On 15 April 1989, 96 Liverpool supporters died during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield; a 97th victim, Andrew Devine, suffered irreversible brain damage and died in 2021. The disaster began outside the Leppings Lane stand, where thousands of Liverpool fans were funneled toward only 23 turnstiles serving more than 24,000 allocated spectators. With the 3:00 p.m. kickoff approaching, a dangerous bottleneck formed. Match commander Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, who had little experience commanding a sell-out football match, ordered the opening of large exit Gate C at approximately 2:52 p.m. to relieve the pressure outside. Instead of being directed into less crowded side sections, thousands of supporters followed the obvious tunnel into central standing pens 3 and 4. Those pens were already dangerously full, but no officer or steward blocked the tunnel or redirected the incoming crowd. As the match began, spectators at the front were crushed against perimeter fencing and metal barriers. A surge shortly after 3:04 p.m. caused a crush barrier to fail, and police superintendent Roger Greenwood alerted referee Ray Lewis, who stopped play at about 3:05:30. Fans attempted to escape by climbing the fencing, forcing open a small gate, or reaching the pitch, but emergency coordination was disastrously slow. Ninety-four people died at the stadium that day, another died in hospital days later, and two more victims later died from irreversible brain injuries, bringing the final death toll to 97; 766 people were injured. The match was abandoned and replayed at Old Trafford on 7 May 1989, with Liverpool winning and eventually taking that season's FA Cup.
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