Alan Shearer has revealed he was nursing a groin injury when he scored a hat-trick during Newcastle United's famous 4-3 win over Leicester City in February 1997.
Leicester were leading 3-1 at St James' Park with 14 minutes remaining until Newcastle received a free-kick on the edge of the Foxes' penalty area.
Shearer rifled the ball beyond a sea of Leicester bodies and beat Kasey Keller with the sheer velocity of his strike. He then levelled proceedings seven minutes from time with a neat finish into the bottom corner.
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And at the death, Shearer snuck in at the back post to bundle home Rob Lee's low cross and complete a stunning turnaround for the Magpies.
Shearer recalled that comeback against the Foxes on BBC Sounds' Match of the Day Top 10 podcast, and revealed that he needed a hernia operation 10 days later.
"For the first 78 minutes of that game I was horrendous. I was injured, I needed a hernia operation. We got the free-kick on the edge of the box and we were being beaten," Shearer said.
"I couldn't kick the ball that hard because I thought my groin was going to snap. We were that frustrated, I thought you know what, just hit it, and that was it, my groin was hanging off but I just got through it. I got that goal, then got another one just inside the box, moved it a little bit through the legs and into the corner.
"And then the best one, a tap-in from one yard out. Ten days after that I was having an operation."
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