Thursday, May 10, 2012

10 May 1986 - Twice The Joy For Liverpool, Twice The Agony For Everton

On 10 May 1986, Liverpool completed their Double by beating rivals Everton in the FA Cup Final, 3-1.

The Reds had already beaten their Merseyside neighbors to the league title one week earlier, finishing the season with eleven wins and a draw in their last twelve matches to claim their sixteenth title in club history. Their last match was a 1-0 win over Chelsea that pushed them two points clear of runners-up Everton in the final table.

The Toffees were looking for redemption in the FA Cup Final, played before a crowd of 98,000 at Wembley. And an early goal from forward Gary Lineker put them on the right track, sending them up 1-0 in the 27th minute. Liverpool keeper Bruce Grobbelaar parried Lineker's first attempt, but knocked it back into the path of the striker, who converted with a follow-up shot.

Then Liverpool took over in the second half. Forward Ian Rush beat Everton keeper Bobby Mimms to provide the 56th-minute equalizer, followed six minutes later by the go-ahead goal from midfielder Craig Johnston. Rush then sealed the win with a second goal of the day, a low angled shot from six yards out in the 83rd minute.

The win was also notable for the fact that Liverpool's team was the first in an FA Cup Final not to have a single Englishman in their starting XI.




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