Liverpool think they have a busy week but, back in 1987, Hughes played two games in two countries on the same day
By Steven Pye for That 1980s Sports Blog
A lot has been made of the fact that
Liverpool are being forced to play twice in two days: in the League Cup on Tuesday and the Club
World Cup on Wednesday. Yet, back in the 1980s, teams played on consecutive days fairly regularly. Liverpool played league fixtures on successive days in 1980, 1982, 1983 and 1986 – and that was before they enjoyed the comfort of having a huge squad.
Some clubs have even played on consecutive days in the
Premier League era.
Tottenham, Crystal Palace, Norwich and Nottingham Forest fulfilled Premier League matches on 26 December and 27 December in 1994. Teams playing matches in a short space of time is one thing, but how about a player taking part in two matches during the same day? On 11 November 1987, Mark Hughes accomplished this feat. For a man who had been short of match action, it was very much a case of making up for lost time.