Liverpool vs Arsenal: Perry Groves on the incredible Friday night Gunners snatched title at Anfield
The last time these two heavyweights squared up on a Friday night was May 26, 1989
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ARSENAL’S clash with Liverpool tonight will bring back special memories for Gooners.
The last time these two heavyweights squared up on a Friday night was May 26, 1989.
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And on that balmy evening at Anfield, Michael Thomas scored an injury-time goal to secure Arsenal a 2-0 victory and the old Division One title.
Back then they ended up with the same points and same goal difference, but Thomas’ strike snatched the title out of Liverpool’s grasp due to goals scored.
For players like Perry Groves, the greatest night of their career will never be forgotten. The screening of a new movie, aptly called ‘89’, brought together the likes of Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, Thomas and Paul Davis.
Groves, now 52, the substitute who helped create the space for Thomas, said: “It was the first time we had all watched it together as a large group.
“After we won up there, we didn’t get back to London until 3.30am and we went out on the lash at Winner’s in Southgate so did not get home until 11am.
“So, it was good to see the game again, all of us. We all have different memories and different perceptions of the day and the game.
“Tony Adams was convinced we had played three central defenders five or six times that season. We were always 4-4-2. Paul Davis had forgotten we played three centre-backs against Liverpool.
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“We all thought that it was strange our manager George Graham wanted to play this way as we needed to score twice.
“The gaffer sat us down and said, ‘I really fancy us but we are going to play three centre-backs’.
“We thought he had gone mad. That he had lost it. Completely. We knew we had to score twice, but his big thing was to get in at half-time 0-0, which we did.
“At the break, it was the only time the gaffer did a team talk when he did not give us a b********g. Normally, there were always mistakes pinpointed.
“I was like, ‘We haven’t touched the ball!’. But the gaffer said if we got a goal they would become tense. He was right.
“Smudge (Alan Smith) scored and the ref David Hutchinson was brave as Liverpool players surrounded him and tried to get him to change his mind.
“They tried to say Smudge did not make contact with the indirect free-kick but it hit his nose and went in.
“The ref could easily have changed his mind. I could see the tension creep in and Liverpool knew they could lose it.
“Martin Hayes got on as a sub before me and I had the hump. But I soon came on and we went 4-4-2.
The gaffer was the only one who really felt we could beat them 2-0, although obviously not with the second goal coming in the 92nd minute!
“In the 89 film, we only then realised the tackles flying around in the final 20 minutes. Now, we’d all have got sent off.”
Even though he began his career at local club Colchester, Groves was a lifelong Gooner and there he was with the ultimate view of the best goal to end any season, regardless of Sergio Aguero’s one for Manchester City against QPR in 2012.
He added: “John Barnes should have kept the ball in the corner and had he not done that today, he would have been absolutely panned. Kevin Richardson, ‘Chicken Legs’, did the ugly stuff and robbed Barnes.
“Our keeper John Lukic threw the ball out to Dicko (Lee Dixon) because he did not have the energy to kick it.
“The players went into robotic state because, time and time again, we did this in training. Dicko went into autopilot, hit a decent ball into Smudge.
“He had a good touch. I ran off to the right, Thommo ran through, Alan Hansen came with me and there was a little gap.
“All the players were swearing at Thommo and shouting ‘Shoot’. As he got in, Ray Houghton was going to foul him but, as he has said, Thommo had already missed a sitter so Ray was confident he would miss again.
“Bruce Grobbelaar says to this day he thought he had him. Grobbelaar went to the right and Thommo flicked it in.
“I thought, ‘Oh my God, he has only gone and flippin’ scored’. I ran into all the Arsenal fans. It was pandemonium.
“Before we scored we’d asked the ref ‘How long?’ and he said, ‘You don’t have any time’. Liverpool had one more attack but we held on. We were the champions.
“I remember sitting in the dressing room after with Bouldy (Steve Bould) and Merse (Paul Merson) with the trophy. We knew we were now part of Arsenal history.
“The Liverpool lads and coaching staff knocked on the door and congratulated us, which was classy.
“Coming back, we did not go more than 25 miles an hour due to all the Arsenal fans on the motorway.
“People say Pep Guardiola is brilliant but he has not reinvented football.
“George had read a book called The Naked Ape and it was about territory. He didn’t think there was any point going up the day before and have negative banter at the hotel near Liverpool. So we went up on the day.
“There were vice-presidents on the coach and we thought some of them had already died because we had not seen them for years.
“Some of them sat in our seats. We said, ‘If we lose, this is your fault’. We got them out and they sat at the front.”
Groves insists his team were in it “for the medals, not the money” as the players could have earned more elsewhere.
He added: “In the old First Division, we probably had the sixth or seventh biggest budget. I was on £750 a week in 1989. The top players, like Tony Adams and David O’Leary, were probably on about £1,100.
“The bonuses were £350 a win, £150 for each appearance. At the end of the season in our contracts we got money pro rata.
“If we came fourth, it was £60 for every game, third £90, second £100 and first an extra £120 a game.”
The English top flight has changed beyond belief. But being staged on a Friday night will spark an extra tingle of excitement when both teams walk out.
Groves added: “Yes of course, it is still a special game. And it is on a Friday night as well.
“I would rather have Friday night games than Sundays at 1.30pm. I grew up with Friday-night football as Colchester played 80 per cent of their games at home with that kick-off time.
“It should be a good game. Both teams prioritise attack rather than defence so it could be 4-3 either way. Or 3-2. You should get odds of 25/1 for a goalless draw!
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“It is Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and maybe Spurs who are going for third and fourth place.
“I still think Arsenal have a great chance in the Europa League and going into the later rounds Arsene Wenger will change his philosophy.
“The Europa League has also been good for Jack Wilshere and it is good to see him back.
“Also, we owe Liverpool one from the 4-0 defeat at Anfield earlier in the season. That was a terrible performance.”
Maybe Arsenal will exact revenge this evening. But whatever happens nothing, ever, will beat that remarkable Friday night back in May 1989.