The odds were against Arsenal on this day.
On the opening day of the season, Liverpool dominated in a 2-1 win at Anfield. They would complete a double by winning by a single goal at Highbury; neither scoreline reflected how much better than Arsenal they had been on those days. To add to that, if Ian Rush scored for Liverpool, they did not lose the game. Rush had already signed for Juventus but was loaned back to the Anfield club for a swansong season. This represented his best chance of silverware, a parting gift.
Midway through the first half, Rush opened the scoring for Liverpool.
One nil down, two one up found a new refrain that afternoon as Charlie Nicholas scored a brace of the scuffiest goals ever witnessed at the old stadium. High up on the terracing, we couldn’t have cared less as they delivered the first silverware of George Graham’s reign on a sunny April afternoon.
When Ken went up to lift the Littlewoods Cup…
Hindsight suggests that this might have been Nicholas’ finest hour as an Arsenal player for whilst he put in better performances, this was the big stage and when it mattered, he delivered.
As a postscipt to this match, the following week Norwich City well and truly buried Rush’s record by also beating Liverpool 2-1 after he had opened the scoring.
(Click to enlarge the report)
Arsenal On This Day 
My first Arsenal cup final. I got so drunk before hand that I watched the game mostly with one closed and my head cocked to one side!
And as for Perry Groves run to set up the winner…if that had been Messi the media would have been creaming their pants to this day.
Happy days though!
I have a recollection that we made a banner the day before, went out that night and finished the banner when we returned to the flat. Following morning, it did not look so good. There was a witticism that no doubt seemed funny at the time but it was not enough to save its’ dustbinian fate.
Brilliant day, huge sunshine and the following day off work to recover from the hangover from Hell.