Carl Shutt became an instant cult hero at Leeds United as he scored one of the most famous goals in the club’s history on this day in 1992.
Having lifted the First Division title the previous season under Howard Wilkinson, Leeds qualified for the Champions League and embarked on a European adventure in the inaugural Premier League season.
Leeds’ foray into Europe looked likely to be short-lived and not very sweet when they slipped to a 3-0 defeat against VfB Stuttgart in the first leg of the first round in Germany.
Leeds battled bravely in the return leg, winning 4-1 at Elland Road through goals by Gary Speed, Gary McAllister, Eric Cantona and Lee Chapman. But the away goals rule meant that Stuttgart would progress on aggregate.
However, a twist of fate handed the Whites an unexpected chance to progress and offered Shutt the chance to write his name into the history of the club.
- READ MORE: Leeds United waved goodbye to a club icon on this day in 1976 as Norman Hunter played his last game
Why did Leeds United face Stuttgart in a play-off?
Stuttgart were masters of their own downfall at Elland Road, as one substitution cost them their progress in the Champions League.
Rules at the time prohibited teams from fielding three foreign players in European matches and, when Yugoslav defender Jovo Simanic was introduced for an eight-minute cameo, the German side breached this limit.
Leeds contacted UEFA to protest the breach of rules, and the game at Elland Road was declared void, with the Whites awarded a 3-0 win, which meant the tie ended 3-3 on aggregate.
As a result, UEFA decided that Leeds and Stuttgart should play a one-off fixture to decide who would progress and, bizarrely, the Nou Camp was chosen as an appropriate venue with nine days’ notice.
Carl Shutt writes his name into Leeds United folklore
Leeds have some history of travelling to the Nou Camp for unusual fixtures, having also done so in 1971 as they looked to claim permanent ownership of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
Don Revie’s side lost on that occasion, but Leeds emerged triumphant in 1992 thanks to goals from Gordon Strachan and Carl Shutt in a 2-1 win.
1,000 Leeds fans made the journey to Barcelona on a Friday night but made their presence felt in the otherwise empty Nou Camp, as Strachan fired home from long range to give Leeds the lead.
A popular joke at the time suggested that Stuttgart had more foreign reserves than the Bank of England, and the Germans pulled level through Andre Golke, who produced an acrobatic header to send the two teams level at half-time.
This set the stage for Shutt’s dramatic winner, capitalising on an error at the back by Stuttgart to fire home from inside the box less than a minute after coming on as a substitute.
Speaking to ITV at full-time, Strachan said: “I thought the place was full tonight. The fans have been magnificent. They’d bring a tear to a glass eye, I’m not kidding you.”
The win set up another classic encounter, as Leeds faced Rangers in a battle of Britain in the next round of the competition.
What happened to Carl Shutt?
Shutt was the kind of player that every successful squad needs, providing the perfect counterbalance to the superstars by doing exactly what is asked of him by the manager.
Having joined Leeds from Bristol City, Shutt played 79 games for the club between 1989 and 1993, scoring 17 goals.
It is safe to say that his goal at the Nou Camp was the highlight of his career, as he left Leeds to join Birmingham City in 1994, before spells with Bradford City, Darlington, Kettering Town and Bradford Park Avenue.
However, his goal in Barcelona secured his place in the hearts of Leeds fans of a certain vintage, particularly those who made the impromptu trip to Spain in 1992.
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