Alternative Football History Part IX – Only Liverpool banned from Europe! 1987/88
Coventry City became yet another English team to qualify for European football for the first time after a 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the 1987 FA Cup Final. They went into the First Round draw of the Cup Winners Cup.
Arsenal won the other domestic cup, beating Liverpool 2-1 in the League Cup at Wembley to qualify for the UEFA Cup. Their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur joined them after finishing third in the First Division.
Everton completed the English quartet in Europe after winning the First Division Championship, finishing nine points ahead of rivals Liverpool who were runners-up. This was to be their second appearance in three years in the top European competition.
Coventry didn’t fare at all well in their first season in the Cup Winners Cup, getting knocked out in the First Round by French side Marseille.
They drew 0-0 at Highfield Road in front of 12,684 fans before losing the return leg 3-0 in France. All three goals came from French international striker Jean-Pierre Papin in the second half.
Arsenal reached the Quarter Finals of the UEFA Cup, going one better than their bitter rivals Tottenham who went out in the Third Round to Werder Bremen.
The Gunners started their run against Irish side Bohemian, beating them 7-0 over two legs. A 1-0 win over in Ireland was followed by a 6-0 rout at Highbury, with Alan Smith scoring a hat-trick.
Their Second Round tie was a bit trickier, beating Spartak Moscow 1-0 over two legs. Paul Merson scored the only goal of the tie, with second half volley in Moscow.
Dinamo Tbilsi were next and Arsenal thumped them 3-1 at Highbury, thanks to goals from Paul Merson, David Rocastle and Niall Quinn. The second leg in the Soviet Union ended a 1-0 defeat but they still progressed to the Quarter Final.
Greek side Panathinaikos were next for Arsenal in the Quarter Final. Despite some resolute defending throughout a goalless draw in the first leg at Highbury, they were knocked out by a single goal in the return leg in Athens.
Tottenham started their UEFA Cup campaign against another British side Aberdeen. They won the first leg 3-0 at White Hart Lane before winning 1-0 at Pittodrie.
Dutch side FC Utrecht won the first leg of the Second Round 1-0 in Holland before Spurs eventually won the second leg 2-0. Both of their goals came in the final 15 minutes, with Clive Allen and Ossie Ardiles firing Spurs into the next round.
Werder Bremen were Tottenham’s final opponents in their UEFA Cup run. The German side played very well over the two legs and won 4-0 on aggregate. Two goals from Karl-Heinz Riedle in the first leg in Bremen were followed by a double from Frank Neubarth in the second leg at White Hart Lane.
English champions Everton reached the Quarter Finals in the European Cup two seasons before and much was expected of them this time around. It wasn’t to be though as they crashed out in the First Round, losing 3-0 to Real Madrid.
All three goals came in the first leg at Goodison Park in front of a stunned crowd of 38,984. Hugo Sanchez scored a hat-trick in the first ten minutes of the game and sent Real through.
The Spanish side would eventually reach the Semi Finals where they were knocked out by eventual winners PSV Eindhoven.
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