Dean Saunders and Dalian Atkinson combined to fire Aston Villa into Premier League title contention in 1993 – but their most famous goal celebration happened by chance.
After arriving from Liverpool in September 1992, Saunders struck 16 times for Villa during his first season at the club, with Atkinson netting 13 goals, as the West Midlands club finished second to Manchester United.
In just their fourth league game together, the pair linked up to help Villa win 3-2 against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park – Saunders struck twice in the first half, then Atkinson brilliantly chipped Hans Segers after the interval, with an effort that later won the BBC goal of the season award.
“Jim Barron was Ron’s assistant, and that day as we were walking out of the tunnel, he tapped me and Dalian on the shoulder and said, ‘Don’t forget, Hans Segers comes a long way off his line’,” Saunders revealed during an exclusive interview for FourFourTwo magazine, speaking on behalf of Gem.Bet.
“Dalian was a great player – more talented than me – but he needed the manager to give him a rollicking now and again to get him annoyed. Once he was annoyed, he was unstoppable, so Ron Atkinson used to try to annoy him every week! I’d never seen Dalian try to chip the keeper, but he did that day – a brilliant finish. It won goal of the season.”
The goal was followed by a celebration that became famous among Villa fans, as Saunders jumped on Atkinson’s back, bizarrely holding an umbrella in the pouring rain. It was a moment that wasn’t planned, but just happened spontaneously.
“When we ran off to celebrate, there was a guy there with an umbrella, which he handed to me,” Saunders said. “They still put murals of that picture around the ground. It’s an iconic goal for Villa fans.”
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