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
Beating Liverpool at Anfield that day seemed almost impossible Winning by two goals was even less likely It had been an uneven season for Arsenal The team known as the Gunners was in first place at Christmas and stayed there almost the rest of the year But they stumbled in the season's final weeks Meanwhile Liverpool put together a 24 game unbeaten streak to pass Arsenal in the standings setting the stage for the final day showdown Scoreless Start Neither team scored in the first half Steve Bould had a decent chance for Arsenal but his header in the box was deflected away by a Liverpool defender With just 45 minutes left Arsenal still had to score twice and keep Liverpool off the board Arsenal earned a free kick early in the second half The ball was 35 yards 32 m from Liverpool's goal Nigel Winterburn lofted it toward the back post of the net Arsenal forward Alan Smith charged around the Liverpool defense and got behind his defender He slightly touched the ball with his head and the ball bounced into the net Arsenal led Liverpool's John Aldridge left and Arsenal's Steve Bould contest a header
