Liverpool 3-2 Arsenal
First Division, August 22, 1964
The 1964-65 First Division brought with it Saturday night TV highlights as Match of the Day was born. First in front of the cameras were champions Liverpool, hosting Arsenal.
Roger Hunt ()
Gordon Wallace ()
Don Howe (og) ()
Geoff Strong ()
Joe Baker ()
First Division,
August 22, 1964
Anfield,
The TV cameras were treated to a classic. Liverpool raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to Roger Hunt and Gordon Wallace, only to see that advantage cancelled out as the north Londoners drew level with goals from Geoff Strong and Joe Baker. But, not for the last time, Liverpool and Arsenal produced a moment of late drama at Anfield, as Don Howe, who had been tormented throughout the 90 minutes by Liverpool winger Peter Thompson, deflected a Wallace shot past his own goalkeeper, Jim Furnell, with just 60 seconds left on the clock.
Key Figures
Don Howe
The England full-back was given a torrid afternoon by Liverpool winger, Peter Thompson. In the end, he had to resort to simply kicking him. Howe admitted: "I didn't like it, but it was necessary. You can't let him take the mickey, he'll murder you."
Roger Hunt
Hunt finished as Liverpool's top scorer in eight successive seasons and he wasted no time in getting off the mark in the 1964-65 campaign, taking just 12 minutes to head home his first goal. He went on to score 25 times that season.
Peter Thompson
The speedy winger was the inspiration for Liverpool's win, tearing apart full-back Howe and ensuring the Reds remained on the front foot, even when Arsenal mounted their comeback.
Did You Know...?
Match of the Day was originally commissioned by David Attenborough. Not yet a Sir, he was, at the time, the controller of BBC2.
The first show, which was broadcast on BBC2 at 6.30pm on Saturday evening, was available only to viewers in the London area and the total audience was just 20,000 - less than half the attendance at Anfield that afternoon.
The first words spoken on the show were by Kenneth Wolstenholme, who announced: "Welcome to Match of the Day, the first of a weekly series on BBC2. This afternoon we are in Beatleville..."
What Happened Next
Neither side enjoyed league seasons to remember in the months that followed, with Liverpool finishing seventh and Arsenal a lowly 13th.
We want your help to grow the MirrorFootball.co.uk archive! Leave your comments about this piece of football history by clicking on the 'Your Memories' tab above. Tell us who or what you'd like to see covered in the MirrorFootball.co.uk archive by emailing archive@mirror.co.uk
(PDF2.5MB)
