Leeds 1-0 Liverpool, 21 August 1995
Little was known in England about the Ghanaian striker Tony Yeboah, who had been the joint top scorer in the German Bundesliga for two seasons, before he moved to Leeds from Eintracht Frankfurt for £3m in January 1995. Yeboah left an indelible mark on English football with a powerful volley past the despairing David James against Liverpool on Sky’s Monday night game to secure a Leeds win. He crashed in another goal-of-the-season contender the following month against Wimbledon.
Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle, 10 March 1997
No, not that one. That was on a Wednesday. But we are not here to discuss wild Wednesdays. Kevin Keegan’s “great entertainers” served up a feast of attacking and incisive football in this period but his replacement, Kenny Dalglish, could only watch as Liverpool raced into a 3-0 lead on this March Monday night, a Patrick Berger effort sandwiched between Steve McManaman’s and Robbie Fowler’s goals. Newcastle fought back to level two minutes before the end. But it was deja vu for the visitors as they came unstuck in injury time, Fowler’s winner helping to condemn Newcastle to the runners-up spot that season.
Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool, 24 March 1997
Robbie Fowler against Arsenal was often eventful – he scored one of the quickest Premier League hat-tricks against the Gunners – and he made headlines in this late-season Liverpool win at Highbury for his sportsmanship. The striker leaped over the goalkeeper David Seaman in a one-on-one and fell over, leading Gerald Ashby to award a penalty. Seaman and, much more surprisingly, Fowler denied it was a penalty but Ashby did not reverse the decision. Fowler’s spot-kick was saved but Jason McAteer converted the rebound, handing Liverpool the decisive goal. Fowler later told the Liverpool Echo “it wasn’t a bad day” because they got the win and he got a fair play certificate from Uefa.
Crystal Palace 3-3 Liverpool, 5 May 2014
Yes, Liverpool again. “Crystanbul”, a play on Liverpool’s Champions League heroics in 2005, is remembered fondly by those close to the Holmesdale Road. Brendan Rodgers had taken Liverpool to the verge of a first league title since 1990 but his team had been dogged by a leaky defence. Liverpool were potent that season, scoring 101 league goals. They raced into a 3-0 lead against Crystal Palace in a crucial game but spectacularly collapsed in the final 12 minutes, a Dwight Gayle brace handing the initiative to Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City team. City needed a point on the final day and beat West Ham to seal top spot.
Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham, 2 May 2016
Probably the starting point for what is arguably the most feisty London derby. Tottenham arrived at Stamford Bridge needing a win to stay in the Premier League title race with surprise leaders Leicester. The affair was stormy, with square-ups galore and tempers flaring. Goals before half-time from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min looked to have settled the match but Chelsea, who were the defending champions but had been having a terrible season, were determined to spoil the party. Gary Cahill halved the deficit, then Eden Hazard levelled with a superb individual effort to break Tottenham hearts, give Leicester the title and their fans the most surreal Monday Night Football experience.
