#2 Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal - Football League First Division, May 1989
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The conclusion to the 1988/89 first division league was one of the most dramatic ever. The Reds closed a 19-point gap between themselves and Arsenal through an epic 24-match undefeated run to find themselves three points ahead of the Gunners on the final day of the season.
Nothing less than a two-goal margin victory would do for Arsenal, whereas Liverpool would become champions even if they lost by only one goal. Arsenal had not won a game at Anfield in fifteen years. Having won six league titles over the last decade, to say that Liverpool were confident is an understatement.
Arsenal took the lead after 52 minutes when Alan Smith headed in from a free-kick that was floated into the Liverpool box. The goal didn’t really change much in the game, but the tension on the field and in the stands was palpable.
The scoreline stayed the same until the death of the game. In added time, John Barnes received the ball and tried to dribble his way into the Arsenal box, but was dispossessed. He would’ve been better off taking the ball to the corner flag to wind down the clock.
Instead, the Gunners sprung a counter-attack. The ball fell to Michael Thomas just outside Liverpool’s penalty area, and he beat Bruce Grobbelaar with an outfoot shot.
This was the first time that the league winner was decided in added time of the last game of the season against the very team that lost it. It was also a forewarning of the change in fortunes that would soon come for Liverpool. They went on to win the title in the next season, but the Reds haven’t managed to repeat that feat in the 26 years since.
