When Everton and Liverpool faced each other in an FA Cup Fifth Round replay on February 20, 1991 it wasn’t just the tie of the round, it turned out to be one of the most memorable and enthralling cup games in living memory.
Throughout the previous decade the two best sides in the country, and near neighbours, regularly faced-off in league title deciders and high profile cup ties; and not much appeared to have changed at the start of the 1990s.
In the first fixture at Anfield, just three days earlier, the two had all but cancelled each other out as they fought a largely uninteresting and uninspiring 0-0 draw and there was little evidence that the resulting replay would offer more in the way of excitement.
In fact, if referee Neil Midgley hadn’t missed a pretty blatant penalty shout after Gary Ablett’s somewhat dubious challenge on Everton’s Pat Nevin in the box we might have been deprived of the thriller which was ultimately served up just 72 hours or so later.
Despite Everton’s home advantage Liverpool were still seen as narrow favourites going into the second encounter. That’s because Kenny Dalglish’s men sat top of the First Division table with a healthy three point lead, while their rivals across Stanley Park struggled somewhat thanks to something of an indifferent league campaign.
But as the old saying goes, the formbook goes out of the window when it comes to the FA Cup and a replay against their nearest of neighbours, who were embroiled in a title race with high flying Arsenal at the time, provided Everton with the perfect opportunity to kick-start their season.
Despite topping the table Liverpool were very much a team in transition in the early ‘90s. Players like Alan Hansen, Steve McMahon and Ronnie Whelan, who had been so prominent in much of their success in the 1980s were somewhat past their best, while the previous season’s top scorer, John Aldridge, had since departed the club for Spain.
Perhaps, as a result, Dalglish named an extremely defensive Liverpool line-up that night with Glenn Hysen, David Burrows, Steve Nicol, Jan Molby, Gary Ablett and Steve Staunton all getting the nod.
And this was all the encouragement that the home side needed as, in front of a baying crowd of over 37,000, they were intent on getting amongst their opponents while generally having a go at every opportunity – the perfect ingredients for a classic cup tie.
But the crowd would be silenced on 37 minutes as the visitors struck first when, after Ian Rush’s effort was acrobatically cleared off the line, the ball fell to Peter Beardsley who slotted home on the half-volley.
Two minutes after the break, however, the tie was level when Graeme Sharp timed his leap to perfection to meet an Andy Hinchcliffe cross and power a header past Grobbelaar.
Liverpool rallied again and on 71 minutes took the lead once more when Peter Beardsley collected a short pass and evaded a challenge, before shimmying away from another blue shirt and firing a brilliant left-footed shot past Neville Southall in the Everton goal.
Incredibly, Everton hit straight back just two minutes later as a long ball upfield caused chaos in the Liverpool defence and as Steve Nicol’s attempted clearance deceived his own ‘keeper, Sharpe poked the ball into an empty net.
As the home fans were still celebrating Liverpool took the lead for the third time in the match when Jan Molby picked-out Ian Rush from the right wing who nodded the ball past the stranded Southall. Surely that was that?
But Everton’s players still had belief and with a minute left on the clock one of the most incredible games of football for years was completed as Tony Cottee, who had just come on as a substitute, pounced on a mistake to slot the ball past Grobbelaar with his left foot. “THREE, THREE!” yelled Martin Tyler in the commentary box.
After two games the two still couldn’t be separated meaning another 30 minutes of action and the period of extra-time was just as enthralling as the 90 minutes that had gone before.
And it looked like one of the most sublime pieces of skill would finally seal victory for Liverpool when John Barnes cut in from the left touchline and curled a dipping shot into the far corner of the net from the edge of the box, a strike worthy of winning any game of football.
Except it didn’t. With just minutes of extra-time remaining that man Cottee again pounced on some dreadful Liverpool defending to stroke the ball under a helpless Grobbelaar once more to make it Everton 4 Liverpool 4. Four times Liverpool had led and four times Everton had pegged them back with each response more Gwladys Street-shaking and hard to comprehend than the last.
“Merseyside derbies should come with a Government health warning,” claimed Ric George in The ECHO. “This was without question the greatest match I have ever watched – but also the most stressful.”
Everton Manager Howard Kendall was a little more low key in his analysis of what he’d witnessed that night. “There shouldn’t have been a replay, really, because referee Neil Midgley missed a blatant penalty at Anfield,” said the Blues boss. “But a lot of people will look back at how events unfolded at Goodison and say they’re glad there was.”
Of course, the result meant there would be another game for everyone to enjoy in the form of a second replay such were the rules at the time, except this time lightning didn’t strike twice and a 12th-minute Dave Watson strike was enough to eventually clinch the tie for Everton who progressed to Round Six.
But it would be the game at Goodison Park on February 21, 1990 which understandably would steal all the headlines that season as two of the country’s fiercest rivals played out possibly the greatest Merseyside derby of all time.
