Newcastle turned up at Stamford Bridge in May 2012 knowing victory would give them a strong chance of finishing fifth in the Premier League and qualifying for Europe under Alan Pardew.
With Chelsea preparing for the FA Cup final against Liverpool just a few days later, Newcastle’s were buoyed as Blues manager Roberto Di Matteo rested Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Juan Mata.
It still took two unbelievable goals from Papiss Cisse to win the game for Newcastle, however, with the Senegalese striker scoring in each half to help the Magpies win 2-0 at Stamford Bridge for the first time in the league since 1986 – with the second of his strikes earning him cult status and the 2011/12 Premier League Goal of the Season award.
Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse ‘can’t explain’ goal against Chelsea
After dispatching a brilliant volley in the first half on his weaker left foot, Cisse then produced the unthinkable in stoppage time of the full 90 minutes when he hit a half-time volley with the outside of his foot from the corner of the 18-yard box. In doing so, he lobbed Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal, with the distance later clocked at 37 yards.
“That goal is my passport,” Papiss Cisse exclaims, exclusively in conversation with FourFourTwo. “People around the world know me because of it.
“As a striker, my first goal was perfect; with the second, I was lucky. The ball came to Shola Ameobi’s chest and he dropped it to me. I didn’t think twice: I took the shot and it went in. It was a great night against a big team and goalkeeper.
“Afterwards, Didier Drogba even asked me, ‘Who are you? What did you eat?’ I still can’t explain that goal. People will score great goals, but that finish is only for me – it can’t happen to anyone else.”
Cisse never quite managed to hit those same heights in the rest of his career, but those first six months saw him bag 13 Premier League goals in just 14 games, a remarkable return considering he had signed for £9.3m in January midway through that season.
The striker’s form wasn’t a surprise to himself, however, having had to reject a Bayern Munich transfer while still at Freiburg in the same season.
“I’d actually turned down a move to Bayern Munich earlier that year to go to the Africa Cup of Nations,” Cisse says. “Bayern were interested in me, but only if I agreed to stay in Germany instead of going to the tournament.
“Then, even though I was the top scorer in qualification, I didn’t play until the last group match! I told a friend, ‘Look what’s going to happen at Newcastle – I’m going to score all the goals there that I didn’t score here.’ My hunger came from not playing. I wanted to show I was ready. Some people were surprised by how well I did, but I was doing the exact same thing at Freiburg.”
