On This Day: Everton 5 Man United 0, 1984

Before kick-off, both teams were on twenty points from eleven games, third and fourth in the league behind Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday. Champions Liverpool were down in seventeenth, beaten in the previous week’s derby by Graeme Sharp’s famous vaporiser.

So Everton went into the game full of confidence, and by the time it was done were favourites for the title. Kevin Sheedy opened the scoring with a header, leaping higher than Kevin Moran, heading him as well, and sending the ball past Gary Bailey into the brilliantly square goalframe.

United were then pummelled for the remainder of the game, the away side’s only attack of note a cross easily claimed by Neville Southall. Soon after, Sheedy scored again, and Everton were three up by half-time through the hilariously nicknamed Adrian “Inchy” Heath. In the second half, Gary Stevens and Sharp – with what was, apparently, “an arrogant flick of the head” completed the rout.

The two clubs played again in midweek, in the League Cup – this time at Old Trafford – and again, Everton won. They went on to nab the league and European Cup Winners’ Cup, but ten-man United – “playing with great pluck and intelligence” – gained their revenge in the Cup Final.