Liverpool 2 Arsenal 0
The Retrospective Series: 5th September 1981
The Retrospective Series: 5th September 1981
Hello and welcome to this, the 4th instalment in my retrospective series of decades old Liverpool games that I have either (a) Never seen before (b) Only ever seen sparse highlights (c) A reminder of the true legendary greats of the near past and perhaps more pertinently (d) A reminder that football of the past was truly a hardworking slog and whilst it still can be, we now have “PlayStation Football” for a brave new world in a brand new century.
So much for all that!
Before we begin, and as is tradition and respectful, I must thank the following www.youtube.com account who fortnightly uploads a real gem from the footballing past:
Dave Waller
This channel is about a football team - the greatest team you've ever seen. A team that played total football, won the…www.youtube.com
So it was, 41 years ago in September, that a crowd of 35,269 packed into Anfield for the Reds third league fixture of the 1981/1982 Football League Division One season and surprisingly their first league win of the season after an opening day defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers and a draw at home with Middlesbrough. It would be getting ahead of ourselves at this point to state what a quixotic and strange season this would be come May 1982 and 59 football matches later but first up, Arsenal, and in their traditionally pleasing change colours of yellow shirts and blue shorts. With Northern Ireland legend Pat Jennings in goal, three of an established and all star defensive line in David O’Leary, Willie Young and Kenny Sansom behind Brian Talbot and Graham Rix in the centre of midfield supplying a front attacking twosome of Alan Sunderland and a youthful Brian McDermott, this would be an Arsenal team that would finish the season in 5th place, 16 points behind the eventual League Champions and who would rue a damaging 8 league losses away from their Highbury home.
For the home team Liverpool it was a case of in with the old and in with the new as the established backbone of the team that won the European Cup in Paris just four months prior remained in place and were now aided and abetted by record signing Mark Lawrenson (£900,000!), Craig “Skippy” Johnston was substitute and he watched on from the bench as Zimbabwean Bruce Grobbelaar was making his first tentative steps as the Reds goalkeeping custodian having replaced the legendary Ray Clemence. The Reds team continued to be captained by Liverpudlian Phil Thompson alongside Alan Hansen in the centre of defence, a staggering all time midfield comprised of local lads Terry McDermott and Sammy Lee alongside Graeme Souness and ex Arsenal youngster (and genius) Ray Kennedy, and they supplied the attacking front two of Kenny Dalglish and David Johnson.
On a beautifully bright and sunny Saturday afternoon the game and result could easily be summed up as a 2–0 win for the Liverpool Reds with late goals in each half from Terry McDermott and David Johnson, but that doesn’t come anywhere near a full and truthful summation. It was a win, and a much needed win, but more than a little against the run of play and Johnson’s 89th minute goal flattered both Liverpool and the overall score line. The Reds certainly made the early running with a brilliant interchange between Dalglish, Souness and McDermott setting up a fierce drive from 25 yards from Sammy Lee that brushed the outside of Pat Jennings far post. Soon after, Dalglish beat two Arsenal defenders with ease before passing to strike partner David Johnson. His layoff found the cultured and beautiful left foot of Ray Kennedy who screwed his shot narrowly wide. These early half chances were squandered and should’ve proved costly when, with the Liverpool defence ragged and out of shape on the halfway line they were breached by an Alan Sunderland through ball to his strike partner, Brian McDermott. Through on goal and with just Bruce Grobbelaar to beat to give Arsenal an early lead he did indeed beat the dive of the Zimbabwean International but he also screwed his shot narrowly past the Kop End goal. Minutes later Arsenal could and should have scored again. This time John Devine found himself in the Liverpool penalty area and his goal bound shot hit his own player (Peter Nicholas) and tamely dribbled past the far post for a goal kick. Arsenal were now on top and threatening to score the opening goal of the game.
With time running out on the first half the game was influenced yet again by the left foot of Ray Kennedy as he curled a beautiful through ball into space on the Liverpool left wing. New signing Mark Lawrenson crossed for substitute Craig Johnston (on for an injured Graeme Souness) and as the ground erupted for a certain goal, “Skippy” had in fact buried his shot into the side netting on the outside of the goal but a goal was coming and when it came on the stroke of half-time, it was a scruffy if much needed goal indeed. A patient build up cycled the ball between Dalglish, Lawrenson and Kennedy before Sammy Lee’s cross into the penalty area was only half cleared by Arsenal. Terry McDermott’s scuffed goal bound effort went through a crowd of players before nestling into the far corner of the Arsenal net and just out of the despairing reach of goalkeeper Pat Jennings and seconds later the players trooped from the field of play with the Reds of Liverpool 1–0 up and only just deserving of their slender lead.
The second half was notable for the energy of Liverpool’s substitute Craig Johnston and that of another substitute, Arsenal’s 19 year old future club star, Paul Davis. First up Johnston kept a ragged corner alive with a sublime overhead kick that saw Ray Kennedy heading tamely over the bar before Davis won a corner out of nothing. The short corner found it’s way back to Brian Talbot who’s cross evaded everyone except Brian McDermott at the far post and his crisp header forced a brilliant flying save from Bruce Grobbelaar. Without it, McDermott’s header would’ve found the top corner for an Arsenal equaliser and mere minutes later saw another flying, acrobatic save, this time from the fingertips of Arsenal’s Pat Jennings. A hobbling Sammy Lee (there were no further substitutes back in 1981!) and Kenny Dalglish set up a rasping drive from Terry McDermott that forced a brilliant fingertip save from the legendary Northern Ireland goalkeeper. With time running out and Arsenal pushing forward for an equaliser, a long hopeful punt upfield from Phil Neal found the still hobbling Sammy Lee who’s immediate pass inside found Kenny Dalglish with only one defender and Jennings to beat. Instead, he squared a simple pass inside to his strike partner David Johnson and he smashed the decisive second goal into an almost empty net and the game was up.
This 2–0 win for the Reds would be symptomatic of the coming season as they unconvincingly hung around the top of the league until two defeats at the end of October and December against the two Manchester clubs of City and United left the Reds in 12th place in the English 1st Division. The Reds would also lose heavily in Tokyo against Brazilian side Flamengo for the World Club Championship in December.
With 32 games in all competitions left at the end of 1981, Liverpool would win a staggering 26 of these to win the League Championship by 4 points from Ipswich Town in second place and defeat Tottenham Hotspur 3–1 at Wembley Stadium to win the 1982 League Cup Final. 3 draws and 3 defeats would round up the 32 total games from Boxing Day 1981 onward, with 2 of those notable defeats being at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield (from which they’d then win 12 games in a row in all competitions) and an away defeat at CSKA Sofia that would end their reign as European Cup holders. 11 days after securing the League Championship and re-entry into the European Cup the following season, England’s Aston Villa would win the 1982 European Cup on a famous night in Rotterdam against massive favourites Bayern Munich, and Liverpool’s game at home to Aston Villa in this 1981/1982 season will be the focus of my next retrospective match report, and this will be published and coming soon.
Thanks for reading. Please see links below to the previous three volumes in my retrospective series on the football team that stole my heart 40 years ago and has never let go:
Everton 0 Liverpool 5 — November 6th 1982
“Ian Rush is leading Everton a merry dance” and according to song writing legend, through a Red River Valley too. A…medium.com
Tottenham Hotspur 2 Liverpool 0
“The Big Match” 30th April 1983. Despite the reverse, the Reds wrap up their 14th League Championship.medium.com
Liverpool 2 QPR 1
The Retrospective Series: Vol.3 The calm before the storm and the creation of the unbeatablesmedium.com