For March 25th I'm going back 37 years to 1984. Yes, the day after my visit to Shrewsbury, I was at Wembley for the rebranded League Cup Final.
The Milk Cup Final of 1984 was an all-Merseyside affair and was the first time in the history of Merseyside derbies that the silverware of a national competition was at stake. Historically, this was also the first Wembley Final to be played on a Sunday. This was the 146th meeting of the two teams and, with an attendance of 100,000, this was certainly the most-attended Merseyside derby ever.
The term "derby" is yet another footballing term whose origins aren't clear. Some say that it originates from The Derby, the annual horse race on Epsom Downs, founded by the Earl of Derby in 1780. Quite why this would have morphed to refer to local football rivalries is beyond me. More plausible perhaps is the theory that the term originates from the early Shrovetide football matches played in Derbyshire in pre-medieval times. What isn't disputed is that the term has been in use in its current context since the 1840's. Sadly, el Classico this game wasn't.
My impression of the day was that it was "Merseyside against the World". There appeared to be no significant animosity between the two sets of fans, perhaps understandable if individual families are divided red and blue as is often reported. This Final was nicknamed "the friendly Final" since almost all sections of the stadium seemed to be mixed. Even the prevalent chanting was of "Merseyside". This was certainly an unprecedented era of Merseyside dominance of the First Division Championship. In the 15 seasons between 1976 and 1990, Liverpool won the League title 9 times and Everton won 2 of the 6 that Liverpool missed out on!
According to wikipedia, the five players with more Merseyside derby appearances than anybody else are Neville Southall (41 appearances), Ian Rush (36), Bruce Grobbelaar (34), Alan Hansen (33) and Kevin Ratcliffe (32). All five played in this game! And the all-time top scorer in the Merseyside derby? That man Ian Rush again. But he was destined not to score in this game. And nor was anyone else. It finished goalless.
Probably because I was present, this Final went down as a somewhat dour affair. The key moment occurred when Alan Hansen used his hand to stop Adrian Heath's goal bound shot on the line. No penalty was awarded. Extra time couldn't separate the teams. The Replay took place at Maine Road, Manchester the following Wednesday when the Reds won the trophy thanks to a Graeme Souness goal in the first half. It was a record fourth consecutive success for Liverpool as well as being the third consecutive League Cup Final in which Liverpool beat that season's eventual FA Cup winners (Spurs 1982, Manchester United 1983 and Everton 1984)!
CRB Match No. 300
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