'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Liverpool legend Steve Nicol recently shared an anecdote from 1990 where he set teammate Gary Ablett's wife's hair on fire after being heavily drunk.
The Reds were set to take on Crystal Palace in Birmingham in the FA Cup semifinal in the 1989-90 season. Nicol was unable to feature in the game due to an injury but still travelled with the staff and the wives. He shared that he started drinking at 10 am and was completely hammered.
Liverpool lost the game 4-3 and the team with staff and wives returned to the Merseyside on a bus before visiting a Chinese restaurant. Speaking about the incident that followed, Nicol told BBC Scotland (via Daily Star):
“I was absolutely annihilated. It actually worked out because everybody was devastated - but I was so drunk it loosened up the mood a little bit. We’re sitting having a meal and Gary Ablett’s wife Debbie was sat next to me with the big lion’s mane hair - it was like a big bush on top of her head."
The four-time First Division winner with Liverpool added:
“I’m sitting smoking and looking at it, and for some reason I’m thinking ‘I wonder what would happen if I lit that on fire’. I put my lighter next to her rather large mop and WOOOOOOFFFFF!!!”
Nicol and others tried to put off the flames, with Gary Ablett using his jacket to good use. Describing the incident further, the Liverpool legend added:
“Gary was screaming ‘What are you doing?!’ and putting his jacket on her head. It seemed like a good idea at the time. It wasn’t one of the smartest things in the world.”
Debbie was thankfully not harmed in the incident even though her hair suffered significant damage.
Nicol, meanwhile, spent over 13 years with Liverpool, making 454 appearances and registering 45 goals and 36 assists. Along with the four First Division titles, he also won three FA Cups with the club, among other honours.
Liverpool's 2022-23 campaign coming to an end against Southampton
It has been an up-and-down 2022-23 campaign for the Reds. They have seen some incredible results like a 9-0 hammering of Bournemouth and a 7-0 obliteration of Manchester United.
However, they're set to end the season trophyless and without UEFA Champions League football next season. Liverpool will finish fifth in the Premier League, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League.
The Reds were eliminated from the UCL by Real Madrid in the Round of 16. They were eliminated form the FA Cup fourth round by Brighton & Hove Albion and the Carabao Cup Round of 16 by Manchester City.
The Merseysiders face Southampton, who have been relegated, at the St. Mary's Stadium in their final game of the season on Sunday (May 28).
