When the draw was made for the third round of the 1988/89 Littlewoods Cup, it was not difficult to spot the standout tie. Champions Liverpool, winners of the League Cup four times in the 1980s, were paired with a resurgent Arsenal, in a repeat of the 1987 final that George Graham's team had famously won.
That win in 1987 - two Charlie Nicholas strikes ruining Liverpool's record of never losing when Ian Rush scored for them - was an early indication that Graham's Arsenal were capable of throwing a spanner in the works of the mighty red machine. But toppling Kenny Dalglish's team over the course of a full league season was a different matter completely.
However, the signs were there at the start of the 1988/89 campaign that Arsenal were capable of mounting a title challenge. With Liverpool experiencing a relatively slow start to their league season - suffering three defeats in October - many viewed the forthcoming Littlewoods Cup clash at Anfield as a chance for Arsenal to land an early psychological blow in the championship race.
Without regulars Bruce Grobbelaar, Alan Hansen and Steve McMahon, Liverpool were definitely vulnerable for the first match on Wednesday November 2. Immediately Arsenal settled, sensing that the home team were subdued. The visiting team, resplendent in their yellow kit, would demonstrate their progression under Graham.
Arsenal fans were not used to such displays at Anfield. Without a win at the home of Liverpool since 1974, the performance on the night provided excitement and encouragement that this team were going places. Yet as dominant as they were, Graham's Arsenal still couldn't finish off their rivals.
Reserve keeper Mike Hooper played a big part in thwarting the visitors. A stunning save from a Paul Merson volley was the first of many that denied a rampant Arsenal. Hooper would later keep out a Tony Adams header, an effort from Alan Smith, and a long range strike from Brian Marwood. When Liverpool's keeper made a rare error, Barry Venison was able to clear Adams' header off the line.
Somehow it would be Liverpool that took the lead. A marvellous jinking run from John Barnes in the 64th minute - "a little bit of magic" in the words of Brian Moore - saw him beat John Lukic in front of the Kop. A smash and grab was on for the home team.
Arsenal would respond just six minutes later through another stunning strike. David Rocastle, seemingly with very little back lift, smashed an unstoppable shot past Hooper, and Graham's team continued to press for the winner. A disallowed Marwood effort late on seemed a harsh decision, and Dalglish openly admitted that this team had been second best at the end of the match.
"They were the better side and made more chances," Dalglish said. "We were hanging on at the end. If you are an Arsenal fan you'd be a bit disappointed and if you are a Liverpool man you'd say we were a little bit fortunate."
A week later the teams would meet at Highbury in front of a crowd of 54,029. With 6,000 people locked out - and some on the roof of the North Bank - the match was pushed back 15 minutes, yet those present would not witness a repeat of the entertaining Anfield tussle. The Guardian's David Lacey described the 0-0 draw fittingly: "An interesting struggle, chess rather than draughts."
"We took the game to them tonight but they stifled us very well," Graham stated after the match. On a night of few chances, the best opportunity fell to Peter Beardsley, yet a fine tackle from Lee Dixon would snuff out any danger. The Scouse Champions v the Cockney Pretenders, as the Express billed it, did not live up to the hype.
Arsenal, who had beaten Nottingham Forest 4-1 in front of the ITV cameras three days before, included five players that had been named in Bobby Robson's England squad to take on Saudi Arabia (Adams, Rocastle, Michael Thomas, Marwood and Smith). For Liverpool it was a case of job done after the 120 minutes at Highbury.
Interestingly, Lacey noted: "With every instalment of this tie Liverpool are getting stronger." With McMahon back in the team, their midfield was reinforced, yet they would suffer the blow of losing Barnes for the second replay. But two weeks later, Liverpool's class told.
Dalglish was relieved when it was announced that the match at Villa Park would not go to a penalty shootout, feeling the competition would be devalued if the tie was decided this way. A crowd of 21,708 made their way to a freezing Birmingham, wondering if the 1980 FA Cup semi-final marathon was about to be repeated.
Liverpool were on the front foot from the start, Nigel Spackman having a goal ruled out for offside, and Beardsley hitting the side-netting with another attempt. This time it would be Arsenal that went ahead against the run of play, as Merson beat Hooper in the 26th minute. But the rest of the evening was all about the dominance of the champions.
McMahon thundered home an equaliser just beyond the hour, after Beardsley had dispossessed Thomas. As Dalglish celebrated, he was hit by a sandwich thrown from the crowd. Returning the gift, Liverpool's manager later apologised, and the police considered the matter closed.
An Adams header aside, Liverpool continued to look the team most likely to find a winner, Ray Houghton hitting the post, as Arsenal tried desperately to hold back the waves of red attacks. Finally, their resolve cracked three minutes short of the five-hour mark in the soap opera. Substitute John Aldridge looped a header in from Houghton's chipped cross, and the tie had finally been settled.
"Liverpool were superior in all departments," Graham admitted, with Dalglish in agreement. "We played as well as I've ever seen a Liverpool team play. No team in England will give a better performance this season."
Lacey felt the result "may have important echoes later on." The Times reported that Liverpool had silenced the doubters: "Night has fallen on the dawn of a new era. In subduing the young pretenders so convincingly in the second replay of the Littlewoods Cup third round tie at Villa Park, Liverpool repressed all thought that they should prepare to leave the throne of England."
Liverpool may have won the battle that night, but throughout the saga, Arsenal had shown that they were made of the right stuff. As a tragic season drew to a conclusion, Graham's young charges would eventually land a blow that loosened Liverpool's footing on their perch. The wait for an Anfield victory was definitely worth it.
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