Truth be told, it feels a little strange to attribute Matt Lowton one of the biggest goals in Premier League history.
No disrespect for Lowton, who has developed a career as a cornerstone and reliable figure around the English top flight, but that is exactly it. No frosty tips, no exciting foreign-sounding name and absolutely no nonsense in his game, right?
April 2013 is the exception.
During a season where Paul Lambert’s Aston Villa flirted with relegation, they were in dire need of a moment of magic as the 2012/13 campaign came to an end to spark one last push away from the fall zone.
Lambert’s Villa scrapped for safety | Charlie Crowhurst / Getty Images
A turbulent start to 2013 meant that Villans simply could not find any consistency string even though they had a side that included a premiere Ron Vlaar, Andreas Weimann and a Christian Benteke who literally scored for fun in their debut campaign for the club.
In a tense relegation battle involving a number of teams, April looked like do or die, and Villa could not afford to still be in the bottom three so late in the season. A fixture away to other strikers Stoke at gameweek 32 was a must win, given that Lambert’s side still had to play Manchester United and Chelsea before the season was over.
Gabriel Agbonlahor gave Villa the lead after just nine minutes, but when Michael Kightly equalized for Stoke with ten minutes to play, it began to look like two big points were lost for Lambert’s men.
The game was on its way to a draw | Chris Brunskill / Getty Images
Villa picked up the pace on their way into the final stage and managed to catch a corner, but when a tame thrower was on his way away and out of the box, the chance had passed.
Except it had not done so.
Matt Lowton had occupied the typical hill-is-the-last-man spot from the corner, but had ventured forward to close the loose clearance. And while recovery play was an option, the defender cushioned it down to his chest, before sweeping through the ball with his right foot, meandering it over a packed 18-yard box and straight into the top corner, past Asmir Begovic.
Absolute pandemonium. In what world does a largely unknown, English right-back have the audacity to pursue such an attempt? Paul Scholes, move to the side.
#OnThisDay 2013 Matt Lowton made one of our ???? Premier League goals. ? pic.twitter.com/CbBSHpbMOV
– Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 6, 2021
You can look back a thousand times and it does not get boring. From the touch, to the strike, to Lowton’s run towards a fierce away goal that could only ever be silenced by the variety of mass-produced pandemics, every inch of the goal is absolute perfection.
Benteke consolidated the comeback and secured the three points shortly after, but it was Lowton’s goal that stole the show, intended to be on the “streets will not forget” highlights rolling for the times and redefining Peter Kay’s use of “have it” after hitting a ball goalless.
The goal was of monumental proportions, not only because it was an absolute peach but because it was also the key to Villa’s survival. It gave them their third win in four games and lifted them out of the relegation zone when Sunderland lost and Wigan drew the same weekend – yes, they were both in the 2013 Premier League.
There is one for the fireplace … | Chris Brunskill / Getty Images
Even better, the Villa stayed up at the end of the season. But whatever, who even cares? To stay up or not, they did it in style after Lowton’s goal, which obviously inspired James Rodriguez to resume it at the 2014 World Cup.
It really should have been the catalyst for the FA to make it official that long-distance volleys are worth two goals, as so often said in street football.
