Game #4111
Aston Villa
Wednesday, 11 April 1990
Won
2nd (-1)
Last 5: 🟥 🟨 🟥 🟥 🟩
Division One
Attendance: 30,060
Arsenal
Highbury
Villa win for the first time in four as Chris Price proves the Highbury hero but Villa are knocked off top spot following Liverpool's victory in one of their games in hand. As a result Villa sit second, three points behind Liverpool who retain a game in hand with five left to play.
Arsenal
0-1
Aston Villa
Assist(s) | Tony Cascarino | 85' |
KEY MAN
Chris Price, one of the Villa's most memorable goals keeps the title challenge alive at Highbury.
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
Wednesday, 11 April 1990
🕒 | HT Arsenal 0-0 Aston Villa
🔁 | 65’ Sub off, Kevin Gage, Sub on, Stuart Gray
⚽ | 85’ Goal, 1-0, Chris Price, Assist by Tony Cascarino
🕒 | FT Arsenal 0-1 Aston Villa
ON THIS DAY
Graham Taylor’s Villa make it eighteen first division victories in twenty six games as they remain second and seven points behind leaders Liverpool but open up an eight point gap ahead of third placed Arsenal.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1981-82
Arsenal
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆
Last Trophy: 1988–89
FIXTURE HISTORY
Arsenal
Previous 5 vs. Arsenal: 🟥 🟥 🟩 🟥 🟩
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 1989-90 |
Matchday | #47 |
League Match | #33 |
Manager Game | #145 |
Wednesday, 11 April 1990
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Graham Taylor | 🏴 | Worksop, 1987-1990
Referee: Ken Redfern | 🏴 | Whitley Bay, 1978-1993
HT Score: 🟨 0-0
FT Result: 🟩 Won
FT Score: 🟩 1-0
Last 5: 🟥 🟨 🟥 🟥 🟩
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Ken Redfern | 🏴 | Whitley Bay, 1978-1993
Previous 5: 🟥 🟩 🟩 🟨
Last Match: 🟨 9 December 1989, Villa 1-1 Liverpool, Anfield.
Cards: None
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
Chris Price, Paul Birch and Andy Comyn replace Stuart Gray, Ian Olney and Ian Ormondroyd.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 27.37 |
Oldest Player |
GK Nigel Spink | 🏴 | 31.70 |
Youngest Player |
CB Andy Comyn | 🏴 | 21.70 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
Graham Taylor | 🏴 |
George Graham (ex) | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Nigel Spink | 🏴 |
RB Chris Price | 🏴 | ⚽ |
CB Andy Comyn | 🏴 |
CB Kent Nielsen | 🇩🇰 |
CB Paul McGrath | 🇮🇪 |
RB Kevin Gage | 🏴 | 🔁 |
M Paul Birch | 🏴 |
M Gordon Cowans | 🏴 |
M David Platt | 🏴 |
W Tony Daley | 🏴 |
CF Tony Cascarino | 🇮🇪 | 🔥 |
Arsenal
GK John Lukic | 🏴 |
LB Lee Dixon | 🏴 |
CB Steve Bould | 🏴 |
CB David O’Leary | 🇮🇪 |
CB Tony Adams | 🏴 |
RB Nigel Winterburn | 🏴 |
M Michael Thomas | 🏴 |
W Martin Hayes | 🏴 | 🔁 |
W Perry Groves | 🏴 |
CF Alan Smith | 🏴 |
CF Kevin Campbell | 🏴 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 M Stuart Gray | 🏴 | for RB Kevin Gage | 🏴 | 65' |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | W Martin Hayes | 🏴 | (M Paul Merson | 🏴 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
M Mark Blake | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
CB Colin Pates | 🏴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 8/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 10/13
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 10/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 12/13
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Not recorded
UNAVAILABLE
Not Recorded
Player Abbreviations:
GK : Goalkeeper
LB, RB, FB : Left Back, Right Back, Full Back
CB, D : Centre Back, Defender
M, W : Midfielder. Winger
F, CF : Forward, Centre Forward
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
DEBUT APPEARANCES
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
TABLE

PROGRAMME



MATCHDAY QUOTES
“It’s taken a long time coming.
“I’ve hit the bar and post on many occasions, but the ball just would not seem to go in for me.
“But if this turns out to be the goal that helps to take us to the First Division title there’ll be no complaints.”
Chris Price.
*Irish Independent*
Thursday, 12 April 1990
CHRIS PRICE kept the championship pressure on Liverpool last night after Aston Villa goalkeeper Nigel Spink had slammed the door shut on Arsenal's title defence.
Full-back Price stunned the Gunners five minutes from the end of the televised Highbury clash with his first goal since joining Villa from Blackburn for £150,000 nearly two years ago.
And Arsenal, who desperately needed to win to retain any slender hope of keeping their crown, were left counting missed chances and cursing the form of Spink.
He denied Alan Smith, Kevin Campbell. Tony Adams, Lee Dixon and Martin Hayes to keep alive Villa's hopes.
And when Price popped up to score after 85 minutes it meant the gap between Villa and leaders Liverpool, who had thrashed Charlton 4-0, stayed at three points.
Liverpool go to Highbury next Wednesday in another TV encounter and Villa manager Graham Taylor said: "We've just got to keep up the pressure and hope that Liverpool drop some points."
Taylor had reverted to a five man defence, giving 20- year-old Andy Comyn only his third senior game alongside Paul McGrath and Kent Nielsen.
And Arsenal, with Dixon switched to midfield in place of 'flu victim Kevin Richardson, made all the running.
They would have opened up a comfortable gap, but for Spink's acrobatics, but they began to live dangerously in the second half as they became more and more committed to their goal search.
England's David Platt nearly caught them out after 56 minutes with a solo counter charge that ended with his shot deflected over the angle off Adams.
Price later saw a header land on top of the net but he kept his cool when Tony Cascarino played the pass between Adams and Winterburn, firing past John Lukic from 10 yards.