 Thematch programme cover. | |||||||
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| Date | 10 August 1991 | ||||||
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| Venue | Wembley Stadium,London | ||||||
| Referee | Terry Holbrook (Staffordshire)[1] | ||||||
| Attendance | 65,483[2] | ||||||
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The1991 FA Charity Shield (also known as theTennent's FA Charity Shield for sponsorship reasons) was the 69thFA Charity Shield, the annual football match contested by the reigning champions of theFootball League First Division and the holders of theFA Cup. It was held atWembley Stadium, on 10 August 1991. The game was played betweenArsenal, champions of the1990–91 Football League andTottenham Hotspur, who beatNottingham Forest to win the1991 FA Cup Final. This was Arsenal's twelfth Charity Shield appearance and Tottenham Hotspur's sixth.
Arsenal began the match the brighter of the two teams, dominating in possession and the number of chances created. Tottenham created their best chance to score in the first half, but struggled to find a breakthrough in the second half, hardly troubling the Arsenal defence. With neither team able to score after 90 minutes, the match ended in a draw, meaning each team held the trophy for six months each. This was the last Shield edition to have shared winners.
Arsenal qualified for the 1991 FA Charity Shield, by virtue of winning the1990–91 Football League First Division, having lost one match – away toChelsea – in the entire campaign.[3] This was the club's eleventh Charity Shield appearance; Arsenal won seven previous shields (1930,1931,1933,1934,1938,1948,1953) and lost four (1935,1936,1979,1989) previously.Tottenham Hotspur qualified as holders of the FA Cup, beatingNottingham Forest 2–1 in the1991 FA Cup Final.[3] They appeared in five previous shields, winning four outright (1921,1951,1961,1962), sharing two (1967,1981) and losing two (1920,1982).
The last meeting between both teams was in the FA Cup; Tottenham Hotspur won 3–1 in the semi-final at Wembley Stadium.[4] Tottenham were the only league opponents to avoid defeat against Arsenal, with neither side scoring in the two matches played. ManagerPeter Shreeves noted the importance of the match, given this was aNorth London derby, but stressed there "will be more important objectives this season."[4] This was the first all-London encounter in the 83-year history of the Shield.[5] This would be the last time either team was to share the trophy, as new regulations were brought in a year later that allowed forextra time and subsequently apenalty shootout if a draw occurred in normal time.[6]
Anders Limpar was the main absentee for Arsenal, having sustained a knee injury, on duty for the Sweden national team.[7]David O'Leary started in place of the injuredSteve Bould; midfielderDavid Hillier was selected ahead ofMichael Thomas in Limpar's place on the left wing. Tottenham defenderTerry Fenwick, recovered from a double leg break, replacedJustin Edinburgh in the first eleven. WithoutPaul Gascoigne, injured in the FA Cup final, Tottenham employed a five-man midfield withGary Lineker as the sole striker.[1]
Arsenal began brightly in front of a crowd of 65,483,[8] creating the first chance of the match in the 17th minute.Paul Davis set up strikerKevin Campbell, who hooked the ball high over goal. Four minutes later,Alan Smith headed the ball into the goal net, meeting a cross fromPaul Merson; it was ruled out by refereeTerry Holbrook for offside.[9] Tottenham improved shortly after, withGary Mabbutt heading the ball directly at Arsenal goalkeeperDavid Seaman to create their first chance of the match. Their best opportunity to score was in the 36th minute.Vinny Samways set up Gary Lineker to break past the Arsenal defence.[1] Having nudged the ball pastTony Adams, Lineker looked up, before making a cross forNayim to head; the shot was acrobatically saved by Seaman's right foot.[9]
Early in the second half, Tottenham'sPat van den Hauwe was cautioned by Holbrook for getting tangled with Arsenal'sDavid Rocastle, in spite Rocastle indicating that the player used an elbow – a bookable offence.[9] Moments after, Rocastle was shown a yellow card for attempting to get his own back on Van Den Hauwe, by tackling the player without intent.[9] Van Den Hauwe was later booked for a wild challenge onLee Dixon.[9] Arsenal dominated possession during the second half, with Tottenham infrequently troubling their opponent's defence and relying on counterattacks to fashion goal-scoring chances.[9] Smith had a chance saved in the 75th minute by goalkeeperErik Thorstvedt, when the ball was back-passed across the penalty area bySteve Sedgley.[10] In the final seconds of the match substituteAndy Cole, who had replaced Campbell, shot from 20 yards and into the side-netting.[9]
          Arsenal |    Tottenham Hotspur |
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| Statistic[8] | Arsenal | Tottenham |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 0 | 0 |
| Total shots | 11 | 4 |
| Shots on target | 3 | 2 |
| Corner kicks | 9 | 2 |
| Fouls committed | 5 | 12 |
| Offsides | 4 | 8 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 1 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
Despite the draw, Shreeves was content with his team's performance. He believed the new 4–5–1 formation deployed in the match was "the system which suits us best", but admitted the midfield needed to do more to support Lineker upfront.[8] Arsenal managerGeorge Graham agreed that his team played below their usual standard in the first half, accepting that his team needed "to work on ... finishing" to make use of their territorial advantage.[8]
