Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy
The Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy was an English football tournament held in the early weeks of the 1988-89 season to celebrate the 100th birthday of The Football League.
The competition was played on a knockout basis between the top eight sides from the Football League First Division the previous season, with the final between Arsenal and Manchester United taking place at the birthplace of League Football, Aston Villa's home ground, Villa Park on 9 October 1988. Goals from Paul Davis and Michael Thomas gave Arsenal a 2–1 victory, with Clayton Blackmore the scorer for United.
It was the second competition staged to celebrate the centenary of the Football League, following the Football League Centenary Tournament between 16 clubs at Wembley Stadium in April 1988. Despite most of the country's leading clubs being involved, crowds for the Centenary Trophy were generally disappointing and only the semi–final match between Arsenal and Liverpool attracted more than 25,000.
The Competition
Qualifiers Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Queens Park Rangers, Wimbledon
Quarter–finals
Liverpool 4 Nottingham Forest 1 (Attendance: 20,141)
Manchester United 1 Everton 0 (16,439)[1]
Newcastle United 1 Wimbledon 0 (17,141)
Queens Park Rangers 0 Arsenal 2 (10,019)
Semi–finals
Arsenal 2 Liverpool 1 (29,135)
Manchester United 2 Newcastle United 0 (14,968)
Final
Arsenal 2 Manchester United 1 (22,182 at Villa Park)
References
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