When City played host to Tottenham Hotspur on 22 October 1994, few would have expected to witness a performance that would be revered for years to come.
Both sides were of course packed with exciting talent, the visitors boasting World Cup ’94 stars Gheorghe Popescu, Ilie Dumitrescu and Jurgen Klinsmann, not to mention England forward Teddy Sheringham.
City on the other hand could call upon the hugely effective strike partnership of Niall Quinn and Paul Walsh, who had shared ten goals over the first ten matches of the new Premier League season.
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But even by those impressive standards, Brian Horton’s men put on one of the finest displays of attacking football that Maine Road would witness across its 80-year existence, and one that BBC Match of the Day commentator John Motson even described as one of the best matches he reported on.
After a period of sustained pressure from the visitors, Walsh took the game by the scruff of the neck before the 20-minute mark, firing home Steve Lomas’ ball into the box from the right after future England centre-half Sol Campbell had failed to clear.
Ossie Ardiles’ side replied on the half-hour when Dumitrescu converted from the spot after Klinsmann was felled by Andy Dibble, but City restored our lead before the break when Quinn headed home from close-range.
And Walsh – returning to haunt his former club – sent the Maine Road crowd into raptures on the stroke of half-time when he poked home under the body of Spurs stopper Ian Walker.
The second 45 picked up where the first had left off, with supporters barely able to catch their breath before Dumitrescu halved the deficit with a deflected strike.
But any notions that the visitors could claw their way back into the match were dismissed soon after, when Steve Lomas headed home Peter Beagrie’s inch-perfect cross from the left on 52 minutes.
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And there was still time for an inspired Walsh to make the difference once more as he set up City’s fifth, teeing up Gary Flitcroft for a simple finish after embarking on an incredible mazy run from his own half with ten to play.
An in-depth look at the match, including the recollections of City boss Horton, captain Keith Curle, goalscorers Walsh and Lomas as well as legendary BBC Commentator John Motson, is available here.
You can enjoy our full match replay of this wonderful occasion on the video above...
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