Just three months after the untimely death of Kevin Campbell, it is fitting that the Champions League stars aligned to pit us against Paris Saint-Germain and rekindle memories of our former striker’s greatest Arsenal moment 30 years on.
On a huge Highbury semi-final night he wasn’t supposed to be starting, Campbell popped up with a seventh-minute goal against the Parisians that ultimately paved the way to our 1993/94 Cup Winners’ Cup success, our last European honour.
As we set our sights on ending that drought and claiming the continent’s biggest prize this season, many watching us tackle the French champions on Tuesday will cast their minds back three decades to a pair of famous fixtures either side of the English Channel, and Campbell’s most golden Gunners goal.
One such person will be teammate and friend Alan Smith who also featured in both legs of that semi-final in the spring of 1994. Back then, the Red and Blues weren’t the globally recognised, trophy-hoovering juggernaut they are today, but having knocked out Real Madrid to book their spot in the final four they still boasted plenty of pedigree. Smith felt that meant neither side was the underdog going into a closely fought contest.
“They were a strong team, obviously not regarded how they’re regarded now but they had players like David Ginola and George Weah - he was a big star,” Smith reflected. “I think it was a fairly tight one because with our defensive record we were a tough nut to crack. We’d had a good run in the competition and had knocked seven past Standard Liege over at their place so I think it was fairly even.”
Weeks before the Channel Tunnel opened, we made our way to Paris via more traditional means for the first leg in the iconic Parc des Princes, held together with its famous concrete fins. However, we arrived with our own rock-solid, formidable structure in our backline of Lee Dixon, Steve Bould, Tony Adams and Nigel Winterburn.
Ian Wright would hand us the perfect start when he flicked in a Paul Davis free-kick on 35 minutes, and with the away goals rule in operation, the visiting supporters were in dreamland. Their heady half-time glee was the genesis for a chant still sung proudly today.
“Going over to Paris was seen as a tough tie which it was, I enjoyed it,” Smith recalled. “It was a ground I hadn’t played at before, a full house, a great atmosphere and the PSG fans have always been really vocal. You train on the pitch the night before but it just feels so different when you go out for the warm-up and the fans are all there, so I think we were all excited.
“We’d gone 1-0 up with Wrighty’s header. At half-time, the man on the sound system put on the Pet Shop Boys’ “Go West” and our fans started singing “One-nil to The Arsenal,” and that was born. We were so strong defensively that whenever we got ahead, we'd be disappointed if we didn't win.”
Sadly that proved to be the case as five minutes after the restart Ginola sneakily netted his own set-pice header to light a fuse. “He'd had a bit of a run-in with both Bouldy and Tony all match and a bit of banter was exchanged!” Smith laughed. “When he scored he gave them a bit back with his celebration, so the lads were laughing about that afterwards! When the dust settled, we thought the draw was a good result.”
A fortnight later, the teams completed the tie at Highbury, both still harbouring hopes of getting to the final in Copenhagen. Ahead of kick-off, we were dealt a blow with the news that Paul Merson wouldn’t be fit enough to feature, so George Graham turned to Campbell.
“We played 4-3-3 in those days in Europe - I played through the middle and then it was two from Kevin, Merse and Wrighty,” said Smith. “Merse dropped out, Kev stepped in and did a brilliant job.”
It took Campbell less than just seven minutes to edge his place into Arsenal folklore. A Dixon throw-in found Smith on the corner of the box, and he returned to the right-back who swung in a dangerous cross towards the front post. Campbell had escaped his marker, but still had to crane his neck to force the ball towards the bottom corner. He did it perfectly, Bernard Lama tried in vain to keep it out, and Highbury erupted. His seven years in north London yielded 59 goals, but this was the most precious.
An expert in the air himself, Smith was impressed by his strike partner: “It was one of those chances that comes to you quickly and you probably don't have time to decide what you want to do with it. It’s an instinctive little twist to the body and the head. It’s not just trying to get it on target, you're trying to find the corner, so it was a brilliant take.
“I wouldn't imagine they got too many headers in his career - Kev was better known for bursting through and finishing with his feet but that was a really good header.”
The lead was in the bag, but there were still 83 minutes to navigate. With a spot in the final in our possession, four colossi at the back and a new chant reverberating around our famous old home, PSG were never going to find a way through, and so it proved.
“That was a classic case of one-nil to The Arsenal!” added Smith. “We got away with a few situations and ran our luck a little bit, but it was enough in the end. I think Tony Adams says that the defence was probably at its peak at that time because they'd got the maturity alongside a great ability to defend and togetherness. It was just about enough - I wouldn't call it a smash-and-grab but it wasn't far off.”
Whatever anyone wants to call our strategy, it worked, and would so again in the final as Smith’s goal and another resilience defensive display secured the silverware against Parma in a game that Campbell again started, deputising for the suspended Wright.
However had it not been for his vital contribution in the previous round, Smith may not have his own iconic European moment to cherish. Something else he holds dear is a photograph snapped in the Highbury changing rooms of the pair basking in the glory of that semi-final success, with Campbell wearing the colours of PSG but also his trademark beaming smile in the aftermath of his crowning moment.
Looking back at that image, Smith adds: “It was great in the dressing room afterwards, the champagne was out and I was so pleased for Kev. We’d seen him come up from the youth team and make a name for himself. You look back on moments like that and realise how special they are, so it's lovely to have a photo like that to remember it by. You can see on his face how delighted he is.
30 years on from that first visit from the Parisians, Smith hopes that a different chant whips up from the Emirates stands in memory of a man taken too soon - there’s only one Kevin Campbell.
“The tributes that have been done by Arsenal and Everton show what a loved character he was by so many people. The older supporters will remember those games in the Cup Winners’ Cup and there'll be a few people thinking of Kev on the night.
“The fans are always switched on to these kind of things so they’ll be well aware of the significance. I'm sure his name will be sung at some point - let's hope it's heard when the Gunners are two or three up!”
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