This week’s ‘Greatest Goal’ comes from 1978 in one of Arsenal’s most memorable victories over arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
On 23rd December 1978, Arsenal travelled down the Seven Sisters Road for the first North London Derby of the season. They won the game convincingly with Alan Sunderland grabbing a hat-trick. Frank Stapleton also scored, but it was another Irishman Liam Brady who scored the goal of the game.
After David Price curled a cross in from the right wing to Frank Stapleton who was stood between the penalty spot and the edge of the penalty area. The ball was a little too high, but Stapleton was able to nod it on to full-back Pat Rice who was a few yards in front of him.
Rice was not known for his goalscoring and it showed when he swung out his left leg to try and fire a shot at goal. The ball skewed up in the air and two Tottenham defenders managed to get the ball out of the box to Peter Taylor, who was 25 yards from goal.
Taylor looked over his shoulder a moment before taking a touch, but Liam Brady rushed in and whipped the ball away to dispossess him. Brady took a couple of touches before hitting a wonderful curling shot across goal and into the far corner of the net.
Tottenham goalkeeper Mark Kendall didn’t even get near the shot. He made a vague attempt to get near the ball, making a couple of steps across his goal but had no time to dive or even reach out an arm.
As the ball thumped against the back of the net, BBC commentator John Motson cried “Look at that, oh look at that! What a goal from Brady!” in pure disbelief and admiration of the goal he had just witnessed.
It was one of Arsenal’s greatest goals of the 1970s. Liam Brady was one of the heroes of the decade and was adored by the Highbury faithful. Many hearts were broken when the Irish midfielder decided to leave the club in 1980 to join Juventus of Italy.
Arsenal ended the season winning the FA Cup, beating Manchester United 3-2 on a sunny afternoon at Wembley. In a game referred to as the “Five-minute Final”, it was Brady who took possession of the ball in midfield in the last minute of the game and ran at the United defence. He laid the ball out wide to Graham Rix who crossed the ball to the far post for Alan Sunderland, scorer of the hat-trick at White Hart Lane, to poke the ball into the back of the net.
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