Sorry, we've reversed the biggest title showdown in English title history.
121989, the most entertaining English title race in history. Forget Sergio Aguero’s last minute winner in 2012, Kevin Keegan’s “I will love it” in 1996 or Jack Walker’s miracle in 1995. This was it: May 26th, 1989, Liverpool and Arsenal. First versus Second on the final day.
Liverpool hadn’t lost by two goals at Anfield in over three years but it is the margin of victory needed by Arsenal to claim their first league title since the seventies. Alan Smith headed in early for Arsenal in the second half. But Liverpool were playing John Aldridge and Ian Rush together, Liverpool had never lost whilst playing those two together from the start.
Then Michael Thomas latched onto a header from Alan Smith. With Steve Nicol chasing Thomas, he clipped the ball beyond Bruce Grobbelaar in front of the away fans at Anfield.
The ball hit the net. Pandemonium. Arsenal were champions of England.
Arsenal would claim a further league title under George Graham in 1991, playing a tug of war with the Old First Division with Liverpool, who retained the title in 1990. But in the 31 years since Michael Thomas scored, the pair have won just 5 league titles between them. Aside from the triumphs in 1990 for Liverpool and 1991 for Arsenal, Arsene Wenger’s treble of league titles in 1998, 2002 and 2004 for Arsenal are the pair’s only league successes.
Would it have been different if Michael Thomas missed?
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Narrated, Written and Edited by Jake Doyle (@jakedoyle93)
All Images Courtesy of Getty Images.
What If Football is a form of footballing storytelling that takes the audience down a different path to our current reality.
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