The 1979 FA Charity Shield was the 57th Charity Shield, an annual English

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

match played between the winners of the previous season's

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

and

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

. It was held at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

on 11 August 1979. The match was contested by

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, champions of the 1978–79 Football League and

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, who beat

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

of the 1978–79 FA Cup. Watched by a crowd of 92,800, Liverpool won the match 3–1. This was Arsenal's tenth Charity Shield appearance and Liverpool's ninth. Arsenal made no changes to the first team which played in the FA Cup Final the previous season, whereas for Liverpool new signing

Avi Cohen Avraham "Avi" Cohen (; 14 November 1956 – 29 December 2010) was an Israeli footballer who played as a defender, and a manager. He was best known for his spells playing for two British clubs: Liverpool in England and Rangers in Scotland. Aft ...

started on the bench. In the match Liverpool took the lead in the 38th minute when

Terry McDermott Terence McDermott (born 8 December 1951) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Nicknamed "Terry Mac", he is best known as a member of the Liverpool team of the 1970s and early 1980s, where he won three Europe ...

scored past goalkeeper

Pat Jennings Patrick Anthony Jennings (born 12 June 1945) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is widely recognised as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the sport and was nominated for the Ball ...

. They extended their lead through

Kenny Dalglish Sir Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish (born 4 March 1951) is a Scottish former association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time as well as one of Celtic's, Liv ...

in the 63rd minute before McDermott added his second two minutes later. Alan Sunderland scored a consolation for Arsenal late on.

Background and pre-match

The

FA Charity Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier ...

was founded in 1908 as a successor to the

Sheriff of London Charity Shield The Sheriff of London Charity Shield, also known as the Dewar Shield, was a football competition played annually between the best amateur and best professional club in England, though Scottish amateur side Queen's Park also took part in 1899. Th ...

. It was a contest between the respective champions of the

and Southern League, and then by 1913 teams of amateur and professional players. In 1921, it was played by the Football League champions and

winners for the first time. This was the sixth year that

played host to the Shield.

qualified for the 1979 FA Charity Shield as winners of the previous season's First Division. Under manager

Bob Paisley Robert Paisley (23 January 1919 – 14 February 1996) was an English professional football manager and player who played as a wing-half. He spent almost 50 years with Liverpool and is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time. ...

, the team amassed a then-record points total of 68 and conceded the fewest goals in a 42-game Football League season with 16. The other Charity Shield place went to

who beat

to win the

of the 1978–79 FA Cup. Arsenal led the game 2–0, but conceded twice late into the match before retaking the lead in the 89th minute; the final score was 3–2. The game is referred to as the "Five-minute final" as three goals were scored in that time frame. Liverpool had won three previous Shields outright (

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

), shared two with

(

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

and

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

) and one apiece with

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

(

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

). The club lost one Shield contest – against

Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

. This was Arsenal's first appearance in the Charity Shield in 26 years; prior to the game they had won seven Shields (

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

and

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

), and lost two (

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

). Before the match Paisley told reporters, "Basically it is a conditioning game, part of the process of getting the players fit".

Match

Liverpool employed a traditional 4–4–2 formation, with David Johnson playing alongside

up front. Defender

was named on the substitutes' bench, whereas Frank McGarvey – signed from St Mirren in the close season – was omitted from the matchday squad. Arsenal organised themselves similarly to their opponents and named an unchanged team from the one which won the FA Cup.

Summary

Liverpool dominated the opening exchanges, but struggled to create clear-cut chances. They almost went a goal behind when Frank Stapleton's header forced goalkeeper

Ray Clemence Raymond Neal Clemence (5 August 1948 – 15 November 2020) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he is one of the few players to have made over 1,000 career ...

into action. Seven minutes before the interval,

scored for Liverpool. The midfielder collected a pass from

Ray Kennedy Raymond Kennedy (28 July 1951 – 30 November 2021) was an English Association football, footballer who won every domestic honour in the game with Arsenal F.C., Arsenal and Liverpool F.C., Liverpool in the 1970s and early 1980s. Kennedy playe ...

who surged through the centre, turned left and from outside the penalty area struck the ball low into the bottom left-hand corner. Arsenal began the second half with more vigour, but struggled to suppress Liverpool's attacks. Alan Kennedy found space to shoot after a one-two with Ray, but his effort went over the post. Arsenal were forced to make a substitution around the hour mark after Sammy Nelson collided with McDermott and was concussed; Willie Young replaced him. Liverpool extended their lead minutes later.

Alan Hansen Alan David Hansen MBE (born 13 June 1955) is a Scottish former footballer and BBC television football pundit. Regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time and one of Liverpool's best ever centre-backs, he enjoyed a highly decorated ...

intercepted an Arsenal attack, strode forward and passed the ball to Dalglish. The striker approached the penalty area, cut inside Steve Walford and curled the ball into the right-hand corner.

John Hollins John William Hollins (16 July 1946 – 14 June 2023) was an English football player and manager. He initially played as a midfielder, before becoming an effective full-back later in his career. Hollins played in the Football League, predomina ...

came on for David Price, at which point Liverpool scored their third. Dalglish dispossessed

Liam Brady William Brady (born 13 February 1956) is an Irish former footballer and pundit. He found success both in England with Arsenal, where he won an FA Cup in 1979, and in Italy with Juventus, winning two Serie A titles. Brady was capped 72 times for ...

, but tripped himself in the process. Johnson collected the ball and played it back to Dalglish, who charged forward and sprayed a pass towards McDermott, the furthest forward player on the right. The midfielder's shot went under the legs of

and into the goal. Alan Sunderland scored a late goal for Arsenal having combined well with Stapleton. This did not dampen the spirits of the Liverpool spectators, who chanted, "What's it like to be outclassed?" and, "Why are we so great?" during the course of the 90 minutes.

Details

Post-match

Liverpool's performance was greeted with applause from both sets of supporters as Phil Thompson led his team up to the Royal Box to receive the Charity Shield. Paisley was delighted with the manner of his team's win and quipped, "I am just sorry we didn't get two points for it!" He praised the Wembley surface and said of McDermott's first goal " tcaptured what we are looking for – the run, the control and the finish were perfect." Arsenal manager

Terry Neill William John Terence Neill (8 May 1942 – 28 July 2022) was a Northern Irish football player and manager. A centre-back, he captained and later managed Arsenal, guiding the club to a European final in 1980 and three consecutive FA Cup final ...

described the match as a "great advertisement for football" and felt his side contributed greatly in periods. Of his opponents, he said: "Liverpool are a smashing side and I don't expect to meet anyone better this season." Indeed, Liverpool went on to retain the First Division title, withstanding pressure from Manchester United and ending their league campaign on 60 points. Arsenal finished three places behind in fourth, and reached the finals of the

and

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...

, only to end the season empty-handed.

References

General * Specific