Terrace Talk

It’s been 19 years since that memorable New Year’s clash between Manchester United and Liverpool. At Old Trafford, Liverpool needed to win the game to come back and have any reasonable chance of winning the league against a rampant Arsenal side. While they may have clawed their way back that season, Manchester United were certainly not going to give them a win so easily. As underdogs, United were seventh in the league and Ferguson clearly had a plan to change the footballing landscape, and in particular “Knock Liverpool off their fucking perch.”

Seventy minutes passed with both teams grinding each other into pulp, with United having the better of possession. Against the run of play a wonderful John Barnes had buried a gem into the back Jim Leighton’s net and Liverpool had their noses in front with 20 minutes to go. The game would not stay that way…

This was the last game of the decade between the great English teams, and saw United cap a triumphant decade which they had recorded 11 wins, 11 draws, and only 4 loses. The 1985 FA Cup semi-finals where Liverpool were again beaten by United was a key moment in the rivalry, but of particular importance were the three points lost in this game by Liverpool (which in the end helped save Arsenal’s blushes).