Everton 4-0 Manchester City - 1985/86

[@fisherpeter695]

When the blues defeated Liverpool in the Anfield Derby in February 1986, they looked odds on to retain the league title. This must have motivated Liverpool who went on a run which brought them 33 points out of a possible 36. The blues lost a key midweek game at Oxford late in the season. That was the loss that cost them the title, as they had been neck and neck with Liverpool. I remember a friend who was at university in Oxford at the time, and was at the game, ringing me after the game to say Oxford played like Wimbledon and their physical game to stifle the blues, yet weeks earlier rolled over in a 6-0 pasting at Anfield with their main striker (John Aldridge) anonymous. The unnecessary sale of Gary Lineker was the beginning of the end of Kendall's great team. The league win in 1987 was in part due to a collapse in March when Liverpool lost 3 out of 4 games that the blues capitalised on after hanging around the top 6 all season. The line that the club wanted Lineker's 40 goals shared around the team was ludicrous and accepted by some fans. Lineker proved he was a world class striker in the 1986 world cup, strangely it was well reported the club agreed to sell Lineker months before his world cup exploits. Which made no business sense. Lucky to have seen Roy Vernon at the peak of his powers, like Lineker you knew the ball would end up i the net if they got to it first in the penalty area. He was that good.

[@richiegriffiths558]

I was in the back of Gladys street that night sat on one of the bars trapped coz it was fkn chocker,and some fella fartin all night and stunk the end out, I'll never forget it.

[@frankhornby6873]

Richie Griffiths ....hahaha...love it!...that was a city fan...shittin' himself!......Everton was unstoppable that day!.....

[@paulmcdivitt2890]

Still the best Everton side of all time come on Everton 💙💙💙💙

[@davideeyore2002]

1st match recorded on our new video! Still got it on tape. Followed by the 2-0 win over the RS

[@frankhornby6873]

How we never won the league that year I will never know .......Linaker was absolutely brilliant !!..should've won it three on the bounce!!!

[@danielmckerrigan2385]

Nah. 2 on the bounce. You were better in 86. We were better in 87

[@martinkulkarni3569]

@@danielmckerrigan2385 How can you say you were better in 1987? Take a look at the teams we put out. Our injury list was so bad, we almost played with half of the recognised first team all season and still won it. Paul Power was bought as a third string left back and ended up playing 41 out 42 league games that season. We had full backs playing as centre half’s and wingers playing in full back positions. Common place now, but not then. The Dark Side got injuries at the back in the run-in and they couldn’t cover well enough to cope! We coped with far, far more all season! This is why Power got the clubs player of the season, and Kendall said it was a greater achievement than 1985! Don’t try to tell Evertonians you were better!

[@martinkulkarni3569]

We lost because of one game. Oxford away before the last two games at home winning by an aggregate of 8-2 including a game against the best West Ham team I’ve ever seen, who were actually second above us at that time. Won 3-1 in one of the best games I have ever seen! We even had an under strength side as the cup final against the Dark Side was the following Saturday. Which we undeservedly lost of course having battered them for most of the game! The Oxford game was lost because Lineker missed a hat full, a real hat full. Why? Because he forgot his ‘lucky’ boots! He had to borrow a pair! Of course the Dark Side won at Leicester same night, but their game on the Saturday at Chelsea would have been meaningless, if we beat Southampton at home (6-1). So a player who hade score nearly forty goals before the Oxford match missed a bunch of sitters, and who benefitted? And people wonder why we say we are cursed by their very existence ever since we moved from Mordor and they came into being from then!

[@frankhornby6873]

Just ignore the GOBSHITE!...what's it doin' here anyway?...💙

[@Prodigy_Fan]

Lineker was mustard for Everton. Took him quite a few games to be really accepted by our fans just because he replaced Andy Gray, and then we sold him for a relative pittance after 40 goals in one season for us then going on to be leading goalscorer in the 1986 World Cup.

[@frankhornby6873]

Prodigy_Fan .....yeah Linaker could've been an Everton legend......

[@Chigleybus]

I never liked that season's kit, the jersey was just wrong. Should have stuck with the classic 84/85 kit. I suppose even 30-odd years ago the marketing men had to have their say. We were good in the mid-80s though, sure we put 6 past Arsenal in 85/86 too.

[@markbunn8051]

Trivia point. This was the first English League game to be shown as highlights mid-week on TV!!

[@davideeyore2002]

Great that. I've got it on tape the intro is fantastic starts with showing the crowd and saw a lad from school in the crowd (didn't go to this one myself). Makes sense, first game captured on tape.

[@etienne1234567]

Coldest game I've been to

[@johnruby147]

In the days when Lineker was a potent striker for both club(s) and country , and not the pompus pc prat he is now on MOTD

[@rjlplondon]

It’s amazing how people like him who have lived in a bubble of privilege and celebrity since they were teenagers feel they can comment on real life today!?!

[@saraw6446]

Spot on, any respect I had for him as an ex blue disappeared when I listened to his woke anti white British crap

[@spanishpeaches2930]

@@saraw6446 100% agree. How he went from from EFC hero to a complete and utter, pontificating, virtue-signalling, migrant loving wa£nker is some story. Cannot watch his hypocritical face now.

[@martinkulkarni3569]

Wow this post has really brought out the racist bigoted scum out from under their slimy stones. Wish I could persuade my wife to leave this godforsaken shit house of a country!

[@spanishpeaches2930]

@@martinkulkarni3569 You don't like the truth then ? Perhaps you could leave if you really despise living here that much. It must be a real burden for you.

[@houghy84]

Legend!!

[@kevingill648]

A time when Everton were dominant over Man City when on a level playing field! 2024 and the Mega Bucks Abu Dhabi United Group have given them titles, helped with corruption.

[@tommylucy4738]

What a club Everton! But I love the Arsenal!

[@AKABoxingFan]

Those are the players we can afford anyway, 800K right in our budget

[@paulmcdonough1093]

pointon joined city and power joined everton following seasons power won the league

[@Chigleybus]

Steve Redmond had a nightmare that night against Sharp and Lineker. I remember feeling sorry for him at the time, he was (like me) only a teenager then. We were too good all round for City though. How times have changed|!

[@nicholasjones7990]

Was this commentary dubbed on. I don’t ever remember Martin Tyler commentating in the eighties. Shocking commentator

[@martinkulkarni3569]

Hated Everton!

[@danielsibbald7823]

gary plays like me

[@nic9594]

All I can say about this game was I was there and there was shot of violence

[@danielsibbald7823]

I was

[@harrypusey5445]

Are u male or female?

[@andyfin990]

We were walking round to the paddock and a mob of city fans were fronting Eveton fans, they had this big fella with a mad afro, as he got to me I punched him right in the teeth,, still got the scars on my knuckles to this day.. great times.

[@petercarey7456]

@@andyfin990 is right lad.

[@zobielamouche1]

english football is impotent

[@crimsonrush]

Like the man your mum married then. :D

[@rjlplondon]

You mean ‘important’