Everton History

This Week — 38 Years Ago

A double-header against Manchester United in 1984-85 gave Everton the perfect opportunity to build on their win at Anfield and really make a statement

Background

Last week, I indulged myself by talking at length about 1999. This week I’ll indulge everyone else by going back to 1984-85.

After the improvement in league form in the calendar year of 1984, reaching two cup finals and winning their first trophy since 1970, Everton were expected to take this momentum into the new season. As is the way with Everton, and I suppose football in general, it wasn’t that simple. Not initially anyway. They lost their first 2 league games of 84-85 and made hard work of University College Dublin in the first round of the Cup Winners Cup.

By then, their league form had picked up, but there was still no indication of what was to come. When Manchester United arrived on 27 October 1984, Everton had won only 2 league games at Goodison – thankfully, an impressive return of 4 wins from 6 away matches in the league made up for this – the last of these seeing Everton win at Anfield for the first time since their last Championship season.

A tough win behind the Iron Curtain, away to Inter Bratislava, followed in mid-week, and then Everton played Manchester United twice in the space of a few days – although they weren’t the force they would become 10 years later, the Manchester United of the '80s were no duffers, regularly in the title mix (and regularly falling away to finish 4th) and one of the best cup sides in the country (as Everton would unfortunately find out 7 months later).

Coming to Goodison Park, Ron Atkinson’s men had been beaten just once in their first 16 competitive matches so far that season. While winning at Anfield was no small feat at the time (or now), Liverpool were on an unusually poor run. Therefore, the in-form Manchester United could be considered a more thorough test. If Everton could beat them, it would send a further message to the watching footballing world.

The Game

Everton didn’t beat Manchester United... they annihilated them. Kevin Sheedy’s opener indicated that this was going to be a special day, when he beat fellow Irish international Kevin Moran in the air and looped in a powerful and accurate header from almost 18 yards out, a move that left both players prostrate for some moments after the net bulged. This goal showed that Sheedy had strength, tenacity and guts to match his undoubted skill.

The second goal was more of a typical Sheedy effort, an empathic left footed finish after being put through by Adrian Heath.

And Heath then got on the score sheet himself with the only scrappy goal of the day. Heath battled with Manchester United’s defence when the ball was played in from the right – by now, their back 4 had been run ragged, and they could only half-heartedly scramble it back out wide. The ball immediately came back in again and Heath was left with a tap-in.

And in the second half, Everton’s 4th goal also came from the right – Gary Stevens with an effort that most wingers or strikers would be proud of. He picked up the ball mid-way in United’s half, showed a good bit of skill to wrong-foot his nearest man, continued to carry the ball, then from just outside the box, drilled an unstoppable low shot beyond Gary Bailey’s despairing dive. Both this goal and Sheedy’s second, the ball could not have been any closer to the post as it hit the side netting – finishing to absolute perfection.

The rout was completed when Everton were awarded a free-kick out wide on the left, which Graeme Sharp headed in with the deftest of flicks. Not sure if he was aiming for the far corner or flicking it on for a team-mate to tap in at the far post, but it doesn’t matter – you aim for the far post and good things happen. And good things happened for Everton all afternoon, the scoreline could have been even higher, and at the end of the afternoon the team were up to 2nd behind leaders Arsenal, and had to be taken seriously as genuine title contenders.

Just 3 days later, they travelled to Old Trafford for the 3rd Round of the League Cup. United’s pride had obviously been injured and it was thought they would double their efforts to get “revenge“ for their humbling at Goodison. And they did take the lead, with Alan Brazil deflecting a shot past Southall. Sharp equalised from the penalty spot after Heath was brought down, making it 1-1 at half-time.

And, going into the last 10 minutes, it looked like it would stay that way and be settled in a replay (League Cup replays – remember those?!). Until Peter Reid’s cross was headed over his own stranded goalkeeper and into the net by John Gidman. A lucky break for Everton, but not much more of a fluke than the deflection that had given United the lead in the first place.

So, after thrashing them in the league, Everton had now knocked United out of a cup at Old Trafford, which took some doing.

Incredibly, in 9½ months between 27 October 1984 and 10 August 1985, Everton and Manchester United played each other on 5 occasions. Manchester United won only one of these matches – unfortunately it turned out to be the one that mattered the most. They still had the clutch gene even back then.

Epilogue

It’s 1984-85. No epilogue needed.

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