If you ask Liverpool fans about their finest memories of games against Manchester United, it’s never too long before the name of John Arne Riise is mentioned
The Norwegian’s thunderous free-kick was a magical moment in a 3-1 victory for the Reds at Anfield in November 2001, completely overshadowing a classy brace from Michael Owen and inspiring a typically spot-on piece of commentary from Sky’s Martin Tyler.
And with the sides preparing for another critical encounter this weekend, Riise, who is now playing alongside Ireland’s Cillian Sheridan in Cyprus for APOEL Nicosia has been discussing his favourite ever goal.
‘Out of all the goals I’ve ever scored, that’s my favourite because of the opponents, the timing of it and how I hit that ball,’ he told the Liverpool Echo.
‘That one and the one against Everton did a lot for me. It really made my name stick with the Liverpool fans. That made it easy for me to connect with them. It was a great moment and I feel privileged to have scored that goal. I know the fans still sing about it now and that means a lot.’
The rocket came just three months into Riise’s first season at the club and set him on the way to cult status at Anfield, and he hopes another golazo this Sunday could elevate one of the current new faces in the eyes of the Kop.
He added: ‘Scoring that goal helped me so much and it could be the same for one of the current side. Maybe Sunday will kick-start someone’s Liverpool career like it did for me in 2001.’
