Liverpool 0 Manchester United 1
Retro Series Vol.15: Jimmy Greenoff sends United to Wembley.
Retro Series Vol.15: Jimmy Greenoff sends United to Wembley.
This fifteenth volume in my continuing series of retrospective match reports on a decades old Liverpool game takes us to Goodison Park, home of city neighbours Everton, and for a FA Cup Semi-Final replay with bitter north west rivals Manchester United. This volume is also a companion piece to the original 1979 FA Semi-Final from four days earlier, played at Maine Road, Manchester, whereby the two teams shared four goals in a thriller for the ages. As was custom in this bygone age, the Semi-Final itself was played at a neutral venue and after the draw four days earlier, the teams met again, and again was customary in 1979, a replayed Semi-Final and one which would send the “Red Devils” of Manchester United to Wembley to face Arsenal in the FA Cup Final.
Before we progress, firstly a respectful thanks for the www.youtube.com that provided the scant, but valuable six minutes of match highlights, as well as a link to my retrospective match report from the original drawn Semi-Final:
Classic Man Utd Videos and Clips
Welcome to my YouTube channel, the No. 1 channel for classic Manchester United videos and clips from down the years…www.youtube.com
Liverpool 2 Manchester United 2
Retro Series Vol.14: FA Cup Semi-Final thriller at Maine Roadmedium.com
There are three notable changes from the original Semi-Final of just four days earlier. The first and most notable is the pitch and whereas the Maine Road surface of fours days ago was dreadful and a mudheap so typical of the times, the Goodison Park pitch is much more even and in a far better playing condition. The other two changes are personnel, with Steve Heighway in the starting XI for Liverpool and Jimmy Case replacing him on the substitutes bench and Brian Greenoff replaced from the original game here in the replay by Lou Macari. The rest of both teams are a who’s who of late 1970’s footballing nostalgia, with goalkeepers Ray Clemence and Gary Bailey, captains Emlyn Hughes and Martin Buchan in central defence and a continuing combined attacking talent including wingers Steve Heighway for Liverpool and Steve Coppell and Mickey Thomas for Manchester United, all of whom trying to eek out chances for their Scottish International forwards in the guise of the pugnacious and gritty Joe Jordan for Manchester United and the gloriously tricky skills of Kenny Dalglish for Liverpool.
53,069 lucky souls were inside Goodison Park to see a first half dominated by Manchester United, both sides crashing headers against their opposition’s crossbar and finally, with just 13 minutes left to play, Jimmy Greenoff sent his “Red Devils” to Wembley for the FA Cup Final. His team undoubtedly created the greatest goal threat in a first half they largely dominated and Liverpool had their goalkeeping legend Ray Clemence to thank for getting them to half-time level at 0–0. Clemence rushed from his goal line on three separate occasions to deny a brilliant run and shot from Lou Macari, a goal mouth scramble that looked certain to be an opening goal for Manchester United as well as perhaps his finest save, or more correctly, a brilliant double save. A mistake from Phil Thompson allowed Joe Jordan to bear down on his goal but Clemence rushed to smother his shot and with the ball running loose he snaffled it from the foot of Steve Coppell as he tried to round the goalkeeper for a simple tap in to an empty goal.
Even when Ray Clemence was finally beaten, his crossbar came to his rescue.
A curling cross from Sammy McIlroy was deflected by Liverpool’s Terry McDermott, wrongfooting his defence entirely. Joe Jordan rose unchallenged to thump a header past Clemence but against the underside of his crossbar before the Liverpool defence hacked the ball to safety. Mere minutes later, the Reds of Liverpool would replicate this and with their only noteworthy goal scoring chance of the first half. Phil Neal’s curling ball into the centre of the Manchester United penalty area bounced in between Steve Coppell and Lou Macari, allowing Ray Kennedy to do what he did the best in that era or any generation you care to mention. In the footballing vernacular he “ghosted in” unnoticed into an attacking space and with the ball bouncing high and favourably he arrived perfectly on time to header powerfully past a thoroughly beaten Gary Bailey in the Manchester United goal, but the ball crashed against the underside of the crossbar before being hacked away to safety.
But with 13 minutes left and extra-time and a possible second replay looming, Jimmy Greenhoff gleefully and excitedly sent his team to Wembley.
GOAL! Liverpool 0 Manchester United 1 (Jimmy Greenhoff, 77 minutes)
“Jimmy Greenhoff! Would you believe it!”
Gary Bailey sent a long kick forward to be met with a typical knocked down header by Joe Jordan. His header finds Mickey Thomas running forward and with a deft left footed cross bypassing every Liverpool defender, Jimmy Greenhoff stoops to conquer with a perfectly placed header that evades Ray Clemence in the Reds goal.
As BBC commentator of the day John Motson exclaims he cannot believe it’s Jimmy Greenhoff with yet another important and invaluable goal for his team, his goal would send them to Wembley for the 1979 FA Cup Final with Arsenal and a game that would become known as the “Sunderland Final” after Manchester United come from 2 goals down to level the Final 2–2 late in the game, before Alan Sunderland would score an unbelievable winner for Arsenal with just a minute to go.
Thanks for reading. For more in this retrospective series, please see my archives or the links below to the three most recently published articles in this continuing series:
Liverpool 3 Everton 1
Retro Series Vol.13: Dalglish at the Double!medium.com
Sunderland 2 Liverpool 4
The Retrospective Series Vol.12: 29th November 1980medium.com
Liverpool 4 Ipswich Town 0
The Retrospective Series Vol.11: 6th February 1982medium.com