Today, the Premier League celebrates the ex-Nigerian international for his feat 23-years-ago at the Blues’ home ground.
Chelsea is hosting Arsenal at Stamford Bridge today (Wednesday), and ahead of the game, the Premier League is celebrating one of the players that made his mark in the fixture.
On October 23, 1999, the Blues hosted their London rivals in a Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea started the game brightly and appeared to have wrapped up the game after Tore Andre Flo and Dan Petrescu put them ahead inside the opening 30 minutes.
The Blues were cruising to a routine win, with no hopes of a comeback from Arsenal. Aside from their comfortable two-goal lead, Chelsea had also kept a clean sheet in all of their home games at that time.
However, what happened in the last 15 minutes was a Kanu Nwankwo magic that would forever remain folklore.
When Kanu single-handedly beat Chelsea and scored *that* goal 📐#PLMoment pic.twitter.com/BiwlBR6cZB
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 8, 2018
The ex-Super Eagles star got the Gunners back in the game when he controlled a shot from Mar Overmars before toe-poking it past Ed De Goey in Chelsea’s goal.
It marked the start of an unlikely comeback. Kanu restored parity for Arsenal moments later when he controlled an Overmars cross beautifully before firing past Goey.
The Nigerian striker then saved the best for the last, but this time he needed no help.
He latched on to a pullout from Chelsea’s defender he had blocked in the opposition’s touchline half.
But he still had work to do. For some strange reasons, Goey decided to run off his line to tackle the Nigerian, but the lanky striker managed to dribble past him.
However, it was still a difficult angle to score from. But it never deterred Kanu, who then brilliantly curled the ball into the roof of the net from an impossible angle.
The goal was so good that the commentator made this famous line: Kan U believe it?
Kanu’s hat-trick helped Arsenal to a comeback win at the home of their London rivals. The Premier League has now decided to celebrate him by naming his third strike on that fateful evening as the goal of the day.
It comes on a day when Chelsea will host Arsenal in the Premier League. Kanu went on to win two Premier League titles and FA Cups with Arsenal before leaving for West Brom in 2004.
He scored 44 goals and recorded 29 assists in 196 games for Arsenal.
