With the new Premier League season almost upon us, the traditional curtain-raiser to the top flight of Englaish football will be played at Wembley Stadium between Manchester United and Manchester City. In honour of the occasion, fanatix.com has compiled a list of the best goals scored the previous editions of this match to be held this century. Disagree? Feel free to suggest alternatives in the comments box below…..
#10 – Javier Hernandez v Chelsea (2010)
Ok, so this is hardly a spectacular strike but how often do you see someone score with their face? It also marked the arrival in England of a master goalscorer and a player who would go on to score two more crucial goals – in two different competitions – against Chelsea later in the season
#9 – Frank Lampard v Manchester United (2009)
Again, this strike is memorable mainly for reasons other than the quality of the finish. For a start United wanted play to be stopped after Patrice Evra ran into Michael Ballack’s elbow but Chelsea took advantage of the situation to sweep upfield and take a 2-1 lead.
#8 – Wayne Rooney v Chelsea (2009)
Perhaps not one of his greatest goals but an equaliser in the 92nd minute of any match is always an important one. A tidy dinked finish over Petr Cech shows the class of the England striker.
#7 – Ryan Giggs v Chelsea (2007)
Incredibly this was the Welshman’s first ever goal in a Community/Charity Shield game and it was classically Man United – a crisp team move finished with aplomb.
#6 – Peter Crouch v Chelsea (2006)
Chelsea and Liverpool has become a particularly acrimonious fixture over the last decade due to their run-ins in the Champions League and this match came right in the heart of those. Therefore, a winner over the Londoners – after great work by Craig Bellamy – was always going to earn Crouch a place in this list.
#5 – Florent Malouda v Manchester United (2007)
When a foreign player moves to England the first question on supporters’ lips is whether they can handle the physical aspect of the game. Well, this particular Frenchman outmuscled Rio Ferdinand on his Chelsea debut before calmly finishing past Edwin van der sar. A pretty good way to silence the doubters.
#4 – Marc Overmars v Manchester United (2000)
We’ve gone back to the first Charity Shield of the millennium for this one. Not the greatest defending but how about the finish from the Dutch flyer?
#3 – Andrei Shevchenko v Liverpool (2006)
When this goal went in on the £30m signing’s debut, the blue half of West London would have been forgiven for thinking that they already had that season’s trophies wrapped up. However, this delightful pass from Frank Lampard and perfectly executed finish from Shevchenko proved to be a false dawn as Chelsea not only lost the match but lost their grip on the Premier League title after two years of dominance
#2 – Nani v Chelsea (2009)
After Cristiano Ronaldo left Old Trafford for Real Madrid that summer for an eye-watering £80m, Man United fans wondered who would fill the void. They soon found their answer.
And the winner is………. Riise v Chelsea (2006)
The Norwegian liked scoring in Liverpool-Chelsea matches. He managed it in the 2005 League Cup final and famously scored what turned out to be a crucial own goal in a Champions League quarter-final in 2008. However, this one will be the strike he remembers most fondly. A ridiculous 70 yard run and hit. Enjoy:
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