TEN memorable moments from the Festive Fixtures

Football writer David Coverdale looks back at 10 of the most memorable moments and matches from the Premier League during the festive period.

Salah-inspired Reds hit Spurs for six - December 2024

Another Mohamed Salah masterclass ensured Liverpool went into last Christmas four points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

Arne Slot’s Reds had dropped points in their previous two top-flight matches, drawing at Newcastle United and at home to Fulham.

However, they returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion by beating Ange Postecoglou’s injury-ravaged Tottenham Hotspur 6-3.

Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai netted first-half goals, with James Maddison keeping the hosts in it.

But Salah put the game to bed early on in the second half with a brace, which saw him move up to fourth place in Liverpool’s all-time list of scorers.

Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke made things more respectable for Spurs before Diaz scored his second from Salah’s second assist of the night.

“It was a spectacular game to watch,” said a delighted Slot.

Giroud’s scorpion kick - January 2017

The 2016/17 festive period will be remembered for two scorpion kicks.

First, Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored with an acrobatic flick for Manchester United in their 3-1 win against Sunderland on Boxing Day.

Then, a week later on New Year’s Day, Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud produced his own outrageous backheel volley finish from Alexis Sanchez’s cross in a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace.

Giroud’s scorpion kick won the FIFA Puskas Award for the most beautiful goal of the calendar year in 2017 – and the Frenchman ranked it as the “most special” strike of his career.

“I can’t say I practised this in training, it was just instinct,” Giroud said after.

“The ball from Alexis was behind me so I just tried to hit the ball how I could.

“You won’t see it again. I was touched by God’s grace because everything was perfect.”

Kane takes down Chelsea - Jan 2015

A whopping 33 goals were scored in the Premier League on 1 January 2015, a New Year’s Day record.

And nowhere saw more than White Hart Lane, where a young Harry Kane inspired Spurs to a 5-3 win over their London rivals – and league leaders – Chelsea.

It was the match when the 21-year-old striker came of age in the Premier League, bagging his first brace in the top flight, as well as providing two assists.

“For me, it was the first top team I scored against,” Kane said later that year. “It was the first time I said to myself, ‘I can do it at any level now’.”

After Diego Costa gave the visitors the lead, Kane equalised for Spurs with a low 20-yard drive.

Danny Rose and Andros Townsend put the hosts 3-1 ahead at half-time, before Kane scored their fourth – the first time the Blues had conceded that many in a single league game under Jose Mourinho.

Nacer Chadli added a fifth for the hosts, in between goals from Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and John Terry.

Walcott’s brilliant hat-trick - Dec 2012

Only once in Premier League history has a match contained more goals than the 10 served up by Arsenal and Newcastle at the end of 2012.

And no one enjoyed this Emirates Stadium goal-fest more than Theo Walcott, who scored three and provided two assists, leading to chants of “sign him up” from home fans in reference to his ongoing contract saga.

On a crazy night in north London, Alan Pardew’s visitors were level on three separate occasions, as a Demba Ba double and a Sylvain Marveaux goal cancelled out strikes from Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lukas Podolski.

But from 3-3 in the 73rd minute, Arsenal went on to win 7-3 thanks to a brace from substitute Giroud and two more from Walcott.

The England international completed his hat-trick in the first minute of stoppage time with an incredible jinking run and dinked finish, which was voted goal of the month for December.

“It was a manic game, it was so open,” said hat-trick hero Walcott after.

“If someone said it was going to finish 7-3, we all would have laughed.”

Howard’s freak goal - Jan 2012

Only six goals have been scored by goalkeepers in the Premier League and one of them came over the festive period in the 2011/12 season.

On a blustery day at Goodison Park, Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard hoofed the ball forwards from inside his own box.

The ball landed well outside the Wigan area but the wind then caught hold of it, causing it to fly over the head of unfortunate visiting keeper Adam Bogdan.

It was a freak goal and Howard barely celebrated out of sympathy for his opposite number.

“It was cruel,” said the American. “I was disappointed from a goalkeepers’ union standpoint. You never want to see that happen.”

The distance Howard’s strike travelled was measured at 92.2m.

That was the longest distance anyone had ever scored from in the Premier League at that time, before Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic netted from even further out against Southampton in November 2013.

Ji’s stoppage-time winner - Jan 2012

“It ain’t over 'til it’s over,” screamed Martin Tyler on Sky Sports commentary.

And how right he was as Sunderland substitute Ji Dong-won pounced in the third minute of stoppage time to topple Premier League leaders Manchester City 1-0 at the Stadium of Light on New Year’s Day 2012.

By that point, Roberto Mancini’s visitors could have been home and dry on Wearside, with both Edin Dzeko and Micah Richards hitting the bar.

But Sunderland, under the management of Martin O’Neill, held firm against the Premier League pacesetters and seized their moment when it came.

In the final minute of stoppage time, the Black Cats broke forward and Ji played a one-two with Stephane Sessegnon before rounding 'keeper Joe Hart and slipping it into the empty net.

“Ji! He’s round the goalkeeper, he’s done it!” bellowed Tyler in one of his most famous commentary moments.

Of course, Man City were involved in an even more dramatic finale – and elicited an even more iconic line from Tyler – at the end of that season, when Sergio Aguero struck in the fourth minute of stoppage time against QPR to clinch the title for Mancini’s men.

Brown’s on-field team talk - Dec 2008

One of the Premier League’s most bizarre moments occurred at the Etihad Stadium on Boxing Day 2008.

With his side trailing 4-0 at half-time against Man City, Hull City boss Phil Brown marched on to the pitch and ordered his players to sit in a circle in the penalty area.

With their 3,000 travelling supporters watching on bemused, a furious Brown gave his shellshocked players a very public dressing-down, pointing his finger and berating them for 90 seconds, before eventually letting them retreat to the dressing room.

The Tigers went on to lose 5-1, but Brown defended his half-time antics. “It was the right thing to do,” he said. “I have got no regrets about it whatsoever.

“Our travelling fans deserved some kind of explanation for the first-half performance and it was difficult for me to do that from the confines of a changing room. We owed them an apology.” 

The following season, Jimmy Bullard hilariously celebrated his equaliser  from the penalty spot at Man City by sitting his team-mates down and mimicking Brown’s on-pitch team talk.

Eight-goal classic at the Bridge - Dec 2007

With eight goals and three red cards, this feisty Boxing Day contest at Stamford Bridge had it all.

Avram Grant’s Chelsea came into this fixture boasting a 71-match unbeaten home league run.

But that record was in serious jeopardy when Aston Villa took a two-goal lead through Shaun Maloney’s first-half double.

The Blues, though, got back into the game when Villa defender Zat Knight was sent off for a last-man foul and Andriy Shevchenko scored from the spot.

Shevchenko then equalised after the break and defender Alex put Chelsea 3-2 ahead. But Martin Laursen levelled for O’Neill’s visitors and both teams were down to 10 when Ricardo Carvalho saw red for a lunge.

Despite Carvalho’s sending off, Michael Ballack looked to have won it for Chelsea with a free-kick in the 88th minute.

However, there was to be a final twist in the tale, when Ashley Cole was sent off for a handball in the box and Gareth Barry converted his penalty in the second minute of stoppage time for Villa.

Scholes’ unstoppable volley - Dec 2006

December 2006 has gone down in Premier League legend as the greatest goal of the month contest there has ever been.

Among the contenders were Matthew Taylor’s 45-yard volley for Portsmouth against Everton and Michael Essien’s spectacular swerving strike to rescue Chelsea a point against Arsenal.

But the goal which won the award that month came two days before Christmas and was scored by Man Utd midfielder Paul Scholes at Villa Park.

Ryan Giggs’ inswinging corner from the right was headed high out of the box by Villa’s Gavin McCann.

But Scholes was lurking outside the area to meet McCann’s clearance with a thunderous 25-yard volley which crashed in off the bar, leaving Villa goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly helpless.

The Man Utd legend had previously scored another memorable volley against Bradford City in 2000, but Scholes himself rated his Villa Park strike as the best of his career.

Cantona’s iconic chip and celebration - Dec 1996

It was a goal which is remembered as much for the celebration as the finish.

With 10 minutes to go and Man Utd already leading Sunderland 4-0, Eric Cantona received the ball with his back to goal just beyond the halfway line, before spinning Richard Ord and Kevin Ball.

He then raced forwards, playing a quick-one-two with Brian McClair, before steadying himself in the box and chipping the ball over stranded Sunderland goalkeeper Lionel Perez.

Cantona stood on the spot to see his dink nestle in off the left post, then – with his collar up and chest out – he slowly turned 360 degrees.

The Frenchman showed no emotion as he soaked up the adulation of the Old Trafford crowd, before eventually lifting his arms in the air.

Cantona would later reveal the disdainful celebration was partly motivated by Perez – a fellow Frenchman who he played with at Nimes – refusing to shake his hand before kick-off.

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