Best Goal Scored By An Opposition Player At Villa Park.

[Pat McMahon]

The one that clearly stands out for me was Colin Brazier of Wolves in I think September 1977, beautifully lobbing an intended back pass into his own net with 15 minutes or so left of a game that had been meandering to a 0-0 draw.  We won 2-0 in the end.

It was actually sweet justice, as Wolves had spent the best part of the game sending a stream of back passes back to their keeper (the days of course when keepers could pick the ball up from a back pass).

Just seen this thread and Colin Brazier’s wonderfully executed lob after 70- 75 minutes of cynical anti football was a joy to behold, and the first goal that sprung to mind. As you say, two keepers wouldn’t have stopped it.cue hearty chants of “Pass the ball back, Wanderers”.

This match was played on a Friday night and I have no idea why. It was a real rarity in those days.

[Pat McMahon]

Cruyff isn’t the only player to have been applauded by us when being subbed. Without thinking too much I can recall Thierry Henry, Gianfranco Zola and Frank Lampard having that acclaim. Along with various ex Villa players returning.

I believe I heard the Holte actually singing Pat Jennings name during a midweek win over Spurs just after winning the league cup in 1977.

[PeterWithesShin]

IIRC in the 2007 game we battered them and yet found ourselves 3-0 down after an hour or so and they'd only had 2 shots on target.

[joe_c]

I seem to remember that Ince goal dropped us right in the relegation shit. The game was a relegation six pointer. There was a big away following from West Ham that day. I think they had just re-signed McAvennie from Celtic and he made his second debut for them that day. I suppose another Villa Park goal that sticks in the mind is Giggs for Manure against Arsenal in the semi. I also remember the night we beat Millwall 3-1 in the league cup around 88/89. Neil Ruddock scored a cracking goal but it was overshadowed by an even better goal for us from Alan McInally.

Ruddock's was a belter, I'd remember it less fondly had we not come back to win. Also remember walking back to Erdington with a couple of mates across Salford Bridge and a transit van heading for the M1 pulling up beside us, the door sliding upon and a man with an estuary accent and a puffa jacket enquiring "COME ON YOU WANKERS, DO YOU WANT A GO?" which we declined by allowing the blood to drain from our 16 year old faces.

Tr*v*r Fr*nc*s got a great goal in the process of scoring a hat trick around the same time for QPR I think?

[pauliewalnuts]

I was up in what is now, but wasn't then, the upper away fans bit in the Witton for the Scholes goal, he was pretty much right in front of me when he hit it and it was indeed a brilliant goal.

What made it particularly brilliant on rewatching on television was the sound of the ball smashing against the cross bar on the way in, which is the finest sound in football.

I also remember that Paul Ince goal, that was a belter, and that Luton one too (though not the player who scored it, although I vaguely recall he was of Brummie extraction and possibly a childhood Villa fan).

Another one - Boniek's goal against Juventus in 1983, for the ball through from Platini, which was one of the sublimest passes I have ever seen.

[Villan For Life]

That Francis hat trick for QPR and a sublime chip all in the first half.i think he was player manager at the time and subbed himself at half time.

[Villan For Life]

I was up in what is now, but wasn't then, the upper away fans bit in the Witton for the Scholes goal, he was pretty much right in front of me when he hit it and it was indeed a brilliant goal.

What made it particularly brilliant on rewatching on television was the sound of the ball smashing against the cross bar on the way in, which is the finest sound in football.

I also remember that Paul Ince goal, that was a belter, and that Luton one too (though not the player who scored it, although I vaguely recall he was of Brummie extraction and possibly a childhood Villa fan).

Another one - Boniek's goal against Juventus in 1983, for the ball through from Platini, which was one of the sublimest passes I have ever seen.

Yes I was thinking of Boniek too.

[Nev]

That Francis hat trick for QPR and a sublime chip all in the first half.i think he was player manager at the time and subbed himself at half time.

He's only just finished walking off the raggy ******.

[PeterWithe]

Another Arsenal one was Pires's chip.
Matt Jansen also scored a scorcher, possibly a cup game? He was a great prospect but was severely injured in a motorbike crash.

Was gonna nominate the Jansen one too, for Palace if remember right

Ashley Cole was a superb effort

My wife’s university house mate was going out with Matt Jansen. He was a really nice lad but I’m guessing that was one of the reasons he didn’t have the career his talent warranted. Great prospect but just didn’t quite happen.

To bring it back around, as Cruyff said of Laudrup, ‘if he’d born in the favellas, he’d be thought of in the same bracket as Pele’.

[AV82EC]

That Sully Muntari one for me. 30 yards out, outside of the foot, Roberto Carlos level of swerve and it flew into the top corner, fucking brilliant. That was the game Harry Redknapp really endeared himself to the Villa Park crowd and was hit on the head with a 50p piece for his troubles.

[tomd2103]

Les Ferdinand scored a screamer for QPR when we beat them 4-1 early in the 93/94 season.  I can still recall the clink it made when it hit the stanchion. 

[SoccerHQ]

IIRC in the 2007 game we battered them and yet found ourselves 3-0 down after an hour or so and they'd only had 2 shots on target.

That game always sticks in my mind simply for us getting booed off at half time which I simply didn't get because as you say we were playing well and they pretty much scored with their only shots (plus Gardner OG early on).

[kippaxvilla2]

The Ince goal.

https://youtu.be/YpDi76ef6Ns

[sid1964]

Cruyff it was a pleasure just to be there and watch the great man play, he was on a different level to everyone else - one of the true greats of the game.

But the best team I have seen was that Juventus side - they were unbelievable.

[eamonn]

Either one or both goals scored by Celta Vigo at VP in Nov'98. As far as I recall, they were both really slick team moves rather than individual efforts but we were unbeaten and top of the league at the time (Dwight who?) and Celta outplaying us left a lasting impression on me. I willed us to buy some of their technical players who we were linked with over the next couple of years - Haim Revivo, Valery Karpin as well as the Holte End hero that never was, Benni McCarthy but it never happened.

We sunk to sixth place, which would be our natural home quite a bit over the next decade or so (oh, to be as frustrated by that now as we were then!) and barely six months after Vigo's victory, Yorke had the three most prestigious club medals in his back pocket...