A new feature to grace LFC NEWS will be coming very soon, and that is the “Top 100 LFC Goals of the Decade.” I will present one goal per post, and HOPEFULLY will have video to go with it, which is becoming increasingly harder to find with copyrights and such than it used to, but I’ll do my best! For each goal, I’ll explain the significance behind the goal, why I felt it was of such high quality, and additionally will justify its position.
Mind you, different goals have different levels of sentimental value to people… which is why this list for me is purely based on the asthetics, not on importance. Goals like Luis Garcia’s “phantom goal” against Chelsea in the Champions League semifinals won’t be included, nor will Xabi Alonso’s rebound goal after his saved penalty in the final itself. And trust me, there are some absolutely delightful goals that WERE impressive and important that I had to leave off of the list. The decade was full of fabulous strikes, as you will see, and it was heart-wrenching to leave some off. Take, for instance, Danny Murphy’s curling free kick at Old Trafford in 2000-2001. It was marvellous… but in my mind, it just missed out. Djibril Cisse’s excellent controlled volley in the FA Cup Final also missed out, as did some other fabulous goals. That was just par for the course during this exercise for me, which made it a lot of fun to do.
The decade is taken literally in this exercise, as well, so know that goals from Jan 1st 2000 through December 31st 2009 will be considered. Technically, that means that anything from Patrik Berger’s goal against Watford in 2000 through the late Torres goal on the 29th of December this season against Villa can be counted. Sadly, this meant that a few absolute stunners from 1999 missed out (such as a Fowler classic against Arsenal, and a weaving Heggem goal), as will anything from the 2010 portion of this campaign.
Without further ado, though, here are 13 strikes I would like to mention that did NOT make the list… but came awfully close (in no particular order, by the way).
1) Danny Murphy v. Manchester United 2000-2001. We won 1-0 at Old Trafford… which was our first win there in YEARS. Murphy’s strike was about 25 yards out, and he carved it just over the wall and left the keeper completely cemented in place.
2) Danny Murphy v. Birmingham City 2002-2003. In a 2-2 draw at Anfield, Murphy swung a delicious 25 yarder into the side netting to give us the 1-0 lead. It had tremendous curve to it, to say the least!
3) Djibril Cisse @ Anderlecht 2005-2006. From a corner kick, Cisse rocketed in a volley right up the middle of the net with a ferocity not often seen from a strike of that nature. The goal was the only goal of the game, and was of real quality.
4) Andriy Voronin @ Toulouse 2007-2008. Also in a 1-0 victory, Voronin struck a laser through the legs of the defender and into the top corner from 20+ yards out. Though he struggled whilst at the club, this strike remains a pleasant highlight.
5) Robbie Fowler v. Wycombe 2000-2001. With a 1-0 lead in the FA Cup Semifinals, Robbie Fowler put the icing on the cake with a wonderfully curled left-footed free kick that left the keeper with absolutely no chance. In typical Fowler fashion, it managed to find its way directly into the upper V, missing post and crossbar by mere millimeters.
6) Harry Kewell v. Birmingham City 2003-2004. This was perhaps the hardest goal to leave off of the list, because who doesn’t love a nice diving header? It had given us the 2-1 advantage that eventually led to a 3-1 victory, and was during a spell where Kewell was absolutely on fire.
7) Sami Hyypia v. Wolves 2003-2004. Sentimental value made me wish to put this in, but it was perhaps just a bit too close to goal to put it in. Still, he rose so high above the rest and towered in a header to give us the 1-0 win at the dying seconds… on the day I graduated from university.
Sami Hyypia v. Arsenal 2007-2008. Down 0-1 at the time, Hyypia headed in a corner kick from 15 yards out off of the post and in. The header seemed to curl in magnetically towards the post, giving it a very beautiful look to it. Excellent goal from an outstanding legend… we would go on to win the match 4-2.
9) Michael Owen v. West Ham United 2002-2003. At the time, Liverpool were flying at the top of the league and it was no surprise that Owen would grab a double. What was a surprise was how he made the Hammers look so silly as he danced through 4 of them to eventually chip David James from 8 yards out.
10) Steven Gerrard v. Everton 2008-2009 (FA Cup). Gerrard may have been the scorer in this 1-1 draw, but Torres is why the goal was considered. Peddling backwards, Torres used practically every part of his body as he juggled the ball and then backheeled it into the path of our captain. The goal was soft in the end, but the build-up was sublime!
11) Steven Gerrard @ Charlton Athletic 2006-2007. We won the match 3-0, and Gerrard had been quiet… until this goal. Picking the ball up in the box, he faked one way, and then majestically swung his right foot at the ball and curled it into the top shelf, completely freezing the keeper. Lovely, intelligent strike from Stevie G.
12) Patrik Berger v. Middlesbrough 2001-2002. With the ball seemingly trapped in his feet, Berger somehow was able to cannon in a shot with his left foot into the near post corner to give us a 2-0 victory from 25 yards out. It was one of those “how the hell did he do that” goals, but maybe the keeper could have done better…
13) Xabi Alonso v. Watford 2006-2007. I took this goal off of the list at the last minute, but it surely would have been on had Liverpool not scored so many goals over the course of the decade! From 25 yards out, Alonso curled one in first time into the upper corner. Only the fingertips of Ben Foster prevented this goal from making it, as I think he might have done better… like the Berger goal.
KEEP LOOKING FOR UPDATES ON LFC NEWS FOR THIS FEATURE! I’ll do my best to keep plugging away. Enjoy!
