While the 3-3 draw in the first match on the previous weekend had developed into an entertaining tussle, this was more attritional and a case of the Reds needing to get the job done to deliver silverware for the club at a critical time in the boss's reign.
We knew this team could roll their sleeves up and battle but the gauntlet was laid down by Steve Coppell's Eagles very early on. Perhaps desperate to test the mettle of Les Sealey, the shock inclusion in goal in place of Jim Leighton, the Londoners did everything they could to rattle into the keeper, with centre-forward Mark Bright keen to give him a rough ride.