Michael Jackson’s Earth Song was topping the charts, usurping Robson & Jerome, and Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise had made its musical mark weeks earlier.
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Curly Watts married Raquel in Corrie, there were footballers banned for kicking fans and there were gray uniforms that would soon become a source of controversy.
Kevin Keegan was on the steps of St James’ Park explaining why he had switched Andrew Cole, and we had a heatwave and one of the driest summers in recorded English meteorological history.
These are cultural milestones, but for some, the highlight of 1995 was when commentator Martin Tyler uttered the words “you’re wrong, Schmeichel”, as Robbie Fowler curled a free-kick over the wall shown above and into the top corner in front of the Kop.
On this day 30 years ago, 20-year-old Fowler proved too much for Manchester United in a festive 2-0 victory.
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The Guardian’s headline then read “Safety first, Reds defeat weak United”, the reference to ‘safety’ pointing to Liverpool’s use of a back five, despite being without some key defenders due to injury.
This, of course, was Roy Evans’ style: a 3-5-2 formation initially perceived as defensive, only for the passage of time to create the narrative of a team that shipped goals, gave opponents chances and never had the ruthless lead needed to close out a title.
Not that such generosity was extended to United that day.
With Christmas just around the corner, the Reds enjoyed a fabulous atmosphere at Anfield to defeat their biggest rivals. Stan Collymore wasted chance after chance, with Peter Schmeichel, the woodwork and everyone except Mr Blobby conspiring to deny him a goal that day.
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His strike partner Fowler, however, was at his effortless best, caressing a first-half free-kick past a motionless Schmeichel, before putting the finishing touches on a counter-attack later on. The way he slalomed the final maneuver of the breakaway before waiting for Schmeichel to make his move, creating time to pass the ball over him, signaled a finisher who seemed to feel the game was moving at his own pace.
“Our performance in the first half was the most subdued I have seen in many years,” said Sir Alex Ferguson. “All in all, it was a really poor performance. We were absolutely terrible until half-time. We could never cope with Liverpool, we could never match them in midfield.”
United wore their now infamous gray kit, one they would change at half-time during a drubbing at Southampton five months later, citing issues with their visibility.
Ferguson’s side would see enough in the campaign to secure the double, including an FA Cup at Liverpool’s expense.
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Fowler scored 28 league goals in 38 games that season (his best result) and followed up on 25 the previous season. Surprisingly, at this point he had not yet been selected by England. Kopites didn’t care. He was theirs, not England’s.
This day he was in his pomp, delivering a joyful Christmas present to those of Liverpool persuasion during these halcyon days of 90s football.
What are your best memories of Fowler in a Liverpool shirt? How much would it be worth now? Would it be successful in the modern game? Tell us here
(BBC)
