What are the most memorable goals?

When it comes to goals, I wondered what the criteria of the BBC panel was when they chose the Goal of The Month. Sometimes I see spectacular goals fly in in one month, only for a simpler tap-in or a header is judged to the the winner; other times a goal flies in at such a rate that it is a wonder in itself and clearly wins. I wondered which goals have caught your eye and for what reason.


1. Jon Harley, Fulham 2 Aston Villa 1, 8th February 2003, Craven Cottage

Jon Harley picks onto a loose ball some 35 yards out and hits a dipping, swerving effort right over Peter Enckleman on 36mins. Harley was a big prospect for Chelsea yet he has fallen down to the lower league. Rufus Brevett was sold to West Ham and Harley found his chance to shine, and how. Superb strike.


2. Samuel Eto'o, Barcelona 5 Panathinaikos 0, 2nd November 2005, The Nou Camp

It's Barca's last goal in a game where they could have clearly scored more, 4-0 up in the first half, in the second half Argentine Lionel Messi is found on the left, and he passes slowly to Eto'o on the wing, the Cameroon striker coolly strokes the ball first time high and dipping, right over Croatian keeper Mario Galinovic. It was a rout.


3. Stan Collymore, Liverpool 4 Newcastle 3, 3rd April 1996, Anfield; Robbie Fowler, Liverpool 4 Newcastle 3, 10th March 1997, Anfield

Voted as the Premier League's 'Match of the Decade', Kevin Keegan's Newcastle came to Anfield that April, where no one could have envisaged the kind of game that would enfold over the next 90mins+. We went ahead and then Newcastle pegged us to 1-2. We equalised in the second half but Faustino Asprilla put them into the lead, Collymore equalised and it seemed to end in a draw. But Steve McManaman found Collymore on the left in the dying seconds and the former Forest, Villa and Leicester man scored from a tight angle. The camera panned tot he Newcastle bench where Keegan hid his head behind the advertising boards. Anfield was in uproar.

The odds on the same thing happening again would have paid off a mortgage. And it did. Happen again, that is. Kenny Dalglish was manager of Newcastle this time. Liverpool went ahead 3-0 through McManaman, Fowler and Patrik Berger. Then David James happened, spilling a Keith Gillespie effort and running out to be lobbed by Asprilla. Warren Barton made it 3-3 and it looked,t his time, to be a 3-3 draw, but the hope of deja vu came true. John Barnes and Ian Rush played one-two and then Barnes found Fowler running up on the left (that left side again!) and the young striker headed in from a diving header. Anfield was in uproar again.

The two goals go together because they were very similar.


4. Alan Shearer, Manchester United 5 Newcastle 3, 22nd November 2002, Old Trafford

Another cracking game. Man Utd were 3-1 up at half time, and Newcastle were looking second best until Olivier Bernard was fouled by Solskjaer some 35 yards out from goal. Gary Speed rolled it to Shearer and the former England captain unleashed a shot that literally went like a firework. Fabien Barthez in goal was routed.


5. Alan Shearer, Newcastle 2 Everton 1, 1st December 2002, St James' Park

Everton were performing very well at this time. I believe they were 6 games unbeaten, hadn't even conceded in the last five leading up to this game, and they held Newcastle in the 17th minute through Kevin Campbell. Joseph Yobo was sent off for a professional foul on Craig Bellamy five minutes later and Everton held strong with the 10 men, until 4mins from time. A high ball was won by Shola Ameobi against David Unsworth, the ball coming down in the vicinity of Shearer. From 25 yards out or so, Shearer let fly a ferocious volley that dipped over Richard Wright. This goal gave hope to the Magpies, and they won it with Bellamy hitting across near the goalline and Li Tie's intervention pushed the ball into the net. Superb textbook volley.


6. David Beckham, England 2 Greece 2, World Cup Qualifier, 6th October 2001, Old Trafford

I remember this match very well. England were playing at about 70% playability and the Greeks were not giving us an easy match. they went ahead twice, either side of Teddy Sheringham's equaliser after coming on for Robbie Fowler. Deep, deep into injury time we looked to be heading for the play-offs when a foul was given some 25-30 yards from their goal, in other words Beckham territory. Old Trafford, Man Utd player, captain, David Beckham, there isn't any other scenario you'd wish to be in, much less scoring a crucial effectively winning goal in. Though he was becoming renowned for his free kicks, it wasn't safe to bet on it going in. But when it did, my friends and I were ecstatic. We didn't deserve to win the match but we had the players who deserved to go to the Far East. The goal was so important, it was the equivalent of winning the lottery when you're repossessed and bankrupt.


I don't have top goals, the above are some of the ones that stand out the most when I ponder. Shearer had scored a ferocious freekick for England one time, a match we won 0-2 and I'm sure it was away, his goal was the second goal but I can't remember the opposition. It may have been Bulgaria, but I remember Shearer running up and hitting it with some venom from a tight angle and it was another superb goal. Realistically, if I were to list every goal I remember that stood out, I'd need two hard drives to contain them in. There have been some fantastic goals, shots from distances, 6-7-8 passes that led to a goal, solo efforts, some that have happened at the expense of another's blooper. They are part of the reason why football is such an attractive, entertaining sport.


RedsMan.