| Wednesday 23 August 1989
Barclay League Division One |
| |
 |
|
 |
| "Aston
Villa" |
1 - 1 |
"Liverpool" |
| |
(0-1) |
|
| |
| GOAL |
| Platt |
|
Barnes 24 |
| |
1 Nigel Spink
-
-
-
-
-
- David Platt
-
-
-
-
Subs:
- |
|
1 Bruce
Grobbelaar
2 Glenn Hysen
3 David Burrows
4 Steve Nicol
5 Ronnie Whelan
6 Alan Hansen (c)
7 Peter Beardsley
8 Barry Venison
9 Ian Rush
10 John Barnes
11 Steve McMahon
Subs:
12 John Aldridge
14 Jan Molby |
| |
| SUBSTITUTIONS |
| |
|
|
| |
| OFFICIALS & BOOKINGS |
| Referee: R Groves |
| |
|
|
| VENUE |
|
MANAGERS |
Villa Park (capacity )
Attendance: 35,796 |
|
Graham Taylor (Aston V)
Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool) |
 Price: J1,00
|
|
Taylor's gamble brings
Aston Villa a point
Graham Taylor took an extraordinary gamble at Villa Park last night and Liverpool
allowed him to escape lightly. To restrain John Barnes, the England winger who was once
one of his pupils at Watford, Aston Villa's manager decided to select Andy Comyn, a
21-year-old debutant.
Bought last week for a nominal sum from Alvechurch, Comyn could not cope. He was
little more than a helpless spectator as Barnes, a wizard weaving spells, scored one
brilliant individual goal and threatened to turn the evening into a prolonged display of
his dazzling talent.
But his colleagues, though they earned a lavish amount of possession and were
indisputably superior, were generously profligate. Villa resembled a jigsaw which has been
stuck together with glue and the adherent has yet to take full effect. At times, they
seemed about to fall apart.
Such a fate has befallen more than a few of Liverpool's opponents over recent
seasons and many should prepare for similar damage to be inflicted during the forthcoming
months. There remains no visible flaw in their defensive line-up and abundant strength in
their attacking formation.
The selection of Rush, though, is puzzling. The can be no compelling reason for
Kenny Dalglish to omit the club's leading scorer for the last two seasons, Aldridge, in
favor of a forward who is still palpably far below his former fearsome form.
Released by Beardsley in a gap between Villa's central defenders, Rush had only to
decide on which side he should beat the exposed Spink. He hesitated, delayed his strike
and allowed Mountfield to smother the possibilites. Venison, freed later by Whelan, did at
least shoot, albeit deep into the terraces.
Of the many different ideas fashioned by Liverpool, the most dangerous lay
inevitably at the feet of Barnes, in spite of supposedly being troubled by a persistent
knee injury. Midway through the first half, the fears of Villa's vociferous supporters and
of Comyn, in particular, were realized.
Barnes collected the ball on the halfway line and set off in that deceptively lazt
style of his. As he approached the area, he changed direction so often and rapidly that
the young full back was not alone in being confused. The bewildered Spink was beaten by
Barnes's measured right-foot shot.
But for the agility of Spink, Barnes would have claimed another two goals after the
interval. Beardsley, after exchanging neatly with Rush, should have added another and his
attempt in the closing minute was cleared off the line. A scoreline of 5-0, therefore,
would not have been misleading.
But Villa, who opened the season by holding Nottingham Forest, were to achieve a
more notable feat. On the hour Birch's corner bounced off a couple of heads and fell
conveniently at the far post for Platt. It was almost their lone genuine attempt. No one
was more relieved than Taylor.
by Stuart Jones of "The Times"
Copyright - The Times |
