It remains one of the Premier League’s most iconic moments.
John Arne Riise’ sensational strike against Manchester United in 2001 remains one of the most aesthetically pleasing goals of all time.
On a grand stage against their most bitter of rivals, Riise delivered in the best way possible as Liverpool saw off the reigning Premier League champions with a 3-1 win at Anfield.
The Norwegian received all the plaudits for his goal that day but below the surface there was a potential storm brewing with the then United winger David Beckham.
Beckham was flavour of the month and fresh off his heroic last-gasp free-kick for England against Greece that booked the Three Lions’ place at the 2002 World Cup.
Riise geared up for the clash by giving a routine interview in his homeland which inadvertently made headlines on the morning of the game.
“It was a special game because for me personally it was Liverpool vs Manchester United, the two biggest clubs for fans in Norway,” Riise told talkSPORT show The Line Up.
“It was Riise against [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer and I was playing against Beckham. He was my idol because of the way he handles all the pressure.
“I was interviewed two days before the game in the Norwegian press and they asked me how I was going to stop Beckham. I said ‘well I will just do him.’”
But things quickly shifted for the full-back whilst he was having breakfast, just hours before kick off.
“On the matchday, [ex-Liverpool assistant] Phil Thompson comes and slams some newspapers on the breakfast table and says, ‘I hope we’re gonna play well today’.
“I said, ‘well I hope so too.’
“I looked at the back of the papers and the headline said ‘Riise, I’ll break Beckham’s legs’.
“They had taken my interview from Norway and twisted it. I thought, ‘oh man, the pressure is on.’”
But the pressure only appeared to fuel Riise, who had joined Liverpool from Monaco a few months earlier.
What was to follow for a player learning to find his feet in English football, would remain etched in the minds of a generation of Premier League fans.
“We got a free-kick. I said to Didi Hamann, I start the run and you push it. Obviously, he didn’t hear me because he pushed the ball before I ran,” Riise said.
“I remember saying, ‘this is my moment’. It was my moment to set the record straight from the papers and the rivalry with United
“And there it was.”
In the 32nd minute, Riise’s thunderous free-kick that flew past United goalkeeper Fabian Bathez, cemented his status as a cult hero at Anfield.
Riise went on to play 348 times, scoring 31 goals for the Reds and helping the club to FA Cup and Champions League success.
After seven years at Anfield, he moved to Serie A giants Roma before returning to the Premier League with Fulham in 2011.
