Tony Yeboah's volley against Liverpool rated among top 10 EPL and FA Cup goals of all-time (video)

Goals that usually catch the attention of football fans are late minute match winners, championship-winning goals and goals scored with much technique such as volleys, solo efforts, goals scored with the touch of class, great team goals, etc

There’s plenty of crossover on both lists and you can read what they thought of the 14 goals selected by the pair below.

The goals were selected, not in any particular order.

Dennis Bergkamp: Newcastle 0-2 Arsenal (Premier League)

2 March 2002

Dennis Bergkamp was noted for scoring goals with shea class and his finish against Newcastle United was one of such goals.

Below is Allan Shearer Ian Wright’s description of Dennis Bergkamp’s goal for Arsenal against Newcastle United.

Shearer: “No-one has ever scored a goal like that and I don’t think anyone will ever score it again. He absolutely meant it, the touch, the technique and the finish was exceptional.”

Wright: “The pass was behind him and he has to improvise, and because he was such a great technician, he scored one of the greatest goals I have ever seen. If he had a bad touch in training, everybody noticed, because he was so good.”

Paolo di Canio: West Ham 2-1 Wimbledon (Premier League)

26 March 2000

This is how Shearer and Wright described the Italian’s goal.

Shearer: “We talk about watching the ball and he has hit it with his right foot with the left off the ground. To get that connection, it was was an unbelievable volley.”

Wright: “It was a goal we haven’t seen before and we have not seen it since. That is why he has to be recognised for the audacity of the goal. With the right foot you could easily get it wrong, but he adjusted himself in the air.”

Ryan Giggs: Arsenal 1-2 Manchester United (FA Cup)

14 April 1999

The Manchester United attacking midfielder who was voted the best player of all-time in the Premier League history scored a scintillating goal by all standard to inspire the Red Devils to secure a famous FA Cup victory over rivals Arsenal and this is what Shearer and Wright have to say about the goal.

Shearer: “It is such an iconic goal with his ability and the way he runs off and celebrates.”

Wright: “It was the significance of it, and how that team refused to be beaten. Ryan Giggs came off the bench and Patrick Vieira gave the ball away, but I thought it was fine because he was still in his own half. Then he starts running and no one engages with him, and once he gets going he just gets through them. He had to go high to beat David Seaman and that is what he did. It’s arguably one of the best goals in FA Cup history.”

Thierry Henry: Arsenal 1-0 Manchester United (Premier League)

1 October 2000

Thierry Henry’s flick against his compatriot Fabien Barthez was a picturesque goal and this is how Shearer and Ian Wright described it as it made it on his list.

Shearer: “You have got a split-second to decide what you are going to do with the ball. You might already have a picture in your head of players to the left and the right but he flicked it up to perfection and then to get the accuracy on the swivel, it was stunning.”

Wright: “The beauty of this goal was that Gary Neville was so tight and he had to improvise like he did. It is why he is so great and why people pay their money to see him. He flicked it up and volleyed it in the corner. Magnificent.”

Vincent Kompany: Manchester City 1-0 Leicester (Premier League)

6 May 2019

Defenders are not known for scoring beautiful goals, but Vincent Kompany’s match-winner was a beauty as well as a very important goal.

Manchester City will attribute the 2018/2019 Premier League title to Vincent Kompany’s 25 yards goal in what gave the Citizens an important win against Leicester City to hand the champions the defending champions the advantage going into the final weekend of the title race with Liverpool.

This is what Shearer said about the goal.

Shearer: “This was about the timing of it and how they needed that piece of magic from their captain. He delivered it with a stinging shot in the top corner.”

Matt Le Tissier: Southampton 2-1 Newcastle United (Premier League)

24 October 1993

Alan Shearer description of the goal below

Shearer: “He flicked it over one defender with his left foot and then flicked it over another defender with his right. Then to have the balance, the composure and the ability to pick his spot in the corner and slot it as coolly as he did, was sensational. There were so many things with that goal that could have gone wrong.”

Matt Le Tissier: Blackburn Rovers 3-2 Southampton (Premier League)

10 December 1994

Although Southampton lost at Ewood Park, Matt Le Tissier was at his scintillating best as he jinked one way, and then the other, before drilling the ball into the top corner from long range for his second goal of the game.

Shearer: “Whenever he scored goals like this in games, I was never surprised because I saw him do it day in, day out in training while we were together at Southampton.”

Wright: “He picked the ball up in and around the centre circle. He went around two defenders so elegantly and he put it in the top corner. It was just effortless.”

Wayne Rooney: Manchester United 2-1 Newcastle (Premier League)

24 April 2005

Wayne Rooney scored this goal against Alan Shearer’s Newcastle United and the all-time top scorer in the Premier League’s history who was in the game has this to say about the goal.

Shearer: “I was playing in that game. I was about 10 or 15 yards behind Wayne. I remember him shouting at the referee as he wasn’t having a great game and that ball just fell to him. It was a decent clearing header but if there was one person you didn’t want it to fall to, it was Rooney. It was an incredible goal.”

Trevor Sinclair: QPR 3-2 Barnsley (FA Cup)

25 January 1997

Trevor Sinclair FA Cup goal was rated as one of the finest by Shearer and Wright and this is how they described the goal.

Shearer: “He was outside the box. It was the best ever overhead kick I have seen.”

Wright: “He was on the edge of the area, in around the D, and he caught it so clean. I think it is the best overhead kick I have ever seen.”

Luis Suarez: Liverpool 1-1 Newcastle United (Premier League)

4 November 2012

Luis Suarez always a predator in front of goal and his goal 60 yards goal against Newcastle United will forever remain in the memories of football fans.

Ian Wright has this to say about the goal.

Wright: “This ball has come from 60 yards and he has controlled it on his shoulder, and in the space of two yards, he has taken it around the keeper and scored. That for me was technically superb. We are talking about a player that went on to improve Barcelona.”

Andros Townsend: Manchester City 2-3 Crystal Palace (Premier League)

22 December 2018

Andros Townsend volley made the headlines in 2018 and It has made the list of the best goals scored in either the Premier League and the FA Cup.

Shearer: “You try these things in training and every now and then you catch one sweet. That volley from Andros was as sweet as you’re going to see. It was just the middle of the foot. Perfect.”

Wright: “The trajectory at which the ball came, for him to hit it so clean, it was perfect. It was the sweetest strike I think you will ever see. He cleansed the ball.”

Robin van Persie: Manchester United 3-0 Aston Villa (Premier League)

22 April 2013

Dutchman Robin Van Persie after his move from Arsenal to Manchester United inspired the Reds to win their 20th league title.

In a game against Aton Villa, he bagged a hattrick to make the league title certain for Manchester United and the most standout of his three goals was an unstoppable left-footed volley as the Dutchman ran onto Wayne Rooney’s pinpoint cross.

Shearer: “The pass from Rooney inside his own half and then the ball came over his shoulder. He was having to watch it all the way but he has also timed his run to stay onside to perfection. He has caught that volley coming over his shoulder and pinged it past the goalkeeper without bouncing.”

Wright: “For him to catch it like he did, it is exceptional technique.”

Jack Wilshere: Arsenal 4-1 Norwich City (Premier League)

19 October 2013

Jack Wilshere was the architect of a delicious opening goal against Norwich as he played a neat one-two with Santi Cazorla after picking up the ball deep inside his own half, before cleverly combining with Olivier Giroud and volleying in from close range.

Shearer: “It was a great team goal. Jack started the move inside his own half and then the passing, the movement and the way he finished it off was fantastic.”

Wright: “Arsenal have been synonymous with that kind of goal through the years. It was the type of goal I know Arsene Wenger was all about. It was beautiful to watch and I was so pleased it was Arsenal that scored that.”

Tony Yeboah: Leeds United 1-0 Liverpool (Premier League)

21 August 1995

Tony Yeboah registered a volley against Liverpool at Elland Park. It was one of the two classic volleys the Ghanaian scored in the Premier League while at Leeds United.

Wright: “Leeds were an exciting team at the time. It was live on television, and the ball was coming down to him but he hit it so powerfully it went over David James and it was a beautiful strike of the football.”