Liverpool 0–2 Arsenal (1989)

The 1988–89 season marked the 100th anniversary of the Football League. The celebrations culminated in October 1988, when Arsenal won a centenary tournament involving seven other First Division clubs. Football in England had reached its nadir in 1985 as clubs were banned from European competition for five years following the Heysel Stadium disaster. Hooliganism was at its peak and, along with difficult economic times, had contributed to a drop in attendances which didn’t begin to recover until the 1986-87 season. At one stage Arsenal were 11 points clear of defending champions Liverpool, but their lead diminished following a run of bad results. The disaster was the worst of its kind in English sporting history, and led to an inquiry into safety standards of stadiums. ==Pre-match==

The 1988–89 title race was the closest in the history of the First Division. Furthermore, Liverpool had never previously been defeated when playing forwards John Aldridge and Ian Rush together. The home side were therefore the overwhelming favourites to win the title – the Daily Mirrors sports sections led with the headline "You Haven't Got A Prayer, Arsenal". To defuse the tension, Graham gave his players two days off after their draw with Wimbledon. Elton Welsby presented coverage and his guest was the England manager Bobby Robson. The match commentator was Brian Moore, alongside former Tottenham Hotspur manager David Pleat. ==Match==

Summary The match took place on a warm spring evening with the kick-off delayed because many Arsenal supporters were caught in traffic congestion. The score was 0–0 at half time. Eight minutes after the restart, Whelan was penalised for an offence on the edge of the Liverpool area. Winterburn took the resulting indirect free kick, from which Alan Smith scored with a header. Liverpool's players protested, claiming Smith had not made contact (and thus the goal should have been disallowed, coming directly from an indirect free kick) or that there had been a push by O'Leary. and TV replays confirm that Smith made contact. With the score 1–0, Arsenal pushed forward but Liverpool still held the advantage. In the 74th minute an unmarked Thomas latched onto a pass from Richardson near the penalty spot, but shot weakly and it was smothered by Liverpool keeper Bruce Grobbelaar. Arsenal manager George Graham brought on Martin Hayes and Perry Groves, and switched to a more attack-oriented 4–4–2 formation. This gave Liverpool space to counter-attack through John Barnes and Aldridge. TV cameras showed Liverpool midfielder Steve McMahon telling his teammates there was one minute remaining. The injury itself meant there would, in fact, be two minutes and 39 seconds of injury time played. Liverpool adopted time-wasting tactics, including an unnecessary backpass from McMahon to Grobbelaar. In the second minute of injury time, Arsenal launched their final attack. A Barnes run was intercepted by Richardson, and he passed the ball back to his goalkeeper John Lukic. Arsenal received the Championship trophy after the match. ==Post-match==

Shortly after receiving the trophy, Adams was called over by pitchside reporter Jim Rosenthal for a conversation on the field, explaining his absence from the celebratory team photograph for the press. The Arsenal captain spoke of how his teammates were "really fired up" before the game and was delighted with the effort they put in during the course of the match. Graham was proud of his team's performance, and credited Adams, who "suffered an awful lot of stick which has given football very little dignity." When asked about the result he said, "Nobody outside Highbury expected us to do it, but when you lose belief you might as well get out of football." ''The Guardian's'' David Lacey opined that Arsenal were deserved winners, calling the match "a marvellous night for English football" after the events at Hillsborough had overshadowed the sport. ==In popular culture==

The events of the night formed the pivotal point of the 1997 film Fever Pitch, an adaptation of Nick Hornby's bestselling book of the same name. Hornby disagrees his book was responsible for gentrifying the sport, arguing "the owner of an international media empire" had more of a profound impact. Moore's goal call for Arsenal's winner ("Thomas, it's up for grabs now!") has become synonymous with English football and is one of the sport's most memorable lines. In 2002, it was selected as one of the top ten commentaries of all time by The Observer, and the phrase ''It's Up For Grabs Now is used as the title of the Arsenal commemorative DVD of the match. It's Up For Grabs Now'' is also the title of a podcast, hosted by comedian and Arsenal supporter Alan Davies. ==Legacy==

's league win of 2011–12 bore comparison to Arsenal's in that the title was decided in the final seconds of the season. The match has been cited as a pivotal turning point in English football. Author Jason Cowley noted how instead of rioting, Liverpool fans stayed on after the game and applauded Arsenal "as if they understood that we were at the start of something new; that there would be no returning to the ways of old". Graham's side went on to further successes in the early 1990s, winning the League title again in 1990–91, followed by a domestic cup double and finally the European Cup Winners' Cup. Despite his part in denying them the title, Thomas went on to play for Liverpool in a spell between 1991 and 1998, scoring the opener in their 2–0 victory over Sunderland in the 1992 FA Cup Final. The title decider at Anfield is not only seen as the starting point of a renaissance in English football, but also the moment where businessmen started to see the untapped commercial potential of live football on television. In the early 1990s discussions were in progress between broadcasters and football chairmen over forming a breakaway league. In 1999, the match was ranked at number 60 in Channel 4's 100 Greatest TV Moments. In 2002, the match was ranked at number 15 in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments, and in 2007 Thomas's goal was voted the second greatest moment in Arsenal's history second only to the 2003–04 "Invincibles" completing an entire Premier League season unbeaten. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the win, Arsenal's away kit for the 2008–09 season was styled on the same design as that of the 1988–89 season. Manchester City's comeback to beat Queens Park Rangers 3–2 on 13 May 2012 at the Etihad Stadium on the final day of the 2011–12 Premier League season drew comparisons to the 1989 finish. On this occasion, needing to win after Manchester United beat Sunderland to win the league for the first time since 1967–68, City scored twice in stoppage time to overcome a 2–1 deficit, with Sergio Agüero scoring the winner just 100 seconds from the final whistle. ==References==