Selhurst Park. The 23rd of September, 1995. Wimbledon against Leeds United. Tony Yeboah sent Martin Tyler’s voice up a whole octave with the sort of goal that you just don’t forget. Unlike whoever put together the top five list in the video above, I prefer this goal to the volley he scored against Liverpool a month earlier, even if it’s somehow more jammy and less technical.
Incidentally, Yeboah himself prefers the Liverpool goal. He once said: “Why do I think that? Because it was live on television and everyone was watching. It surprised people. Also, I grew up as a Liverpool fan and their team had Rush, Barnes… players I admired.” Fair enough, Tony.
But the one against Wimbledon was a true freak of nature, with the ball ending up in the net after a chain of events that Yeboah couldn’t replicate if he had one million tries at it. It’s also the wonder goal I think of when I recall the early Premier League years.