CLASSIC MATCHES - EPISODE 32: Arsenal -v- Luton Town (1987/88) - FOOTBALL LEGENDS
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- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
- FOOTBALL LEGENDS - CLASSIC MATCHES - EPISODE 32:
1987/88
Arsenal v Luton Town
League Cup Final
24/04/88
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An epic match unfolded at Wembley when Arsenal (the holders) took on underdogs Luton Town in the 1988 League Cup final.
Arsenal had a great pedigree for both League and cup success down the years, but Luton Town up to this point had not won a single major trophy in the clubs 103 year history. Their only previous appearance in a major cup final was back in 1959 when they lost the FA Cup final to Nottingham Forest.
This season however was to be different. Managed by Ray Harford, the Luton players were to have their names enshrined in the clubs history as legends and heroes.
Andy Dibble in goal, Tim Breaker, Rob Johnson, Mal Donaghy and skipper Steve Foster in defence, Ricky Hill, Danny Wilson, David Preece and Kinglsey Black in midfield, Mick Harford and Brian Stein in attack, and Ashley Grimes and Stein's younger brother Mark as second half subs. 8 Englishmen, one Welsmen, and four players from Ireland.
The Arsenal team was made up entirely of Englishmen. Managed by George Graham, the line-up include John Lukic, Nigel Winterburn, Kenny Sansom, Gus Caesar, Tony Adams, Michael Thomas, David Rocastle, Paul Davis, Kevin Richardson, Perry Groves, Alan Smith, and substitute Martin Hayes.
It was Luton who struck first through Brian Stein on 13 minutes, and Luton held onto that lead until an exhilarating last 19 minutes, which saw Arsenal equalise through Martin Hayes, and then take the lead through Alan Smith, before having a Nigel Winterburn penalty saved by Andy Dibble.
Now with 8 minutes left to play Luton struck back through Danny Wilson, before Brian Stein scored his second in the very last minute to win the final 3-2 for Luton Town.
now , they come back to the top flight again, what a great job for a small team.
I was there.
What a great day with my younger brother.
The Luton goalie had a fantastic day.
The last minute winner was the sort of thing dreams are made of.
Arsenal have won loads, for Luton, this was truly special.
I heard "we've won something, we've finally won something".
A lot of luton supporters could die happy knowing that.
I'm a Watford fan and was genuinely cheering for Luton that day. I love to see the underdogs win, and that was quite some Luton side. Hopefully someday Watford will win a major trophy, but for now not so. That was Luton's day and they played so well - it really was an incredible Cup Final. No room for hate in my world, banter is good - and good luck Luton in this 2022/23 season.
Remember this first time round. Watching it now, it's one of THE greatest Wembley finals.
MOM Andy dibble, probably the best performance of his career.
I was there and in tears at the end.
LTFC ‘til my dying day and beyond if there is one.
Superb game. Brian Moore was always a wonderful commentator, especially in games where the underdogs were playing well.
One of the best cup finals ever, played on I remember being a lovely day.
I remeber being there at wembly on that very warm April day with my dad. I was 17 years old and when the final whistle went, i cried my eyes out i was so happy. My team, Luton Town, had had finally won a trophy. Things didnt really go too well the next year though. We got stuffed by Notts Forest in the final lol
One of the few remaining romantic events in sport - a football club winning its first ever trophy.
One of the first games I ever watched. I don't even bother following the game now, but I can still memorize most scores and stats from the 70s to early 90s. This makes me feel nostalgic.
Unbelievable performance by Dibble
Football was full of HEART in the 80s.
Was in the arsenal end ,incredible Wembley atmosphere, incredible match ,was absolutely gutted at full time😭
i was at the Luton end with my dad. What a fantastic game for the nuetral though. Still have the game on VHS somewhere. Its so worn from use, it's almost unwatchable now lol
It's incredible comparing these games to how football is played now. Certainly PL players are technically much better, faster, more composed and athletic nowadays. I don't doubt that football had better soul back then but the game itself has improved professionally
My dad still thinks this is the best day of his life.
Two words : Andy Dibble
Dibble had some game here - MOTM.
How the bloody hell did Arsenal not win this game!!?? Jesus. We had so many chances to score after going 2-1 up. Martin Hayes, 1 yard out, open goal, what does he do, hit the post! Everyone blames poor Gus Caeser, but we had enough chances to win 2 games! And why let Nigel take the penalty? Our penalty taker this season was Michael Thomas or Kevin Richardson maybe ? Just unbelievable. Glad we didn’t lose to Liverpool or even worse Spurs. I was absolutely distraught after this game though. I was only 10. Full credit to Luton tho. Did brilliant. Had to admire their tenacity.
I was also a kid watching this and couldn't believe Winterburn was taking the penalty as I knew he wasn't the usual penalty taker. I recall thinking it smacked of complacency and when it was saved, I had that feeling. for Luton...one of those games you will never forget because as a kid, those moments stick with you stronger.
Yeah we badly missed David O’leary’s calmness at the back in this game, and Andy Dibble became a legend! Luton deserved to win tho imho.
Never a pen. RIP ROCKY. ltfc
My club 🧡👒🎩
Brian Moore was a great commentator !
And now Luton are back in the big time
Football was just so much better then
Technically though it was poor compared to today's football. The players are so much better now.
@C Face They are passionate. Passion is not just about running around huffing and puffing. It is also about getting it right and they have by creating a more advanced footballer through fitness, diet and technique.
@@Dead-Ball-Situation and all the more insipid for it. We want passion and less badge kissing.
@@Dead-Ball-Situation Disagree. Athleticism is better now and so is the level of professionalism. But there were loads of technically gifted players around back then and football was far more competitive and unpredictable. More attacking intent by and large too. These days it's just a load of teams obsessed with possession without purpose. Constant sideways and backwards passing. A lot of modern football is sterile and boring
@@BHJBHJ424 Whether the game is any better is a different debate. I am merely talking about the technical quality of footballer and that has improved. 20-30 years ago England couldn't complete 5 passes without losing it. It's very different now
Great gamz
Was reading an arsenal encyclopedia and it mentioned Gus Caesar making a bad mistake in this game, it should have already been won before then great goalkeeping
This league cup trophy was looking better than the tinpot shape of the trophy today... Why did the trophy design for league cup always changed in over the time? This old trophy was better. Im not even going to talk about the changes of the title like Worthington, Carling, Carabao or etc, etc..
2:57 that is some save by Lukic and as for Dibble he was on drugs
The infamous Gus Caesar.
Gus Caesar. Nothing more to say.
i remember that. Arsenal fan. Booooo (fair play to Luton)
Luton Town 3, the Lager Louts 2
Football now is utter crap.
Soulless and sterile.
Back then was a great time to go to watch football as the atmosphere was a million times better. When it comes to the so called superior quality of today, all I can say is when tackling has been virtually outlawed it’s little wonder they supposedly look more technically gifted.
Back then the players had to consider that a crunching tackle was about to come and they still had technique.