1989 FA Cup final

1989 FA Cup final
Event1988–89 FA Cup
After extra time
Date20 May 1989
VenueWembley Stadium, London
Man of the MatchIan Rush
RefereeJoe Worrall (Cheshire)
Attendance82,800
WeatherWarm and fine, with hazy sunshine
1988
1990

The 1989 FA Cup final was the final of the 1988–89 FA Cup, the top football knockout competition in England. The match was a Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton, played at Wembley Stadium, London, on 20 May 1989. Liverpool won 3–2 after extra time, with a goal from John Aldridge and two from Ian Rush. Stuart McCall scored both Everton goals. The final was played only five weeks after the Hillsborough disaster, in which 95 Liverpool fans were killed in a crush (the death toll rose to 96 in 1993 and 97 in 2021), and before kick-off there was a minute's silence and the teams wore black armbands as a sign of respect. Gerry Marsden, lead singer of Gerry & the Pacemakers, led the crowd in a rendition of his hit "You'll Never Walk Alone", which had become synonymous with Liverpool Football Club.[1]

Summary

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Liverpool took the lead in the match after four minutes through John Aldridge, and held onto that lead until the ninetieth minute, when Everton substitute Stuart McCall equalised, and a pitch invasion by Everton fans ensued. McCall had scored just once for Everton before the FA Cup final, having joined them from Bradford City at the start of the season.

McCall's goal was the last kick of the 90 minutes and the match went into extra time. On 95 minutes, Liverpool substitute Ian Rush scored with a half-volley on the turn to give Liverpool a 2–1 lead. Everton again equalised five minutes later when McCall scored his second, chesting and volleying past Bruce Grobbelaar and into the corner of the net, becoming the first substitute to score twice in a final. However, Rush, who had scored twice in Liverpool's 3–1 win in the first Merseyside derby final three years earlier, scored his second goal in the 104th minute, with a header from a floated John Barnes cross.[2]

Liverpool had continued their domination of the English game (they were league champions in 1988 and runners-up in 1987), but Everton had declined since their 1987 title triumph and finished sixth in the league in 1989.

UEFA voted for the ban on English clubs in European competitions to continue for a fifth season, ruling out Liverpool's hopes of competing in the Cup Winners' Cup, although they were still in contention for the league title at this stage, and ultimately were only deprived of the title (and a unique second double) by a last-gasp goal in their final game of the season.

Liverpool striker Ian Rush had now scored four goals in FA Cup finals (both two-goal hauls against Everton) and was one of 11 players (five for Liverpool) to have featured in both of the all-Merseyside FA Cup finals. Stuart McCall made FA Cup history when he became the first substitute to score two goals in an FA Cup final. However, Ian Rush matched the feat two minutes later.[3]

Match details

[edit]
Liverpool3–2 (a.e.t.)Everton
  • Aldridge 4'
  • Rush 95', 104'
Report McCall 90', 102'
Attendance: 82,800
Liverpool
Everton
GK 1 Zimbabwe Bruce Grobbelaar
CB 2 England Gary Ablett
LB 3 Republic of Ireland Steve Staunton downward-facing red arrow 90'
RB 4 Scotland Steve Nicol
CM 5 Republic of Ireland Ronnie Whelan (c)
CB 6 Scotland Alan Hansen
CF 7 England Peter Beardsley
CF 8 Republic of Ireland John Aldridge downward-facing red arrow 73'
RM 9 Republic of Ireland Ray Houghton
LM 10 England John Barnes
CM 11 England Steve McMahon
Substitutes:
DF 12 England Barry Venison upward-facing green arrow 90'
FW 14 Wales Ian Rush upward-facing green arrow 73'
Manager:
Scotland Kenny Dalglish
GK 1 Wales Neville Southall
RB 2 England Neil McDonald
LB 3 Wales Pat Van Den Hauwe
CB 4 Wales Kevin Ratcliffe (c)
CB 5 England Dave Watson
CM 6 England Paul Bracewell downward-facing red arrow 59'
RM 7 Scotland Pat Nevin
CM 8 England Trevor Steven
CF 9 Scotland Graeme Sharp
CF 10 England Tony Cottee
LM 11 Republic of Ireland Kevin Sheedy downward-facing red arrow 78'
Substitutes:
MF 12 Scotland Ian Wilson upward-facing green arrow 78'
MF 14 Scotland Stuart McCall upward-facing green arrow 59'
Manager:
England Colin Harvey

Match rules

  • 90 minutes
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary
  • Replay if scores still level
  • Two named substitutes
  • Maximum of two substitutions

References

[edit]
  1. ^ You'll Never Walk Alone
  2. ^ Harris, Harry (22 May 1989). "My Finest Hour". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  3. ^ "Everton Firsts".
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