Gary McAllister scored one of the most famous goals in Leeds United history on this day in 1992, as his side met the Scottish giants Rangers in the Champions League.
Leeds United and Rangers are now inextricably linked off the field thanks to the involvement of the 49ers at both clubs.
However, the two sides were firmly in opposition on this day in 1992, as Leeds travelled to Ibrox to take on the Scottish champions in a Champions League tie dubbed the Battle of Britain.
Leeds had taken an unusual route to the second round of the competition, as Carl Shutt scored the decisive goal in a controversial replayed game at the Nou Camp, after Stuttgart fielded an ineligible player in the First Round of the competition.
Howard Wilkinson’s Leeds side were rewarded with a blockbuster tie at Ibrox, as they looked to continue their journey in the competition. Step forward Gary McAllister, who scored one of the club’s most iconic goals.
Gary McAllister scored a famous Leeds United goal against Rangers
Fears over potential trouble between fans meant that both legs of the Champions League tie were played in unique conditions, with away fans banned from making the trip to Glasgow.
As a result, Leeds stepped into a cauldron of noise at Ibrox, as a capacity crowd made up entirely of home fans bayed for blood. However, that crowd was sent into a stunned silence in the first minute of the game, as McAllister gave Leeds an early lead.
After Leeds won an early corner, Gordon Strachan’s delivery into the box was headed away by the Rangers defence, but the ball fell perfectly to McAllister. McAllister scored some great goals in his time at Leeds, but this is up there with the best.
McAllister was positioned on the edge of the penalty area, just to the right of centre, and he met the ball with a sweetly struck volley which arced into the top left corner of the net. Andy Goram’s despairing dive was powerless to stop the strike as Leeds took an early lead.
The goal was met by a stunned silence from the home crowd, before they burst into life once again, urging their side on to find an equaliser. Unfortunately for Leeds, they were unable to claim a famous away win, as Rangers fought back to take a 2-1 lead into the away leg at Elland Road.
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Gary McAllister recalls famous Champions League goal
Speaking to the Scottish newspaper The National in 2019, McAllister recalled his famous strike at Ibrox.
According to the former Scotland international, the fact that away fans were banned from the two games does not take away from the special memories he holds of those occasions.
“The Scotland-England thing will never change,” McAllister said. “I can still remember the build-up to the Scotland-England game at Euro 96. The Rangers-Leeds games were two amazing games, even though both sets of away supporters were banned, two amazing games.
“Goram, I still lose sleep about the fella in the goal that night … especially at Elland Road,” before adding: “The crowd went silent when I scored at Ibrox. Apart from my da getting thrown out!”
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