100 GREAT GOALS: Part V - more great goals for you to think about

John Harding 12-06-07

How the hell do you select the best goal/goals from the last 100 years of wonderful football? It's a tough one to call but we are asking givemefootball readers to help us name the best of the best. Here are another ten to be going on with, in no particular order and from another a different era...look out for more over the coming weeks and then there will be your chance to vote...

No.41: 2007 - Ronaldo's crucial late strike at the Cottage

With Manchester United well below par at Craven Cottage, manager Sir Alex Ferguson's response to the way Fulham were dominating the match was to reorganise his side, not to cling on for the draw but to keep alive hopes of a win. Thus, Ronaldo ended up on the left wing, having enjoyed limited success on the right and, in the 88th minute, the move was vindicated. The PFA Player of the Year out-paced two Fulham players before cutting in to secure an unlikely victory and extend United's lead over Chelsea at the top of the Premiership to nine points. In fact, he was nervelessness personified as he sped past Moritz Volz and Clint Dempsey before scoring via Philippe Christanval's ankle. "I have to admit I could not see it coming," Ferguson said afterwards. "Our running was poor and the speed of our game was poor. Yet we scored so late on it could be significant."

No.42: 1904 - Billy Meredith brings the first FA Cup back to Manchester

In-keeping with much of the rest of his career, Meredith's goal that saw the Cup arrive in Manchester for the Cotton city's first major success was a controversial one and was argued about in Bolton for years afterwards. It was also rather eerily prefigured in a railway poster advertising trips to the capital to see the match. At the end of 20 minutes, George Livingstone, the City inside left, sent a long swinging pass out to the right where Meredith was lurking. There was a pause, as Bolton appeared to think the Welsh Wizard was offside but Meredith wasn't waiting to find out. A report of the day described the score thus 'Full back Struthers was left and Meredith forged ahead and scored practically without opposition. With only keeper Davis to beat, the deed was done quietly but effectively.' Manchester was on the football map at last.

No.43: 1980 - Trevor Brooking produces a rare-headed goal to win FA Cup

In 1980, Second Division West Ham were underdogs against Terry Neill's FA Cup holders Arsenal, making their record third successive final appearance. However, in this, the 99th final, it took only 13 minutes for the Hammers to break the deadlock, when Trevor Brooking was on hand to head the ball past Pat Jennings in the Arsenal goal for only the third headed goal he had scored in a long and distinguished career! Ironically one of England's most intelligent footballers had a reputation for not using his head. Brian Belton, in his book 'Bubbles, Hammers and Dreams wrote: "Dave Cross sent in a shot that ricocheted off the Gunners' centre half, Willie Young. Pearson got through. For an instant his effort looked wasted. The angle was very tight and the instinctive shot was not well directed, but Trevor, one of only three survivors from the 1975 Cup winning team, down to waist height, darted in and headed (yes, he headed the ball!) past Pat Jennings from close range, falling backwards in the process. Trevor had been 16-1 against to score the first goal!"

No.44: 1981 - Alan Kennedy smashes his first Euro Cup Final winner

The only full back to score the winning goal in two European Cup Finals, Alan never thought he would play at the Parc des Princes, let alone be Liverpool's hero. "I was short of match practice going into the game because I'd been out for six weeks with a broken wrist." He vividly remembers his late winner against mighty Real Madrid. "Ray Kennedy went to take a throw-in and although I made a run I didn't expect to get the ball. I thought I would just try to create space for someone else. But nobody picked up my run, I got possession and sprinted forward. Their centre half, who was a fearsome fella, came across but completely missed the ball and me too. I then had the choice of crossing or shooting, but the angle was very narrow and, to be honest, I'm still unclear to this day about what I did. I thought what am I going to do now? I think their goalkeeper thought I was going to cross it and so I shot and I managed to hit the back of the net!"

No.45: 1981 - Ricky Villa lights up Wembley with a magical solo goal

In what for many is the most memorable finish to any Final, Ricky Villa stamped his mark on the history of the world's oldest domestic Cup competition with some aplomb, scoring one of the great individual strikes to give his side a sixth FA Cup win. He was in electric form all night, no doubt fired by his substitution during the first game between the two sides which had finished 1-1. With the replay neatly balanced at 2-2, Spurs Chris Galvin fed Villa, who was in the inside-left position. The bearded Argentinian was confronted by defenders but, displaying wonderful balance and control, set off towards goal. He jinked past City's Tommy Caton, dropped his shoulders to elude Ray Ranson, beat Caton again and, as Corrigan advanced towards him, Ricky knocked the ball into the net for the Spurs winner. He recently commented: "When I scored I thought, great, we've won the cup, but I didn't really think much more about it. But it's become more and more special to me ever since. I did it in the right place and at the right time. It was an Argentine goal in Wembley and I really feel proud about that."

No.46: 2000 - Cheeky Di Canio leaves Weaver red-faced

Paolo di Canio's impudent penalty, which wrapped up West Ham's 4-1 win over Manchester City, was unorthodox, to say the least. Rather than blast the spot-kick down the middle or place it in the corner of the net, the Italian striker adopted a typically eccentric tactic. He strolled up to the ball and, as City goalkeeper Nicky Weaver dived to his right, delayed his shot before sending a delicate chip into the empty net. It left Weaver red-faced and in a heap on the floor in the visitors' goalmouth, while di Canio enhanced his reputation as one of the most gifted - and unpredictable - players in the Premiership. Trevor Brooking - a West Ham superstar of the past - drew an analogy with another of his favourite sports, golf, as he saw the ball drift over the line with a hefty slice of back-spin: "That was a definite wedge into the back of the net," he said.

No.47: 2001 - Floyd Hasselbaink produces another debt-bulger

Jimmy Floyd scored some amazing goals in his first season with Chelsea, many from long range, but few hit the net with such a resounding smack as this 2001 Goal of the Season contender, a stunning power strike on the half-hour from the then Premiership's top scorer. Chelsea were looking to move the ball up the field with Arsenal sitting back. Gus Poyet shifted the ball towards Jimmy and the £15m striker took advantage of a dreadful tangle between Oleg Luzhny and Grimandi to pick up possession some 20 yards out. A touch to steady himself took Lee Dixon out of the game as the Arsenal right back dived in, yet Hasselbaink's thumping effort also had the placement to beat David Seaman all ends up in the Arsenal goal. As a TV commentator said, "This is a man who does not believe in scoring ordinary goals!"

No.48: 2001 - Larsson was a prolific scorer for Celtic - none better than this

Henrik Larsson scored many superb goals in his prolific time in Celtic's front line but the Swede's third at Hampden Park during this CIS Scottish Cup match was special even by his standards. Running onto a long lobbed clearance, Larsson controlled the ball on his chest and turned towards the Kilmarnock goal in one swift movement. As he neared the box, the striker shrugged off the attentions of a defender and left the rest of the back-tracking Kilmarnock players trailing in his wake. Then the finishing touches: a sublime feint to fool the despairing dive of Gordon Marshall, before swiftly switching the ball from right foot to neatly slot into the open net with his left. "It was nice to finish in that way, but that was the only option I had really," said Larsson. "Marshall was coming out quite quick and I knew there was a defender coming in on the right so I was going to shoot in the right corner, but I thought he expected that. So I decided to drag it round him, and I was very pleased because it put the game out of their reach."

No.49: 2002 - another magical strike from Dutch Master Dennis

Arsenal have possession on the left and Ian Wright makes a decoy run wide left to draw Newcastle defenders away from the centre. Bergkamp, out right, exploits this space and dashes into the area to meet a long searching ball from X. It's here that Bergkamp's genius is demonstrated. Meeting the ball with his back to the goal, and a defender at his shoulder, he controls it with his right foot, flipping it up but turning instantly as he does so, thus deceiving the defender who misses its flight as it passes. Bergkamp has by now run past the defender, and met the ball on the other side and, completing the movement, he slides the ball with his right foot into the corner of the net: a magician's goal!

No.50: 2002 - Parlour scores and FA Cup Pearler

It was something of a shock that Parlour even started the match, as Brazilian Edu had been preferred by manager Arsene Wenger in the weeks prior to the match. Scoring was also a surprise. Ray commented afterwards: "I've only scored one other goal this season, so today was very special." Indeed, his wonderful opening strike against Chelsea in Arsenal's FA Cup triumph was only his second goal this season, his other coming against Gillingham in the cup. For some Gunner fans, it rivalled Charlie George's winner against Liverpool in the 1971 final. After picking up the ball from Sylvain Wiltord, Ray burst forward, turned inside his man, before curling his shot past Carlo Cudicini. "There wasn't a lot of support, so I thought 'why not?' I caught it well, and next thing I knew, it was in the back of the net!"