angels beat the Boston Red Sox, 5-0 at Fenway Park in Boston. Chuck Finley pitched a 1-hit shutout to beat Roger Clemens. The only hit was a 2-out single by Jody Reed in the 8th, so Finley came within 4 outs of a no-hitter.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox, 11-3 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Two days later, on May 28, the Jays beat the ChiSox 7-5 in the last game at that stadium, before moving into the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre).

* The Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-2 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs, 10-8. Rolando Roomes won the game in the 12th inning, with a home run, 1 of just 9 he would hit in a brief career.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-3 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Atlanta Braves, 3-0 at Busch Memorial Stadium. Scott Terry allowed just 2 hits over the 1st 7 innings. Ken Dayley allowed 3, and had to be bailed out for the last out by former Kansas City closer Dan Quisenberry.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers, 6-3 at Royals (now Kauffman) Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Montreal Expos beat the San Diego Padres, 5-0 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Bryn Smith pitched a 6-hit shutout.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

May 20, 1993: Arsenal Win England's 1st "Cup Double"

David Seaman (left) and David O'Leary

May 20, 1993: For the last time, before penalty kicks replaced it as the way to decide one that ended in a draw, the FA Cup Final is replayed. For the 1st time, the same teams that had played in the League Cup Final do it again in the FA Cup Final. And, as with the League Cup Final, it goes to extra time, and the winning goal is scored by an unlikely hero.

The Football League Cup, or just "the League Cup," was started in 1958. Yorkshire team Sheffield Wednesday won it in 1991. It was their 1st major trophy since the 1935 FA Cup. They hadn't won the Football League Division One since 1930. North London’s Arsenal had lost the League Cup Final in 1968 and 1969, but had won it in 1987.

In the 1993 League Cup Final, Arsenal, managed by George Graham, beat Wednesday, 2-1. John Harkes of Kearny, New Jersey became the 1st American ever to score at Wembley Stadium, doing so for Wednesday in only the 8th minute. But Paul Merson scored in the 20th, and Steve Morrow, normally a substitute, scored in the 68th to win it. Oddly, during the celebration, his arm was broken.

Both teams reached the FA Cup Final. For Arsenal, it was particularly sweet, since, in the Semifinal, they avenged a loss to their North London neighbors, Tottenham Hotspur, in the Semifinal 2 years earlier. And the coincidences kept on coming: In the other Semifinal, Wednesday also beat their arch-rivals, Sheffield United.

The Final was held on May 15, a Saturday afternoon. Ian Wright scored for Arsenal in the 20th minute, and David Hirst scored for Wednesday in the 61st. Extra time could not settle it, and so a replay would, on the following Thursday night.

Wright opened the scoring again, this time in the 34th. Chris Waddle, a former Tottenham player who always seemed to raise his game against Arsenal, equalized for Wednesday in the 68th. Regulation could not find a winner. As extra time wound down, it looked like the game would go to penalties, with Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman and Wednesday's Chris Woods as the only thing between their teams and defeat.

But in the 119th minute, Paul Merson sent a corner into the box. Andy Linighan, a 30-year-old journeyman from Hartlepool, County Durham, headed the ball past Woods, and Arsenal had become the 1st English team to win both domestic cups, "the Cup Double."

It was the 722nd and last game for Arsenal for centreback David O'Leary, and it remains a club record.

For Wednesday, Harkes became the 1st American to play in an FA Cup Final. It would take until 2004 for an American to play on the winning side of one. This, too, would be a New Jerseyan, Tim Howard of North Brunswick and Manchester United.

It would take until 2022 for a 2nd occurrence of the same teams that had played in the League Cup Final to also play in the FA Cup Final: Liverpool and Chelsea. Both Finals ended 0-0, and Liverpool won both on penalties.

*

May 20, 1993 was a Thursday. Football was out of season. One game was played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs: The Montreal Canadiens beat the New York Islanders, 2-1 at the Nassau Coliseum. Guy Carbonneau scored the winning goal, 12:34 into overtime. This was the 8th, and the 2nd in a row, out of 11 overtime games the Canadiens would win in these Playoffs, on their way to winning the Cup.

Two games were played in the NBA Playoffs. The Phoenix Suns beat the San Antonio Spurs, 102-100 at the HemisFair Arena in San Antonio, in Game 6, to clinch a berth the Western Conference Finals. And the Houston Rockets beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 103- 90 at The Summit in Houston. (The arena has since been converted into the Central Campus of the Lakewood Church, Dr. Joel Osteen's "megachurch.") That was Game 6, but Seattle won Game 7, to advance to the West Finals. But Phoenix won. And then lost the NBA Finals to the Chicago Bulls.

And, since Thursday is often a travel day in Major League Baseball, there were 9 games played, instead of a full slate, which would then have been 14:

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox, 4-3 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Montreal Expos, 9-3 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Pete Incaviglia and Darren Daulton hit home runs, in support of Curt Schilling, who went the distance for the win.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3-1 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Cal Ripken went 0-for-3.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat their arch-rivals, the Chicago Cubs, 6-3 at Busch Memorial Stadium.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Kansas City Royals, 4-1 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City. (It was renamed Kauffman Stadium later that season.) Mark Gubicza, in his only season as a reliever instead of a starter, collapsed in the top of the 12th inning: WIth 1 out, he walked Rickey Henderson and Terry Steinbach, and gave up an RBI triple to Dale Sveum and an RBI single to Kevin Seitzer. George Brett, in his last season, went 1-for-6.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers, 7-4 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. Ken Griffey Jr. went 2-for-4.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies, 5-4 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Dante Bichette hit a solo home run in the top of the 11th inning. But in the bottom of the 11th, Gary Sheffield singled, and Fred McGriff hit a 2-run homer to win it.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds, 6-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Barry Bonds went 1-for-3 with a walk.