December 9, 2012
A
90th-minute winner in a local derby, against the team that robbed you
of the Premier League title just over six months earlier, how could you
not celebrate wildly? As Robin van Persie's free-kick found the bottom
left-hand corner of Joe Hart's net to make it 3-2 to the away side, the
Manchester United players ran straight to their travelling support at
the Etihad Stadium to revel in the moment.
It
was a turning point in United's pursuit of Manchester City's title, and
an iconic one at that with every outfield player in red engulfed in the
blue fumes of a smoke bomb thrown from the home end – but that was the
less concerning of the two missiles that found their target from the
stands.
Rio
Ferdinand, the epitome of everything that United represented in
Ferguson's later years, screamed into the stands filled with passion as
he grabbed at his shirt. Suddenly though, blood was streaming from his
head. What looked on live television like Ferdinand hitting himself in
the eye was in fact a two-pence coin that came close to blinding the
United defender, cutting him on the brow.
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| Rio Ferdinand was struck by a coin at the Etihad after Manchester United score the winning goal late on |
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| Blood is visible on Ferdinand's brow after being struck by the coin as United beat Manchester City 3-2 |
49. Campbell quits at half-time
February 1, 2006
Few
could forget Sol Campbell's arrival at Arsenal as a Tottenham Hotspur
captain and academy product, and there won't be too many Arsenal fans
who will forget the moment Campbell quit Highbury in 2006, either.
Arsenal
were 2-1 down to West Ham with Campbell at fault for both goals. The
big centre back was substituted at half-time but it wasn't until later
that it was discovered he had left the ground there and then under a
cloud of mystery.
The
real reason for Campbell's quick exit only emerged years later in
extracts from the former England defender's biography. 'As Campbell
walked off the pitch he heard someone shout abuse and make the gesture
of a hand fashioned into the shape of a gun,' it read.
'It
was pointed in his direction. As the index finger pulled the trigger,
the fan's lips made a little explosion and the mouth stretched itself
into a bayonet smile. The fan did not flinch. He continued to stare. And
to sneer.
'At half-time Campbell was not his usual self in the Arsenal dressing room. "I can't go on", Campbell said gently.'
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| Arsenal defender Sol Campbell (right) was substituted at half-time against West Ham on February 1, 2006 |
48. Rooney swears into the front room of fans worldwide
April 2, 2011
Never
one to dodge controversy, Wayne Rooney drew widespread condemnation
when he swore straight into the lens of a camera at Upton Park after
scoring against West Ham.
Having
led United from 2-0 down to 2-2 with a brace, Rooney tucked away a
penalty to give his side the lead before running to the Sky cameras and
shouting: 'f***ing what? What?'
No
player had been banned in English football for foul language before but
that didn't stop the FA throwing the book at the future England
captain, banning him for two games.
Unfortunately
for Rooney, that included an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
He missed the game, United lost and the famous old trophy remains the
only one to evade Rooney in his trophy-laden Old Trafford career.
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| Wayne Rooney celebrates scoring against West Ham and shouts down the camera in April 2011 |
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| The United and England striker ran to the Sky cameras and swore into the front room of fans worldwide |
47. QPR players try to fight their own fans
January 10, 2015
Sure,
10 away defeats on the bounce isn't something anyone wants to see but
it doesn't give players and fans the right to start kicking off with
each other to the extent that it did with Queens Park Rangers'
travelling mob earlier this season.
Richard
Dunne was believed to have clashed with a supporter as he walked off at
the end of a 2-1 defeat at Burnley and had to be led away by goalkeeper
coach Kevin Hitchcock.
Coach
Glenn Hoddle and Joey Barton then had to step in as Clint Hill also
became involved in a heated exchange with a group of about a dozen fans
which continued as the defender headed down the tunnel.
Maybe
it was a positive thing though, two away games later Rangers finally
got an away win. Or maybe not, given that they lost a further two after
contributing to a dismal overall away record of three points from a
possible 42.
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QPR captain Joey Barton restrains Clint Hill at full-time who was remonstrating with disgruntled away fans
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46. Anelka shames football with the 'quenelle'
December 28, 2013
At
the time and to the untrained eye, Nicholas Anelka was simply
celebrating two goals for West Bromwich Albion with one arm outstretched
and with his other hand held just above his elbow.
News
quickly filtered through that this wasn't so innocent though, and
instead Anelka was showing off the 'quenelle', devised by French
comedian Dieudonne M'bala M'bala which has been viewed as anti-Semitic,
inverted Nazi salute. It is therefore considered a racially aggravated
gesture, and carries a minimum five-match ban.
The
French forward maintained that he had done nothing wrong but the FA
disagreed, banning him for five games and fining him £80,000.
The
fall-out didn't stop there though, with West Brom sponsors Zoopla - a
company with a Jewish owner – opting against renewing their sponsorship
agreement before the club sacked Anelka for gross misconduct after he
posted that he would be quitting the club on Twitter.
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| West Brom striker Nicholas Anelka celebrates scoring against West Ham with the 'quenelle' gesture |
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| The 'quenelle' was devised by Dieudonne M'bala M'bala and viewed as an anti-semitic, inverted Nazi salute |
45. Gomis collapses
March 4, 2015
Given
Fabrice Muamba's near-fatal cardiac arrest in March 2012 in almost the
same spot, Bafetimbi Gomis' collapse had fans fearful of a casualty on
the field during a Premier League game.
The
powerful French striker fell to the floor just six minutes into
Swansea's 3-2 defeat by Tottenham and had to be treated for more than
five minutes before leaving on the field wearing an oxygen mask on a
stretcher.
Other
players and fans around the silent ground covered their faces, unable
to watch as Gomis lay motionless on the turf. Fortunately, the forward
who suffers from vasovagal — a medical condition that can lead to
fainting — was alright and even gained consciousness as he left the
field.
His
request to play on was understandably rejected but he was back in
action the following week against Liverpool. The Premier League breathed
a collective sigh of relief that things were not more serious.
 | |
| Bafetimbi Gomis is put on a stretcher after collapsing during Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League match |
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| Tottenham and Swansea players and fans around a silent White Hart Lane covered their faces in shock |
44. Pardew and Pellegrini exchange pleasantries
January 12, 2014
Manchester
City manager Manuel Pellegrini might not seem hugely exciting for many
spectators, but he was certainly able to get Newcastle boss Alan Pardew
feeling passionate on the touchline during the Chilean's first season in
charge.
City
moved top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win at St James' Park but
there was controversy with Cheikh Tiote having a goal ruled out for
offside after Yoan Gouffran was deemed to have interfered with play.
Understandably, Pardew took exception to the decision.
Confronting
the City boss on the touchline, Pardew ended an angry exchange by
shouting: 'Shut your noise! F***ing old c***' which could be clearly
lip-read on the television coverage.
Within
minutes the clip was going viral across the internet and many laughing
while others worried about children reading the manager's lips. Pardew
was horrified to see his words caught on camera and apologised to
Pellegrini privately and publicly to fans watching on TV.
He escaped FA censure but was told to improve his touchline behaviour in future.
43. Ketsbaia kicks off after 90th-minute winner
January 17, 1998
Scoring
a 90th-minute winner tends to be a cause for celebration – but it
didn't look like it for Temuri Ketsbaia when he decided Newcastle
United's Premier League clash with Bolton Wanderers in 1998.
The
Georgian midfielder tore his shirt off, threw it to the ground and
starting kicking the advertising hoardings at St James' Park until
calmed down by team-mates in an utterly bizarre incident surrounded by
scenes of jubilation.
Ketsbaia
later explained that the anger he let out was down to being left out of
the starting line-up by then-manager Kenny Dalglish.
'I
scored a goal, I was happy to score a goal but I was not happy to not
be playing and I was frustrated,' Ketsbaia said. 'It's not a normal
celebration, but I play with passion and all I wanted to do was play. It
was not malicious.'
42. Cisse and Evans get caught up in spitting row
March 4, 2015
Fresh
in the memory this one, Jonny Evans and Papiss Cisse get themselves
caught up in what many professionals regard as the 'worst thing that can
happen to you on a football pitch', although reading through this list
of shocking incidents certainly has its moments where you would rather
have been spat at.
Having
been brought down in a challenge by Evans, Cisse looked to have
carelessly swung a boot in the direction of the Manchester United centre
back while grounded on his back. Evans turned, looked down at the
Newcastle striker and appeared to launch spit at him.
Obviously infuriated, Cisse leapt to his feet and performed the same cowardly act from point-blank range into Evans' neck.
Two
wrongs don't make a right, unsurprisingly and both were hit with big
bans: Evans for six games and Cisse for seven after a previous red card
offence that season. To make the situation even more ridiculous Evans
outright denied that he had spat, while Cisse admitted his offence but
said it was in retaliation.
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