One of the most extraordinary showdowns in Liverpool's history came to an end 40 years ago today.
Bob Paisley’s all-conquering Reds and Terry Neill’s cup specialists Arsenal simply could not be separated in the semi-finals of the 1980 FA Cup.
Not in their first meeting at Hillsborough, nor in a replay that went to extra-time at Villa Park. Nor in a second replay – also played at Villa Park, also over 120 minutes – or even in a 1-1 league draw somehow squeezed into the middle of it all at Anfield.
With the introduction of penalty shootouts still 11 years away in world football’s oldest cup competition, it took a fourth game, played 19 days after the first, for this 420-minute-long duel to conclude with a 1-0 win for Arsenal at Coventry City’s Highfield Road.