Football’s Greatest Goals No.28
This week’s ‘Greatest Goal’ comes from the trusty right boot of Wayne Rooney. It came in the Manchester Derby at Old Trafford and is shown over and over again on Sky Sports adverts for Premier League football.
The goal was a spectacular acrobatic effort came in a 2-1 victory over their bitter rivals Manchester City on 12th February 2011. It was the deciding goal in a vital game that would help United gain breathing space at the top of the table.
Both sides were closely challenging for the league title at the time. Going in to the Derby, Manchester United were top of the league, leading Arsenal in second place by a single point. Manchester City sat in third place, four points behind United but had played a game more than their rivals.
Nani had opened the scoring for United with a first half effort, latching onto a ball from Ryan Giggs to score four minutes before the break. City equalised on 65 minutes thanks to a little bit of good fortune. Edin Dzeko’s shot wrong-footed Edwin van der Saar following a deflection off Spanish midfielder David Silva.
There was no luck involved in United’s winner. It came 12 minutes from the end of the game and was awarded the ‘Match of the Day Goal of the Season’.
United’s goalscorer Nani received a pass from Paul Scholes around 30 yards from goal. He took a few touches, slowly edging towards the City area. Pablo Zabaleta blocked Nani’s path and so the Portuguese international looked up, saw Wayne Rooney lurking around the penalty spot and chipped a cross towards the striker.
Nani’s cross was about a yard behind Rooney who had anticipated that he would be able to head the ball at goal. In an instant, the United man had to turn and with his back to goal leapt up to attempt an overhead scissor kick.
The ball went over City defender Vincent Kompany’s head as the Belgian defender lost his balance and fell to the floor. This gave Rooney extra space to get his shot at goal. He connected perfectly and in an instant, the ball fizzed into the far corner of the net giving City goalkeeper Joe Hart no chance. Rooney’s shot was so hard that Hart had no time to react and dive at the shot, making the goal look even better.
Manchester United went on to win the league title at the end of the season. Manchester City would finally get their hands on the Premier League trophy the following season, ending a 34 year wait. Wayne Rooney became England’s highest goalscorer, netting 53 goals before retiring from international football in 2018.
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