Brian Clough's rope-a-dope tactic, Rangers' bemulleted Godzilla and Anfield's bouncy castle - all feature in The Guardian's shortlist.6. Ipswich v Aberdeen, Uefa Cup first round, 1981-82 (1-1, 1-3, agg: 2-4)
Sir Alex Ferguson's penchant for knocking English clubs off their perch did not begin with Liverpool. In 1981 Ipswich were the cock of the walk after winning the Uefa Cup the previous season, but Fergie's Aberdeen ended their defence in the first round. John Hewitt's away goal gave Aberdeen a 1-1 draw at Portman Road after Frans Thijssen's opening goal, and at Pittodrie they got off to a perfect start when a staggeringly witless piece of play from John Wark gave Gordon Strachan a penalty. Strachan converted, but when Wark equalised from the spot the tie was perched as precariously as Simon Adebisi's hat. But two delicious solo goals from the fearless left-winger Peter Weir, one with each foot, left the right-back Mick Mills with twisted blood and Ipswich with a collective bloody nose. Aberdeen, tonked the previous season by Liverpool, were now a significant force in Europe, and would be atop a perch of their own when they won the Cup Winners' Cup 18 months later.
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