After his debut on the site last week we welcome back Stephen Brandt who brings us his take on that wonderful afternoon at Villa Park … You can read more of Stephen’s work on his blog.
The date April 8th 1990 will live in the minds of many football supporting fans of a certain age. A little context, Liverpool was charging towards it’s eighteenth and last title. This was a year after the Hillsborough disaster and, as we know now, how much that took out of football and to a point, Liverpool. Some would argue this changed everything for the club. The strain of that year weighed on Kenny Dalglish so much that a year later he quit with Liverpool going for their nineteenth title (which they’d end up losing to Arsenal). With the exception of a couple times, the cups and the titles in the 1980’s stayed in Liverpool (Everton was also pretty darn good at the time). To be nice, I won’t mention the meeting earlier in the year.
Crystal Palace: N.Martyn, J.Pemberton, R.Shaw, A.Gray, G.O’Reilly, A.Thorn, P.Barber, G.Thomas, M.Bright, J.Salako, A.Pardew.
Liverpool: B.Grobbelaar, G.Hysen, D.Burrows, G.Gillespie (B.Venison), R.Whelan, A.Hansen, P.Beardsley, R.Houghton, I.Rush (S.Staunton), J.Barnes, S.McMahon.
FULL Time Crystal Palace 4 Liverpool 3
CPFC – G. O’Reilly, Bright, Gray, A. Padrew.
LFC Rush, Barnes, McMahon
Current Newcastle Manager Alan Pardew won the match for the Eagles in extra time. The funny thing about the match is going in at the half Liverpool were a goal up courtesy of Ian Rush. This was the last of the great Liverpool teams from the eighties. The likes of Alan Hansen still around, but on his last legs (he’d retire right after Kenny left), John Barnes, and Rush still playing. They’d be at the club for years to come, before heading off to Newcastle and Leeds respectively.
Liverpool came into the match in their normal style, having an easy route to Wembley, and were coasting to the title. Crystal Palace were looking over their shoulder to make sure they were going to keep their Division One status alive. Crystal Palace were becoming a dangerous side, but that didn’t stop Liverpool from approaching the match as they usually did. That with the usual flair, expecting to win, dominating the play, and getting a foul or two in their favor, typical top of the league mentality. And all of this would happen only if Liverpool were in the mood for scoring.
After the match ‘King’ Kenny Dalglish commented that “football wise we were better than they were but they were better organised at set pieces”. He may have been wrong for once in his life. Crystal Palace were just better on the day. And they were doing this all without future Arsenal legend Ian Wright. Andy Gray, Geoff Thomas, Mark Bright, and Pardew would be the ones having to deal with the Red’s team.
Crystal Palace had their hearts broken this final, but it wasn’t the last you’d see them in the final. The next year Crystal Palace would go all the way to the Zenith Data Systems Cup final which they won by four goals to one against Everton, in one of the best days in their history.
