Leeds United cult hero Tony Yeboah has revealed all on scoring one of the Premier League’s most famous goals against Liverpool
Whenever Liverpool travel to Leeds United, for supporters of a certain age, one moment will always come to mind. Unfortunately for the Reds, it is not one that was in their favour.
Tony Yeboah scored one of the Premier League’s most famous goals when the Whites hosted Liverpool back in August 1995. Coming on a Monday night, under the lights at Elland Road, the Ghana international scored the winning goal with a thunderous volley from outside the area.
Sighting up Rod Wallace’s header down, the strike was mesmeric as Yeboah readjusted his position while watching the ball come down before unleashing an unstoppable, dipping strike that left David James with no chance as it cannoned in off the underside of the crossbar.
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James himself is on record admitting he hates that goal, initially even believing he should have saved it.
“I hate that goal,” he later admitted to the Premier League. “At the time, I spent quite a few weeks afterwards moaning about the fact that I should have saved it.
“I got to see the coverage because it was the live game on Sky Sports. I think the commentator said about 30 seconds beforehand, ‘all this game needs is a goal’ – and then Tony Yeboah turns up and scores!
“I blame the commentators! But it was, obviously, a terrific strike, and it was in a rich period of form for him at the time as well.”
As for Yeboah, the moment holds a special place in his heart. While he believes an effort he scored the following month against Wimbledon to be better, his goal against Liverpool is his favourite.
The Ghanaian was a boyhood Reds fan, after all, and had made the move to England from Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt – initially on loan – the previous January.
He had played the full 90 minutes at Anfield towards the end of the 1994/95 season. But with Liverpool coming to Elland Road, under the lights and in front of the Sky Sports cameras, he was desperate to deliver against his boyhood heroes.
“Sometimes, when a ball leaves your foot, you know it’s heading straight in,” he said, as quoted by the Mirror.
“Playing against John Barnes and Ian Rush, I thought I had to do something special, so for me that particular goal was something special.
“The one against Wimbledon is better, in terms of technique. But if you consider the opponents, Liverpool were my idols, the game was live on television, the emotion and size of the crowd, the Liverpool goal is my favourite.
“There’s a TV station in Ghana that always shows the goal before the sports programmes, and I know they show it regularly in England too.
“It’s fantastic. The people still remember me in Leeds. I played there a long time ago now, but because of the fantastic goals, everyone remembers.
“I am very proud of that. I feel so proud to have played for Leeds United and to have scored a fantastic goal like that.”
