BLOCKBUSTER
Stop Man United, that's all that
mattered
IT took a long time coming, 12 years to be exact.
But when Ian Rush finally scored his first career-goal against
Manchester United in 1992, it couldn't have come at a better
time.
Liverpool's 2-0 win prevented their bitter rivals from winning
their first league title since 1967.
How Anfield roared.
Rush, who netted the opening goal, recalled: 'It took me a long
time to score against them. That was the season Leeds United won
the league.
'Our victory over Man United meant a lot to the supporters, not
because we won the league ourselves, but because we beat Man United
and stopped them from winning the league.
'It meant a lot to us and the fans. After that game, the fans
stayed in the stadium and sang my name non-stop for 30
minutes.
'Now, can you imagine the rivalry?'
Six months later, Rush achieved another career milestone.
He found his target for the first time at Old Trafford in a 2-2
draw. His goal set a Liverpool record, taking his total to 287, one
more than Roger Hunt's mark.
Rush, who eventually scored a total of 346 goals in 660 games for
Liverpool, said: 'It made me the highest goal-scorer in the history
of the club.
'That was a fantastic moment.'
That it came against Man United made it even sweeter.
Such is the rivalry between both clubs.
Said Rush: 'It's different when you play Arsenal or Chelsea. Of
course, they are competitive. But it's just different.
'If you speak to Fergie, he will tell you that they would want to
beat Liverpool more than any other club. It's the biggest
rivalry.'
FANS' FURY
In fact, the last player to switch from Man United to Liverpool was
Phil Chisnall in 1964.
Imagine the fans' fury if Rush had moved to United. But it almost
happened in 1988, when he was on the verge of ending his Juventus
career.
He said: 'Fergie rang me and asked if I would join him at Old
Trafford. At that time, I still couldn't quite understand the
rivalry between the two clubs until an hour after Fergie hung up,
(Kenny) Dalglish called me to tell me that I'm on my way to
Anfield.
'He convinced me that Liverpool was my home, so I went back.'
Ian Rush and Lee Sharpe were at
the ESPN STAR Sports' studios as guest pundits for Football Focus,
which airs every Tuesday at 8pm on ESPN.
