1984-85 saw Liverpool fail to win a trophy for the first time in nine years. They lost the European Cup Final to a Michel Platini penalty but that was an irrelevance after it was clear that there had been fatalities at the Heysel Stadium. There had been fighting between Liverpool and Juventus fans before the match, and the collapse of a wall precipitated the tragedy. 39 supporters, mostly Italian, were killed. Liverpool fans were deemed to be primarily responsible and an indefinite ban was imposed on all English clubs competing in European competition.
Everton romp
The Heysel disaster and the Bradford fire, which occurred only weeks earlier, rocked football to the core. The season had also wimessed some of the worst acts of hooliganism ever seen, prompting the government to set up a task force to address the issue.
These events overshadowed die achievements of an Everton side which won two trophies playing champagne football. Howard Kendall’s men romped to the title with a record 90 points, 13 clear of their Liverpool rivals. Kendall joined the select group to have won the championship as both player and manager.
It was the hrst leg in a treble, Everton having reached both the Cup Winners’ Cup and FA Cup Finals. Having taken the scalp of Bayern Munich 3-1 on aggregate in the semis, Everton faced Rapid Vienna in the Cup Winners’ Cup Final. Austria’s legendary striker Hans Krankl scored Rapid’s consolation goal in a 3-1 defeat and was quick to sing Everton’s praises for the quality of their performance. Andy Gray, Trevor Steven and Kevin Sheedy had all been on target.
Opposite: Liverpoors Ian Rush holds the Charity Shield in 1986.
Above left:The pairing of John Barnes and David Bardsley was to prove too much for the Arsenal defence as Watford defeated them 3-1, preventing the Gunners from celebrating another league and Cup Double in 1987 their centenary year.
Above right: Chris Waddle of Tottenham rescues his side by scoring against up-and-coming Oxford United to send the game into extra time. Left:Wimbledon, perhaps the most unconventional and unlikely team in the First Division at the time, celebrate a 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. John Fashanu and Wally Downes embrace Vinny Jones (with his back to the camera), who only three weeks prior to this game had been employed as a hod-carrier.
The FA Cup proved to be a trophy too far. Everton went down 1-0 to Manchester United, Norman Whiteside curling in a beautiful winner in extra time. The first 90 minutes had been largely uneventful, until with 12 minutes to go Peter Reid pounced onto a loose ball and was upended by Kevin Moran. The referee deemed it a professional foul and sent the Irishman off, the first Cup Final dismissal. The incident served to galvanise the
United side, and they carved out other Norman Whiteside scoring opportunities apart from the
Strike sinks Everton. delightfully taken by whiteside.
Two years earlier he had become the youngest-ever player to score in a Wembley Final - 17 years 3 24 days - when United lost to Liverpool in the Milk Cup. No doubt this strike gave the Irishman more satisfaction.
Dalglish steps up as player-manager
Joe Fagan had already announced that the 1985 European Cup Final would be his last game in charge. Liverpool made yet another internal appointment, but surprised many by opting for a player-manager: Kenny Dalglish. With the Paul Walsh-Ian Rush strike partnership flourishing, Dalglish was content to spend time in the dugout. His team didn’t have things all their own way, and
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