CHAPTER Arsenal forward Alan Smith played a key role in the Miracle at Anfield MIRACLE AT ANFIELD The headline in the British newspaper the Daily Mirror on the morning of the game said it all You Haven't Got a Prayer Arsenal It was the final game of the 1988 89 Football League season Arsenal Football Club FC was playing at Liverpool to determine the championship of the top division of English soccer Liverpool was in first place Arsenal was in second place All Liverpool had to do was avoid losing the game by two goals A win a tie or even a one goal loss would give Liverpool the title
EUROPEAN SOCCER The European Soccer season is broken down into different levels of competition It can be confusing to keep track of it all Here's a handy guide to help you follow the action League Play The 20 best teams in England play in the Premier League Teams play all league opponents twice each season for 38 total games The three teams with the worst records are relegatedor sent down to the second division which sends three teams up to replace them the next season The Premier League debuted in 1992 93 It replaced the Football League First Division 1888 1991 as England's top league European Play The top four teams in the Premier League qualify for the Union of European Football Associations UEFA Champions League This annual tournament involves the best teams from the top leagues throughout Europe The Champions League started in 1992 It replaced the European Cup a similar tournament that began in 1955 The next three teams in the Premier League qualify for the UEFA Europa League The Europa League is Europe's second tier tournament It runs in a similar manner to the Champions League but crowns its own winner The Europa League debuted in 1971 as the UEFA Cup but was renamed in 2009 Domestic Cups Almost every English team from any level of competition is eligible to play for the Football Association Challenge Cup FA Cup The tournament typically includes several hundred teams including the professional teams from the Premier League Founded in 1871 72 the FA Cup is the oldest soccer tournament in the world The League Cup is a similar tournament It involves teams from only the top four divisions in England
Michael Thomas reacts to the action on the field at Anfield Liverpool was the best team in English soccer It won 10 championships in 16 seasons between 1973 and 1988 Arsenal had not won at Anfield Liverpool's stadium in almost 15 years
