Steven Gerrard wins best FA Cup final goal vote for 2006 stunner as Liverpool legend calls it 'a bit of a hit and hope'
Updated 16/05/2026 at 13:59 GMT+1
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Steven Gerrard's iconic long-range screamer won your vote for the best Emirates FA Cup final goal, but the Liverpool icon called it a "bit of a hit and hope".
Gerrard ‘surprised himself’ with 2006 FA Cup final goal voted fans’ favourite
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In the final of the competition in 2006, Gerrard's Liverpool trailed West Ham United 3-2 in added time before a moment of magic from the captain levelled the scores.
The ball dropped to Gerrard almost 40 yards out and he smashed it into the bottom corner to send the game to extra time, sparking jubilant celebrations from the Liverpool fans and breaking the hearts of West Ham supporters.
Liverpool would go on to win on penalties, with Gerrard also scoring from the spot.
And 20 years on from one of the defining moments of his career and speaking ahead of the 2026 Emirates FA Cup final between Manchester City and Chelsea - live on TNT Sports and HBO Max - Gerrard relived the goal, saying you had to "step forward and take your moments".
"It was injury time, very tired, exhausted, cramp," Gerrard told fellow TNT Sports expert Joe Cole. "It got a bit of a lucky bounce. It sort of came through [Yossi] Benayoun. We're piling bodies forward.
"It came at me really nice, at a really nice height. I was deciding: 'Is it going to be a half volley? Is it going to be a full volley?' I just wanted to get my shoulders on the goal, all about the contact, the technique. I caught an absolute beauty.
"I knew as soon as it left my foot it had a good chance. But [it was] last ditch, tired, exhausted, a bit of a hit and hope, but trying to get it right as well."
When asked to describe what he felt in the celebrations after his goal, Gerrard said he felt "just pure joy".
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"We thought we were done. I mean, my face, I'm even surprised myself. Just showing [Jamie] Carragher some surprise," he said." But it was a fantastic moment for me personally and the team."
The goal was Gerrard's second of the afternoon in Cardiff, and he lifted the trophy as Liverpool captain.
It was his second FA Cup trophy, but this one meant more to the midfielder given the circumstances.
"It makes me feel old talking about something 20 years ago, but it was an epic final, end to end. I have to give a special shout out to West Ham and their fans, they were amazing on the day," Gerrard told TNT Sports' Jules Breach.
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"West Ham were better than us on the day, but it was end to end. This is one of the best goals I scored, just the connection and the timing.
"There was big pressure in the penalty moments. But to get the FA Cup above my head as captain of Liverpool... I won it in 2001 and we got outplayed by Arsenal, but Michael Owen scored a couple of goals.
"But this one was special because I was the captain, played well, scored a few goals, scored my pen. Everything went well on the day."
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