While lost down the digital rabbit hole earlier this evening I found myself killing time by watching videos of classic goals on YouTube. It wasn’t long before I came across one of my favourite Chelsea matches of all-time, the comeback against Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge in 1997.
It got me to thinking. Why not post a selection of my favourite Chelsea moments on the blog and get visitors to post theirs in the comments (the Disqus system’s media attachments functionality should make it easier and more fun to share YouTube videos).
So, here are just a few of mine…
Chelsea 4-2 Liverpool
FA Cup fourth round, 26 January 1997
Roberto Di Matteo versus Middlesbrough
FA Cup final, 17 May 1997
Chelsea 5-0 Manchester United
Premiership, 3 October 1999
Chelsea 4-2 Barcelona
Champions League, last 16, second leg, 3 March 2005
And last but not least…
Chelsea’s greatest-ever player… Franco Zola!
What. A. Player.
How are you feeling? That was great, wasn’t it? I had a tear or two in my eye by the end of the Zola video. Sniff.
Now it’s your turn… (click to open YouTube in a new window)
Evening – If you’re a regular visitor and the blog looks a right old mess, it’s because I added some code to the stylesheet to fancify the YouTube videos a bit. Force-refresh your browser (hold down SHIFT and click on the Reload button) to pick up the changes. Thanks.
I’m going to watch the Zola video one more time before bed…
thank you!
superb stuff!
In light of recent events…….always happy to see things like this, but for me this was the first time Alex showed his hand……
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcfLb-VGBIA
A very splendid thread. The look on the faces of the Liverpool players when the fourth goal went in is as priceless as it gets. My picks; quality on these not so great, but you get the idea…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFnzByaOGOk
For so many reasons, Claudio’s celebration included. And…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCBfQeRI4FQ
Not bad for a dirty Manc – heading the ball on for yourself to chase is no mean feat, either. And finally…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh7bpGZGSqA
Cracking game (after which even his most vociferous critics had to finally admit that Frank could play a bit), great goal and Eidur’s celebration (little ‘watch me’ point to the eyes in front of the MHL as he headed for the Leeds fans) was just gorgeous.
*sighs wistfully*
Back to work now.
Wonderful stuff, Nick, but have you upset the FA?
I had to right-click and watch the 2 FA Cup videos direct on YouTube because it said playback is restricted on “certain sites”.
A bad reputation already 😉
Story of my life, Blueboydave. 🙂
I think I’d have chosen the very same four games. Thanks for the memory jogs, Nick.
I’ve been away for ten days and somehow managed to miss the hilarious Rooney teacup-storm. I also managed to miss the whole blog when I came back yesterday, at least for a minute or two. But it’s definitely nice to say AdiosAdios to OleOle.
Can’t figure out how to log in.
A few weeks shy of my 42nd birthday, and senility has surely definitively arrived. Mark your calendars, young ‘uns.
Welcome back, limetreebower. It happens to the best of us.
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Great idea Nick. Hasn’t done our rankings any harm, either, given that we now appear in the NewsNow digest.
YouTube isn’t what it used to be. I wanted to retrieve the video on our 3-1 Cup-Winners Cup semi-final victory against Verona (with that stunning equaliser by GianFranco from Mark Hughes’ cross) but it seems to have disappeared.
Here’s his goal in the final against Stuttgart, though.
And here’s the Sky TV Post match analysis for our title-clinching win against Bolton in 2005. Complete with Kerry Dixon getting emotional over Lamps’ two goals and Jose’s pitch-side celebrations.
Here’s a quick review of our second title win under Jose, with some wonderful goals to boot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=ZqyGRJwZDx8&gl=GB
Just great topic as soon as I get home I will try to find on youtube my favorite moments!!!
Great idea. Tony- love the Alex goals. I always get excited when he lines up behind a deep freekick. No other fans seem to rate him (you know, because we are only on pace to set a new goals against record), so I always hope he buries one just to show how dangerous he is.
Funny, for a Brazilian you never hear anything about him in the press- never unhappy, never moaning about the seleção, never claiming he wants to leave and go back to Brazil.
Great Di Matteo goal. I’m quite happy for him this season- WBA is doing quite well, and that comes even after taking a thumping from us! It is still early, but they have already played us, Spurs, Man U and Arsenal. It isn’t like they have had a soft schedule. I hope they stay up, and stay competitive for the season. Getting ahead of myself, but after 10 good years of Ancelotti, perhaps Roberto is our next manager?
Nick, wanted to reply to the baseball comment you made last thread.
Nice to know other people enjoy watching the game. I’m ambivalent about regular season games- I don’t have 3 hours a day to watch 162 games over the summer, but there is something nice about hearing them on the radio if you are doing other work.
Playoff baseball, on the other hand, is just fantastic. Unlike the regular season, every pitch in every game matters, and it has a similar feeling and tension of a European cup tie- the knockout feel, the home and away aspect, the odd tactical situations that result from away goals. (The NFL playoff feels a bit more like the World Cup).
Funny story about the Rangers- while I don’t like them, they’ve had an incredible reversal of fortune. They were owned by Tom Hicks (yes, that Tom Hicks) and went into bankruptcy this year (shocker). But they were bought out by one of their legendary players, Nolan Ryan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nolan_Ryan
It’s kind of like if Liverpool were bought by Dalglish. Anyway, Ryan is something of an amazing guy, having thrown more strikeouts as a pitcher (~6,000) than anyone else by about 1000. He was notorious for hitting batters. A hard man of baseball, if you will.
I’ve paid my $19.95 to watch the World Series online, Be_Champions. Can’t wait. More late nights ahead.
Interesting facts re the Rangers. Now I don’t know who to get behind! The whole Barry Bonds and steroids thing kinda put me off the Giants when I was a weekly watcher of baseball. Hmm… let’s just say I don’t mind who wins as long as it goes to a game seven. 🙂
Just shows what fun can be had during a week off.If ever there was a season to depart the Cardboard Cup early, with the Internationals and our injuries, this must surely be it.
There’s nearly 10 minutes of DD’s first 50 here:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGtI4GNfzIw
Couldn’t agree more, like the CC but its a fixture congestion that won’t be missed by me!
Just too many to choose from.
But one of my personal favourites has to be Branner’s arrival at Anfield:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvvaehhw7kY&feature=related
Not the best picture but that was one of my favourite Chelsea wins of recent times.
I think that Chelsea v. Liverpool game still remains my favourite. Let’s not forget despite Rudi at the helm we were still a bit rubbish back then and way off for challenging for the title.
Great videos all, I have a lot of love for the 4-2 v Liverpool as I remember listening to the game on the radio as a kid of 12. It’s hard to beat the 5-0 v United though – the first time in my memory that we really dicked on a world class team.
The Cech save against Iniesta when we are 3-2 up (when he tipped it onto the post) is still the best save I’ve ever seen.
My video just needs the caption “Let’s see Gerrard do this”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZbqyd_heXg
And well done Nick on the new blog, it’s back like the old days…
The Zola vid brought back some memories…
Best FK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91_kxVWcLY4
Best lob http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY9Ouvc1O-I
And a great start to the season http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BevtJmjgMqE
Been ooop north and off the grid. He may be old, he’s slowing down but Big T can still do it off the bench. Few can match him.
Spine tingling stuff Nick and sundry other folks. That we should ever have lived so long to see it all come so good.
Riccy’s tackle on Eto. Sums him up for me. Forget the dark arts on the goalie, that was a side show. He was and is class. That Ronaldinho goal, has to be one of the best individual efforts I’ve ever seen. Little backlift yet unstoppable. That game was really a gladitorial contest and invests every game we will play agianst them for years.
Bridge against Arsenal. The night we really arrived I think.
Jimmy’s perfect hat-trick v Spurs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DoYY3LlLSY
Lovely. He was fond of a goal or two against Spurs, was our Jimmy.
Love this semi-final win v Watford in 1970 for the pitch, the sideburns and the surges in the terrace.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF3bjrG7arQ
Dennis Wise’s equaliser against AC Milan in the San Siro 1999. A perfect dead-landing chip from Di Matteo sets him up.The Chelsea haters like to forget that we were a good side long before Abramovich showed up.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMx6is6OW_c
More or less securing promotion in 1989 with a win at Maine Road, great last goal by Dorigo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPGZuEMygWg
This should be on Michel Platini’s iPod.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkhQZNHcxmE&feature=related
Nothing on You Tube right now for three other favourites, though they have been up there in the past – beating Liverpool 4-2 in 1991 to deny them the title; Nevin’s lob and run round the wall v Sheffield Wednesday in 1985; and Zola’s incredible goal against Wimbledon in the FA Cup sem in 1997, which is probably my favourite goal of all time.
Interesting news on one of our old boys – good luck to him…
http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_6472910,00.html
Nick – think this is such a great feature that it might be a good idea to create a link to it in the left hand column?
Would be good to keep adding to it.
Here are the Immortals, winning the 1970 cup replay….