FA Cup Semi Final, 1991: Arsenal v spurs

FA Cup Semi Final; Sunday April 14, 1991.

Arsenal 1 Tottenham Hotspur 3

Arsenal: D.Seaman, L.Dixon, N.Winterburn, M.Thomas, S.Bould, T.Adams, K.Campbell, P.Davis, A.Smith, P.Merson, A.Limpar (P.Groves 63).

Spurs: E.Thorstvedt, J.Edinburgh, P.Van Den Hauwe, S.Sedgley, D.Howells, G.Mabbutt, P.Stewart, P.Gascoigne (Nayim 61), V.Samways (P.Walsh 85), G.Lineker, P.Allen.

With the two giants of North London football pitted against each other in the last four of the FA Cup for the first time ever the FA decided on the unprecedented move of staging a semi final at Wembley. The famous old stadium was packed to capacity and bathed in bright early afternoon sunshine. Both sides looked relaxed enough as the teams emerged from the tunnel together but there would have been nerves enough among the twenty two players.

The opening minutes suggested several players were on edge with the passing sloppy and the play scrappy. Spurs had lined up with only Gary Lineker up front and the intention of getting bodies forward from midfield to support. A good move out of defence gave the first indication that the tactic might be a success.

Justin Edinburgh played the ball into Lineker whose first time lay off was perfect for Paul Allen bursting forward but his first touch was not the best and Tony Adams was able to slide in to tackle.

The danger was not over, however, as the ball ran loose towards Paul Gascoigne, also breaking beyond the lone striker, and his cross shot flashed just wide of the far post. The referee pointed for a goal kick but it looked as though David Seaman had got a fingertip to the effort and Gascoigne left nobody in any doubt that he thought a corner should have resulted.

Gascoigne had only just returned to the Spurs side after a stomach operation and looked to be carrying a few extra pounds on top of the few extra pounds he generally carried. Arsenal obviously still regarded him as a major threat, however, with Michael Thomas detailed to shadow his every move.

Another slick passage of Tottenham passing ended when Paul Stewart overhit his intended pass out to the left wing but the referee decided that he had been caught when releasing the ball and awarded Spurs a free kick a good thirty five yards from the Arsenal goal.

It looked hugely ambitious to try a shot from that distance but it seemed as though Gascoigne had every intention of trying his luck as he paced out a fast bowlers run behind the ball. The extrovert midfielder stormed forward and smashed in a rising drive that Seaman got a hand to but could only help into the top left hand corner of his net.

Gascoigne raced away to indulge in frenzied celebrations with the Tottenham supporters and the blue touch paper had well and truly been lit beneath a simmering local derby.

Spurs quickly won another free kick and when this was floated into the Arsenal box Lineker typically found a yard of space but then mis-hit his shot and saw it lob harmlessly over the bar.

When Arsenal played a similar free kick into the Spurs area Adams followed through on Erik Thorstvedt after the Norwegian keeper had gathered and this led to a spell of handbags between Adams and Paul Stewart.

The game quickly became niggly with Edinburgh, Anders Limpar and Paul Davis all penalised for late challenges in quick succession but when any football did break out it was Tottenham playing it.

Having won another free kick in midfield Stewart moved the ball quickly out to the right hand side where Gascoigne had suddenly appeared. Allen came over to support and Gascoigne slipped the ball into his colleague between defenders.

Gascoigne was moving infield while Allen was heading for the touchline. Allen played an instant return ball into Gascoigne and when he reversed another first time ball out to the right Allen was suddenly in all kinds of space.

With the Arsenal defence in some disarray Allen whipped a cracking ball across the six yard box which evaded Adams before bouncing back across goal from the body of Alan Smith, back trying to help out his defence, and Lineker was the quickest to react as he poked his finish beyond Seaman at point blank range.

Only ten minutes had gone and Tottenham were two up and in dreamland.

Arsenal mustered their first tentative attack which ended with Limpar firing miles over the top but it was Spurs continuing to control the midfield areas while Arsenal were finding it almost impossible to bring their attacking trio of Smith, Kevin Campbell and Paul Merson into the game.

The niggling fouls that had littered the opening stages took a nastier turn when Lee Dixon crudely hacked down Edinburgh and when he then went in late on David Howells less than a minute later the referee brought out his first yellow card of the afternoon.

Campbell saw fit to take issue with this decision and earned himself a ticking off. Fifteen minutes had now gone and it was possible that Campbell was yet to touch the ball. Unless, of course, he took the Arsenal kick offs.

It was not long before Stewart was also entering the referees' notebook after going in on the grounded Davis who had already been awarded a free kick. Then Gascoigne got himself involved in a spot of wrestling with Thomas after both men seemed to think they had been awarded a free kick.

This incident seemed to mark the end of the pettiness although Vinnie Samways was harshly booked shortly afterwards for just about catching Dixon.

Lineker looked likely to reach a free kick sent deep into the Arsenal box but ended up a foot short after the suspicion of a tug by Steve Bould.

Then Arsenal finally caused some real danger when Merson moved over to the left hand side before embarking on an incisive run and when he slipped a good ball into Smith there was a man over in support. Smith let the ball slip under his foot, however, and suddenly Spurs were breaking with intent at the other end.

Lineker produced another crafty lay off to set Samways running at the Arsenal defence and he drifted effortlessly beyond Adams before hitting his low drive too close to Seaman.

The greater cohesion and purpose of Tottenham's football was then highlighted by a lovely move involving Lineker, Gascoigne and Allen but when the ball was shipped out to the overlapping Pat Van Den Hauwe his centre eluded the white shirts inside the area and the danger was cleared.

The game was certainly opening up and Arsenal were able to retaliate swiftly. Limpar sent Nigel Winterburn racing towards the dead ball line and his cut back provided Smith with a good chance but his shot on the half turn was spooned way over the bar.

It remained Spurs carrying the greater threat but Terry Venables' men wasted two fine opportunities when both Lineker and Howells played lazy passes with options left and right just outside the Arsenal box.

Then Samways spoiled fine work by Lineker and Gascoigne with a poor centre from the left hand bye-line.

With the interval approaching Spurs seemed to relax and indulged in a prolonged spell of passing back to Thorstvedt to wind the clock down. This tactic was to backfire as Arsenal found a way back into the game from nowhere right on the stroke of half time.

A long ball through the middle found Edinburgh, for some reason, the man in position to head away but the full back got no distance on his clearance and when the ball was quickly shipped out to Dixon on the right flank he was able to send over a fine centre which Smith, stealing between defenders, guided into the bottom corner beyond the despairing dive of Thorstvedt.

Half Time: Arsenal 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2

This goal would have lifted Arsenal considerably after their lacklustre first half display and they came out a far more determined team after half time.

There was not much craft about their play but the high balls they began pumping towards Smith gave them a good avenue from which to start attacks as the centre forward consistently won his headers against Mabbutt and Steve Sedgley.

Suddenly it was Arsenal midfield players making the forward runs and the Tottenham midfield, so dominant before half time, immediately began to look a little jaded.

Allen had to bring down Limpar on the edge of the area for a free kick that came to nothing and then it needed a sharp interception from Van Den Hauwe to deny Campbell a shooting chance deep inside the Spurs box.

Another headed flick from Smith reached Limpar who had the chance to play Merson in on goal but the pass was too heavy and Merson ended up having to put in a centre that was deflected into the arms of Thorstvedt.

Merson speared a superb pass out to the marauding Winterburn as Arsenal began to force the pace and the full back sent in a fine centre but Spurs got lucky as the ball ricoched between players before bouncing harmlessly through to Thorstvedt.

In Arsenal's next attack Winterburn himself had a chance to equalize. From Dixon's long ball forward Mabbutt actually won the header but could get no distance on his clearance and it was Winterburn racing forward to pick up the pieces.

Reaching the ball just ahead of Van Den Hauwe the Arsenal full back lobbed the ball beyond his opposite number then managed to nick a header beyond the covering Mabbutt and was suddenly one on one with Thorstvedt. Winterburn had no time to stop and think as the keeper dived at his feet and he took the correct option of lofting the ball goalwards but the finish did not match the approach play and sailed high over the crossbar.

The Tottenham defence was now creaking seriously and Smith would have been in on goal but for a poor touch and then Campbell got in behind his marker only to be denied by the bravery of Thorstvedt diving at his feet.

With just over an hour gone Spurs decided that Gascoigne had lasted as long as he could and replaced him with Nayim but Arsenal were soon threatening again as Merson supplied Limpar with an inviting chance but the Swede capped a disappointing display with a woeful shot that bounced apologetically into Thorstvedt's waiting arms.

This would be Limpar's last involvement before being replaced by Perry Groves and there followed a nervy period in which nothing much happened as both sides seemed to be gearing themselves for a frantic finale.

Van Den Hauwe introduced himself to Groves with a reckless late challenge and was promptly booked before the game did begin to seriously open up as Arsenal threw men forward in search of the elusive equalizer.

Smith went close with a bouncing shot from the edge of the box and then Thorstvedt had to be sharp to reach a Dixon centre ahead of two attackers as his entire defence pushed out unsuccessfully for offside.

The Spurs midfield seemed to drawing a second wind, however, and both sides now looked capable of scoring as the pitch became bigger and bigger.

Nayim led a break towards the Arsenal area and waltzed round Adams before squaring back for Lineker who was denied by the toe of a lunging defender but Spurs were immediately presented with possession again and when Van Den Hauwe fed Allen his centre did reach Lineker whose twisting header glanced just wide of the far post.

With fifteen minutes remaining the games' decisive moment arrived. Lineker was forced back into his own half and then played a poor ball back towards Mabbutt that put Arsenal in possession. This gift was immediately returned, however, and when Lineker then played a smart give and go with Mabbutt he was suddenly racing away from his marker and tearing towards the Arsenal penalty area.

Paul Allen created space for his colleague with a diagonal run which left Lineker taking on Tony Adams in a foot race. The defender had no chance of winning this but he would have felt he had done enough by forcing his opponent to the right of goal but when Lineker shot for the far post Seaman was suddenly handling a bar of soap and the ball slipped through his hands and bounced into the net off the far post.

Lineker lay flat out awaiting the joyous congratulations of his teammates. Seaman lay flat out hoping to awaken from the nightmare that was swallowing up his Sunday afternoon.

Sorry Spunky. It was all horribly real.

Arsenal might have been forgiven for chucking in the towel at this stage but they actually made a determined attempt to stage an unlikely comeback. All they were to discover, however, was that this really wasn't meant to be their day as the Tottenham goal enjoyed some incredible good fortune.

Merson sent in a teasing centre that looked certain to be turned in by either Smith or Campbell but the forwards seemed to get in each others way and Smith's toe poke bounced to safety off Thorstvedt's legs from five yards out.

Smith then had the chance to pick out a teammate when a free kick from Davis found him unmarked beyond the far post but his header back across goal was too close to Thorstvedt who dived out dramatically to collect.

Remarkably the first corner of the game did not arrive until the 79th minute and when it did Arsenal almost profited as Campbell rose in front of Thorstvedt to head goalwards but Edinburgh was in position to head off the line.

This in turn led to an Arsenal throw which was hurled long into the Spurs box and Campbell showed good strength before lashing a drive against the bar and when the ball dropped to Merson his low effort scraped the outside of the post with Thorstvedt again beaten.

Samways produced one final run into the Arsenal penalty area in which he again walked around Tony Adams as though the centre half wasn't there to win a corner before being withdrawn for the last five minutes and replaced by Paul Walsh.

Thorstvedt had one more save to make when he plunged to the foot of his post to turn away a shot from Campbell but there was no way back for Arsenal now and Spurs ended the game with a couple of opportunities to really rub their arch rivals' noses in it.

Van Den Hauwe led a superb counter attack which also involved Allen and Lineker whose sweet touch sent Allen racing into the box where he sidestepped the punch drunk Adams before finishing with a feeble shot straight at Seaman.

Walsh then led another break on the exposed Arsenal defence but shot greedily over the bar with Lineker waiting for his hat trick chance alone in the middle.

In the grander scheme of things this did not really matter as the final whistle, moments later, confirmed Tottenham's place in the final at their neighbours expense and the first ever Wembley FA Cup semi final had certainly delivered a memorable occasion.

Spurs would also go on to win the final itself a few weeks later although the manically celebrating hero of this hour, a certain Paul Gascoigne, would make the headlines for altogether different reasons on that day.

Full Time: Arsenal 1 Tottenham Hotspur 3

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