Reds is benefactor of Man Utd
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who then would have thought tat the Reds and Man Utd would become rivals 80 years down the road.
if john mckenna's still alive, i believe he would have regretted his decision then to throw away the match.
In 1919, the First Division was extended from 20 to 22 clubs. During previous expansions, the relegated clubs from the previous season were re-elected, while the top Second Division sides were promoted as usual.
So Derby and Preston, the two top Second Division sides in 1915 - there had been a break for the War - did indeed move on up. And Chelsea, who had finished 19th that season, were, as expected, re-elected.
But the reason for Chelsea's escape were somewhat arbitrary. In 1915, Manchester United had, to avoid relegation, fixed their last game (against Liverpool of all people). They won 2-0 and sent Chelsea into the relegation places instead, but Liverpool chairman John McKenna must have felt some guilt, because at the League's AGM in 1919 he gave a speech insisting on the continued presence in the top flight of the Stamford Bridge club.
For some reason however, he also suggested that lowly Arsenal, who had finished fifth in the Second, should be rewarded for their long service to the League. They should replace the team which came 20th in 1915, he argued.
And so it came to pass. The unfairly relegated club? Why, Tottenham Hotspur.
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in fact, strangely enough, the Reds nearly become the benefactor of Man Utd in the 1994/95 season.
in the last game of the season, the Reds won their game against Blackburn Rovers, but Man Utd couldn't do their part against, of all teams, West Ham. Blackburn won the championship by a point.