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Memories of ‘89 can help Gunners shoot down Anfield task

By Ravin Sampat ⋅ April 8, 2008 ⋅

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Thomas lifts the ball above the on rushing Bruce Grobblaer as Arsenal win 2-0 to clinch title

I was only five years old, but my heart and gut tell me Arsenal will repeat their 1989 feat 19 years on..

After coming home from Wednesday night’s game against Liverpool, I felt as if my beloved Arsenal had lost. Of course, we had drawn 1-1 with a good team managed by a defensive-minded genius. Nevertheless, it really did feel like a defeat.

For about 65 minutes, I watched Arsenal not only play some sublime football, but also comprehensively teach Liverpool a lesson in the art of attacking, one touch, free-flowing football.

This optimises Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal of course, and this season I had not seen a match so one sided since we got thoroughly examined and defeated at Old Trafford by Manchester United 4-0 in the FA Cup. In that match we were outplayed, out-foxed, and simply put, United were class. Even against Spurs in that 5-1 defeat, we always looked like scoring, and controlled the tempo.

The night started with me and my best friend walking towards our turnstiles with the final words ‘enjoy the game’ exchanged. I was getting nervous, and I do not think I have ever been so nervous since we played AC Milan here in the last round. That game ended 0-0, and naturally I went away with about 60,000 other Gooners wondering what would have been had we taken a lead going into the second game in the San Siro.

For the next three days, Adebayor’s header off the bar went through my mind repeatedly. I even started watching the highlights of the game, and every time the big Togolese connects with the ball, I always have this hope that the ball will end up in the onion bag, one nil to the Arsenal, but of course, I knew that he hits the bar. Watching the game on numerous occasions always made me feel like we had lost, exactly how I felt after Wednesday’s first leg.

A 1-1 draw with Liverpool and 0-0 a few weeks back against Milan are not bad results, especially as we have played last year’s two finalists. It hurts more though when you see a side running rings around a Liverpool team that only scare me every time I think of Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley or Joe Fagan. In all honesty, what would Shanks, Paisley and Fagan be thinking now?

I can imagine Shanks turning in his grave every time Liverpool decided to opt to whack the ball in the sky, almost hoping that it would not come back down to the pitch. It makes me think of Brian Clough, who once said ‘If football was to be played in the sky, god would have put grass up their’. I cannot agree even more.

But back to now. Arsenal are technically 2-1 down, as the away goal counts for two. Yet am I scared about next week’s showdown at Anfield? Not particularly. I always feel under Wenger that every time we go to Anfield, Old Trafford or any ground for that matter, that winning is always the priority, but winning in style is the way forward. The second leg will be a tough game - matches against a tactically astute Liverpool under Rafa Benitez always are, but I do not have the scepticism that most people, including the majority of the media have.

I woke up on Thursday morning reading the pages of the broadsheets, and they really had watched a game so different to me that I felt my eyes had deceived me. Dirk Kuyt was given man-of-the match (I can only think for getting away with that penalty incident) and the Beeb’s Alan Green said Arsenal rarely troubled Liverpool (I guess that biased account is expected when he is a Liverpool fan).

However, I am a realistic Arsenal fan and I will be the first to say that the outstanding players on the pitch were Javier Mascherano and Arsenal’s unsung hero was William Gallas. He kept Fernando Torres in his pocket, and it was a magnificent defensive display. What was Torres’ excuse for not turning up? The papers decided not to comment on that.

Mascherano was immense. He completely eclipsed Fàbregas and Gerrard in that match, and the one thing I noticed about Liverpool was that they all followed suit of his style of game. There were 11 Mascheranos on that pitch, a pity for football in general.

That is football. I guess you are applauded for scoring an away goal and sitting back for 90 minutes.

So what for Arsenal? Well, everyone writes and speaks as if the tie is over. Maybe it is, especially if you are a person to give up on something before it takes place. But I am not, and neither is this Arsenal team. I go to bed every night knowing one thing: this Arsenal team isn’t dead until the final whistle blows.

At Anfield, we drew 1-1 earlier in the season, at the Emirates we scored in the 91st minute against Manchester United, and in Milan, we scored twice in the last six minutes to finish off a thoroughly good display against the European champions. The world can turn on Arsenal, may be jealous of the type of football they play, or more worried about the killer instinct they have in big games, but come Tuesday, the 1-1 result will mean nothing. It’s half time and it’s 1-1. In their minds, they are 2-1 down, but in their hearts, they know they must score two goals. My granddad always tells me never listen to your mind, always listen to your heart.

And so to that special number ‘two’. Back in 1989, I was five years old, and my father sat me down to watch some game between two teams, one in red, one in yellow. I knew he supported Leeds United, who wore white, so why were we watching this game, I thought. However, in the end that night became special.

Emotions ran high, titles were at stake, and the belief of a whole part of North London was in the hands of eleven men up in Merseyside. With Liverpool the favourites, George Graham’s Arsenal pulled off the unthinkable. They needed to win at Anfield by two goals to clinch the title on the last day of the season. Much had been said of Arsenal’s inability to achieve a result at Anfield, where Liverpool had not conceded two goals in over four years. The task was clear: Arsenal had to win by two goals in order to take the title on goals scored.

The same situation of 1989 presents itself to this current Arsenal side. The task is clear. If Arsenal score, and concede none, the tie is over, and all the questions regarding whether Wednesday’s 1-1 draw had finished the tie are forgotten. Will they do it? Well, had we won 2-1, everybody would have said Arsenal need to be disciplined on Tuesday and get through. But the fact that we need to go out and play to win only makes the tie even more interesting - and works in Arsenal’s favour. We must score, something we love doing, we must attack, something we also find to be our forte, and we must do it in a stadium known for its history. These three elements only add up to formulate a scenario similar to that faced by George Graham’s boys in ‘89.

On that day, Michael Thomas wore the number four shirt, raced forward in the 90th minute to score Arsenal’s second goal after Alan Smith had scored earlier on. The title was won and Arsenal were champions. They say history always repeats itself and Tuesday may show that. Arsenal fans, this article is for you. Don’t give up yet, and don’t bet against against history repeating itself. Only this time, Cesc will be wearing number four and memories of Brian Moore’s ‘it’s up for grabs now’ will be ringing through the Arsenal faithful.

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