SHAUN IS FOREVER THE GOAT
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Man City 3 Man Utd Anelka 5 Solskjaer 8 Goater 26, 50 Premier League, November 9, 2002 Att at Maine Road: 34,649 BY MATT BOZEAT THIS was the 47th and last Manchester derby at Maine Road – and just what the old place would have wanted.
City were without a win over their neighbours for 13 years and nobody wanted that run to end more than striker Shaun Goater.
Rejected by United, he was handed his first start in a Manchester derby by City boss Kevin Keegan and said: “I had a chance to show Alex Ferguson what I could do.”
City fans knew very well what that was, having already seen the Bermudan net 98 goals for them.
Just five minutes into a match that had seen United skipper Gary Neville refuse a handshake with former team-mate Peter Schmeichel in the tunnel before kick-off, Goater had a chance to make it 99.
Nicolas Anelka robbed Rio Ferdinand and teed up ‘The Goat’ for an angled shot that United keeper Fabien Barthez couldn’t hang on to.
The loose ball ran to Anelka and the Frenchman mopped up to put City ahead.
The scores were tied three minutes later. Ryan Giggs hooked a cross towards the six-yard box and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer read its path better than City’s defence to get to the ball first and stab his shot into the top corner.
Two goals in the opening eight minutes – and a third in the 26th.
There didn’t appear to be any chance of a goal after City midfielder Marc-vivien Foe miscued his pass.
As Neville looked to shield the ball out of play, Goater saw something that nobody else in the ground did and hunted down the United skipper.
Goater got to him before the ball crossed the byline, dispossessed him and, with nobody waiting for a pass, Goater took a touch to improve his angle and then fired a right-foot shot into the bottom corner for 2-1.
Anelka was denied by Barthez, but then Goater struck the crucial third five minutes after the break, his 100th goal for the club.
Eyal Berkovic’s perfectly cushioned pass dropped between two defenders to Goater. He got the ball under control and lifted it over Barthez to bag his second, put City 3-1 up – and seal the victory.