Eric Cantona (Manchester United vs Arsenal)
When Eric Cantona comes up in conversation, invariably his goal against Sunderland gets mentioned. Understandable, there was a lot in the moment which captured the essence of what the Frenchman was about: technique, audacity, arrogance.
Even so, it probably owes some of its status to the camera angle which it was recorded on: the flight of the chip is perfectly in-line with the viewer, and the clip off the post gives it a poetic feel that it might not otherwise have.
Great goal, but not one which deserves to be elevated above his half-volley against Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Grace wasn’t something ordinarily associated with Cantona, but that’s the obvious synonym with this effort – post-game, Alex Ferguson described this as ‘ballerina’-like, and he was probably right. From chesting-down Tony Adam’s defensive header, to lashing the ball over the top of David Seaman and in off the bar, this was just lovely.
A goal which, scandalously, is rarely mentioned.
Paul Scholes (Bradford City vs Manchester United)
At home, Michael Owen has a European Footballer of the Year award in his trophy cabinet – conversely, Paul Scholes has no individual awards whatsoever.
How does that work?
The merits of Scholes totaled more than goalscoring, obviously, and his touch, technique, and passing range were collectively far beyond any other English player of his generation.
But what goal sums him up, what moment best demonstrates how exquisitely gifted he was? Maybe his first-time volley from David Beckham’s corner against Bradford City in 2000?
The ball across from Beckham is beautifully driven and reaches Scholes perfectly in-stride, but the latter’s technique in controlling his volley past Matt Duke is absolutely sublime. That he’s advancing onto the ball at the point of contact makes this even harder to execute, arguably more difficult than the dropping volley he would thunder-in off the crossbar at Villa Park years later.
This was pomp era Manchester United, playing exquisite football on their way to yet another Premier League title – and Scholes, as ever, was right at the heart of everything they did well.
Didier Drogba (Everton vs Chelsea)
This is the Chelsea goal everyone remembers from this game – a 3-2 win at Goodison Park in 2006 – but Frank Lampard’s spectacular long-range equaliser probably deserves equal-billing.
Amongst all the goals Didier Drogba scored during his time in England, this deserves its place alongside the volleys against Liverpool and Barcelona. It’s from distance, it capped a great fightback, and it won Chelsea the game – it ticks a lot of boxes.
A common misconception with this, is that Drogba was just taking a lazy swing at the ball in the hope of glory – and that’s not at all fair. From the moment he takes the ball on his chest, he knows exactly what he’s going to do with it, and he’s fully-aware of Tim Howard being slightly off his line.
Those volleys he would score against Liverpool and Barcelona were probably more difficult skills to execute – on account of the ball rising – but this just a had a little more drama to it.
Look at the shape on the ball as it flies over Howard; it’s the perfect connection
Laurent Robert (Newcastle vs Tottenham)
The Premier League Owl
Say what you like about Laurent Robert’s mental attributes, but the Frenchman could flat-out play the game.
Picking one goal out of his collection for Newcastle is a futile task, because a healthy proportion of the 30 he scored during his time with the club were special – the long-range free-kick against Southampton, the physics-defying back-heeled volley against Fulham…there were quite a few.
But let’s go with this volley against Spurs from the beginning of the last decade.
Hitting the ball straight out of mid-air is a difficult enough skill, but it’s even harder when a player is off-balance. When Tottenham clear the ball from their box, Robert has to stretch in order to catch it on the full volley – yet despite that, he keeps the shot on-target and manages to generate enough power to leave Kasey Keller helpless.
Like everything he did, he makes it look very easy – but go out into the garden and try it; it’s wonderful technique, and it reminds you of how much of pleasure it was to watch Robert sometimes.
Tugay (Blackburn vs Tottenham)
Tugay, as the expression goes, had this in his locker.
Tottenham’s then-goalkeeper Paul Robinson may well have been susceptible to long-range shots, but that technical flaw in his game had nothing to do with this goal.
To take the ball out of the air, from that far-out, and to retain this much control over it is an exceptionally difficult skill – and Tugay was one of maybe three or four players in the league at the time with the technical prowess to execute it. It’s not an accident this – some of you might remember a goal he scored directly from a corner against Fulham; there are differences between the two, but it’s the same technique and the same composure under a dropping-ball.
So, from late November 2006, here’s the Turk’s screamer at Ewood Park.
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool vs Olympiakos)
Had this been scored by a different player, perhaps we’d all talk about it more. Realistically though, a bouncing ball, twenty-five yards out, Steven Gerrard running on to it – what did everyone expect to happen?
Gerrard’s strike is wonderfully pure, and the ball fizzes into the bottom corner, but that’s only one part of what makes this so memorable.
Think about what it led to, and think about what Liverpool would go on to achieve in the Champions League that season. If this doesn’t hit the net, Rafael Benitez and his players would have been eliminated in the group and there would have been no miracle in Istanbul.
Some vintage era Gerrard for you – with Martin Tyler’s original commentary and Andy Gray’s emotional incontinence to boot.
Enjoy.
Gustavo Poyet (Chelsea vs Sunderland)
If the Harlem Globetrotters played football, this is the kind of goal they would score as part of their routine.
Back to the first day of the 1999/2000 season, and a quite sublime illustration of why Gianfranco was as special as he was.
Gustavo Poyet’s finish is fantastic, and his technique with this scissor kick really can’t be bettered, but it’s the inter-play between him and Zola which marks this out amongst all the other goals scored in the Premier League era.
Sunderland may have already been beaten on the day, but take nothing away from Chelsea – watch Zola as he picks up the ball and notices Poyet’s late run beyond the centre-back. Not only does the Italian pick out the Uruguayan in-stride, but he does so with an outrageous flick which leaves the visiting centre-backs completely helpless.
It belongs in a circus ring, and not on a football pitch.
Harry Kewell (Liverpool vs Tottenham)
Aside from a happy knack of managing to get himself fit for cup finals, Harry Kewell really didn’t have the best of times at Liverpool, and – even if it is slightly unkind to say so – injuries probably stopped him becoming the player he should have been.
Still, there were good times – and this volley against Tottenham belongs at the top of that short list.
The technique on this is lovely, and notice how Kewell doesn’t try to break the net with his finish. Instead, he maintains his concentration as the ball floats across to him, and just focuses on getting his foot right the way through the ball and keeping his head down. It’s some execution.
Don’t underestimate the cross from Steve Finnan, either, because it’s right on the money and it doesn’t force the Australian to check his stride at all.
Lovely goal.
Paolo Di Canio (West Ham vs Wimbledon)
Can you ever really get tired of watching this goal?
It’s an obvious choice for this feature, but not because of the reason you think. Paolo Di Canio’s balance and technique is absolutely flawless, and he deserved all the acclaim that came his way after this – but look at the pass from Trevor Sinclair.
Nobody ever mentions that. Sinclair drills this into Di Canio from thirty yards, and without the right height or pace on the ball, the Italian wouldn’t have a hope of executing the finish that he does.
Sinclair – clearly – couldn’t anticipate what Di Canio was about to do, but don’t let that detract from his part in this, because he’s aiming for his forward and he hits him in stride. It’s tremendous accuracy.
Apologies for the squeaky-voiced commentator on this…
Danny Rose (Tottenham vs Arsenal)
This was the moment when, no matter what he did during the rest of his career, Danny Rose ensured that no Tottenham fan would ever forget him.
From where I was sitting in the ground – the other end from where this was scored – it was assumed that Jermain Defoe had scored, because nobody thought that a player on his debut would even try something like this. Not so much, and as Danny Rose came dancing back down the White Hart Lane touchline, he provided one of the enduring images of recent North London derbies.
There’s very little need for any description, so here’s the goal. Below however, is a fan’s iPhone footage from the top-tier of the South Stand. It’s amazing how pitched a fully-grown man can become at moments like these…
