Michael Lauriston Thomas (born August 24, 1967) is an English former footballer. He is remembered most for the goal he scored for Arsenal against Liverpool, in the final minute of the final First Division match of the 1988-89 season, which won Arsenal the League title. The match was later featured in detail in a film based on the Nick Hornby book Fever Pitch. August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Arsenal Football Club (also known as Arsenal, The Arsenal or The Gunners) are an English professional football club based in north London. ... Liverpool Football Club are a football club based in Liverpool, in the north west of England. ... From 1889 until 1992, this was the highest division overall of organized football in England. ... // First Division Arsenal won the league title on goal difference with the last kick of the season, as they beat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield to claim the championship trophy and deny Kenny Dalglishs men a unique second double. ... Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... Nick Hornby (born 17 April 1957) is an English novelist and essayist who lives in Highbury, Islington in London. ... This article is about the Nick Hornby book and related films. ...

Career

Born in Lambeth, London, Thomas signed for Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1982, turning professional in 1984. He likes bacon. He was loaned out to Portsmouth F.C. in early 1987, playing three times, before returning to Arsenal. His Gunners career started with a baptism of fire, as Thomas made his debut in the first leg of a League Cup semi-final, against Tottenham Hotspur on February 8, 1987; Arsenal lost 1-0 but would go on to win the League Cup after a comeback in the second leg. Lambeth is a place in the London Borough of Lambeth. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Founded in 1898, Portsmouth Football Club are an English football club based in the south coast city port of Portsmouth. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup, is an English football competition. ... Tottenham Hotspur Football Club are an English football club, which play in the FA Premier League. ... February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Thomas soon became a regular in the Arsenal side, and played 37 times, mainly at right-back in the 1987-88 season. With the arrival of Lee Dixon, Thomas was moved forward into midfield for the 1988-89 season, and also played the first of his two games for England, in a friendly against Saudi Arabia. // First Division Liverpool won the league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season. ... Lee Dixon (born March 12, 1964 in Manchester, England) was a footballer who formed part of the hugely-respected Arsenal defence for the entire 1990s and beyond. ... // First Division Arsenal won the league title on goal difference with the last kick of the season, as they beat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield to claim the championship trophy and deny Kenny Dalglishs men a unique second double. ... First international Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) Worst defeat Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 12 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First in...

Thomas' greatest moment came on May 26, 1989. The First Division match between Liverpool and Arsenal had been postponed due to the Hillsborough disaster until the very end of the season, and in the meantime Liverpool had won the FA Cup, meaning they had the chance of a historic second Double. Before the match, Arsenal were on 73 points with 71 goals for and 36 against (meaning a goal difference of +35); Liverpool were on 76 points with 65 for and 26 against (a difference of +39). Thus, Arsenal needed to win by at least two goals to take the title on goals scored; Liverpool had not lost by two goals at Anfield for nearly four years. May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Memorial at Hillsborough. ... Note: for the full results of all FA Cup finals, see FA Cup Final The FA Cup - this is the fourth trophy, in use since 1992, and identical in design to the third trophy introduced in 1911. ... The Double is a term in football, meaning to win a countrys top division and its main cup competition in the same season. ... In sports such as ice hockey and soccer, goal difference (that is, goals scored less goals conceded) is often the first tie-breaker used to rank teams which finish a competition with an equal number of points. ... Anfield (sometimes known as Anfield Road) is a football stadium in the district of Anfield, in Liverpool, England. ...

After a goalless first half, Alan Smith scored soon after the restart, heading in a free kick from Nigel Winterburn. As the clock ticked down, though, it looked as if Arsenal were going to win the battle but lose the war. However, in injury time, in Arsenal's last attack, Thomas surged from midfield, ran onto a Smith flick-on, evaded Steve Nicol and shot low past Bruce Grobbelaar to score Arsenal's second, and win the title, Arsenal's first in eighteen years. Alan Martin Smith (born November 2, 1962 in Bromsgrove) is a former English footballer, most notably associated with Arsenal. ... A free kick is a method of resuming play in various forms of football, including: Association football (soccer) Indirect free kick Direct free kick Penalty kick American football Free kick Rugby football Free kick This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the... Nigel Winterburn (born December 11, 1963 in Nuneaton, England) is a retired English footballer who formed part of the legendary Arsenal back four of the late 1980s and all of the 1990s. ... The striker (wearing red jersey) has run past the defender (in white jersey) and is about to take a shot at the goal, while the goalkeeper positions himself to stop the ball. ... Steve Nicol (born Irvine, Scotland, December 11, 1961) was a tough and talented defender who played in the all-conquering Liverpool team of the 1980s. ... Bruce David Grobbelaar (born October 6, 1957 in Durban, South Africa) was a football goalkeeper for Zimbabwe and a number of clubs, most notably Liverpool F.C. during their dominant 1980s period. ...

Thomas enjoyed another two seasons at Arsenal, winning a second League title in 1990-91. In all he played 206 matches, scoring 30 goals, but he fell out with Arsenal manager George Graham in autumn 1991. He was sold to Liverpool, and scored the opening goal with a spectacular shot from Steve McManaman's cross for the Merseyside club in the 1992 FA Cup Final against Sunderland to win the Cup for his new club. However, injuries blighted his Liverpool career and he became a squad player who was used as cover for Jamie Redknapp. He later played for Middlesbrough and in 1998 moved to Portuguese giants Benfica, then managed by Graeme Souness. However, the move was unsuccessful and Thomas found himself banished to the reserves after Souness was replaced by Jupp Heynckes. He returned to England in 2000, joining Wimbledon, before retiring in 2001. The 1991-92 season was the 112th season of competitive football in England. ... George Graham (born November 30, 1944 in Bargeddie, Lanarkshire) is a Scottish football player and manager. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Steven McManaman (born 11 February 1972, in Liverpool, England) is a famous English former footballer of the 1990s and early 2000s, who played as a midfielder in a career spanning two of European Footballs biggest club football sides in Liverpool F.C. and Real Madrid. ... Note: for the full results of all FA Cup finals, see FA Cup Final The FA Cup - this is the fourth trophy, in use since 1992, and identical in design to the third trophy introduced in 1911. ... Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional football club, based at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, in North-East England. ... Jamie Frank Redknapp (born June 25, 1973 in Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire) was a well-known English footballer of the 1990s and early 2000s. ... Middlesbrough Football Club are an English football club, commonly known as The Boro, currently in the FA Premier League. ... Benfica redirects here. ... Graeme James Souness (born Edinburgh, Scotland, 6 May 1953) was the captain of the all-conquering Liverpool F.C. football team of the early 1980s who later returned to the club as manager. ... Josef Jupp Heynckes (* 9 May 1945 in Mönchengladbach, Germany) is a former German football (soccer) player and coach. ... Wimbledon F.C. crest Wimbledon F.C. was the name of a now defunct football club that played in south London. ...

After retiring from football, Thomas set up his own security service, which he runs to this day.^[1]

Honours

Arsenal

Winner Image File history File links Flag_of_England_(bordered). ...

• 1986-87 League Cup
• 1988-89 Football League First Division (Level 1)
• 1990-91 Football League First Division (Level 1)

Runner Up The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup, is an English football competition. ... From 1889 until 1992, this was the highest division overall of organized football in England. ... From 1889 until 1992, this was the highest division overall of organized football in England. ...

• 1987-88 League Cup

The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup, is an English football competition. ...

Liverpool

Winner Image File history File links Flag_of_England_(bordered). ...

• 1991-92 FA Cup
• 1994-95 League Cup

Note: for the full results of all FA Cup finals, see FA Cup Final The FA Cup - this is the fourth trophy, in use since 1992, and identical in design to the third trophy introduced in 1911. ... The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup, is an English football competition. ...

Middlesbrough

Runner Up Image File history File links Flag_of_England_(bordered). ...

• 1997-98 Football League First Division (Level 2)

From 1889 until 1992, this was the highest division overall of organized football in England. ...

References

For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Liverpool FC profile
• Profile at LFCHistory.net
• Michael Thomas career stats at Soccerbase
• Anfield 89 - a write-up of Thomas' most famous day.