Best Individual Performances You've Seen Live

[sween]

These are off the top of my head a bit, probably forgetting some obvious ones.

Lorik Cana (Sunderland 1-0 Liverpool, 17 Oct 2009)
The infamous beachball game, Cana played the second half out of position in defence after an injury and single handedly kept Liverpool at bay. Throwing himself at every balll, getting in blocks and tackles he had no right to win. Easily the highlight of his Sunderland career.

Eden Hazard (Sunderland 3-4 Chelsea, 4 Dec 2013)
The inspiration for this thread. Been critical of Hazard recently as I didn't think he'd lived up to the hype after a bright start at Chelsea. But last night he was unbelievably good, nothing our defence did could stop him. 2 good goals and laid one on a plate for Lampard to score. Best player on the pitch by a mile in a great game.

Kevin Phillips & Niall Quinn (Sunderland 4-1 Chelsea, 4 Dec 1999)
Bit of a cheat this one. My memory of this match is pretty hazey but one thing that has stuck in my head is Quinn & Phillips decimating Chelsea like I've rarely seen a strike partnership do since. They scored a brace each before half time including one of the best goals to have been scored at the SoL by Phillips. Chelsea weren't the force they are now but this was still an impressive feat for two newly promoted players.

Stan Collymore (Leicester 5-2 Sunderland, 5 Mar 2000)
Think this was my first ever away game. My dad took me down to Filbert Street so we could sit in the shitty away end at eye level with the pitch, watching Collymore dick our defence all over in the process of scoring a hattrick on his debut (I think) for Leicester. Possibly the first time I realised I was on for a life of misery following Sunderland.

[g7vikings]

It would have been Luis Suarez last night but I gave my ticket up. My brother says his mate enjoyed himself though. He's gunna owe me a few pints when he's old enough.

There has been plenty of Liverpool performances over the years, so I'll just pick my favourite non-Liverpool performance, which was Pablo Aimar when Valencia taught us a lesson back in 2002 I think. He was sensational.

[Deleted]

Probably Viera's performance in the 01 cup final against us, used to think he was a bit of bit of a knacker but watching him in the flesh he was just incredible. Dominated a midfield of Hamann and Gerrard on his own that day.

[Deleted]

Sam Baldock vs Chesterfield (MK Dons 6 - Chesterfield 2)

Can't remember what year it was (Cashis was at the game too so maybe he remembers) but Baldock completely tore their defence apart that day and scored a worldie too. Was sold to West Ham not long afterwards.

[ChappyHova]

Gaizka Mendieta vs United at home when we beat them 4-1 at home in 2005, scored 2 goals and completely dominated them. Mendieta was very good for us but that day he showed why he used to be truly world class for Valencia.

[Cashis]

Dec 5, 2013 19:18:26 GMT @hellas said:

Sam Baldock vs Chesterfield (MK Dons 6 - Chesterfield 2)

Can't remember what year it was (Cashis was at the game too so maybe he remembers) but Baldock completely tore their defence apart that day and scored a worldie too. Was sold to West Ham not long afterwards.

In all fairness he was playing against a crippled Aaron Downes who hadn't fully recovered from his second anterior cruciate ligament injury. 

[Chelsfccg]

Mine would have to be Frank Lampards 4 goal performance against Villa a few years back, was unbelievable that night, also got an assist iirc.

[U R GAY]

Nicholas Anelka - Bolton 3-1 Arsenal. 2 world class goals, Arsenal couldn't live with him.

Dimitar Berbatov - Tottenham 4-1 Bolton. Didn't even score but after Robbie Keane got sent off he gave one of the best lone front man performances I can ever remember watching.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney - Bolton 0-4 United. Rooney hat-trick and Ronaldo with the other, they absolutely tore us to shreds.

Kevin Davies - Bolton 1-0 West Ham. Scored the winner in a match we needed to win to stay up, also broke his finger, went off had it strapped up and carried on and led the line with a top class captain's performance.

Gary Speed - Everton 0-4 Bolton. Scored a couple and was the best player on the pitch when we thrashed them at Goodison.

Also Jussi Jaaskelianen both home and away against Hull in 2008/09 were the best goalkeeping performances I've ever seen but I stuck with outfield performers.

[JM]

Haven't been to many games where there has been an outstanding performance by anybody but the closest one would have to be Leon Best and Joey Barton against West Ham in the 10-11 season (5-0). It was Best's first PL start for us imo and he scored a hat-trick. Barton orchestrated the midfield, pinging balls about left, right and centre too. Great night for us.

[#FreeBTS]

Newcastle 1-5 Liverpool

Steven Gerrard was unbelievable this day, was a great team performance from Liverpool but he was still head and shoulders above everyone on that pitch. He was at the heart of everything for them, think he scored 2 but was just immense, his power driving forward from midfield was amazing. We conceded 5 and yet Shay Given was our MOTM by a long way, says a lot about this game.

There's been other decent ones, recently Cabaye vs Stoke and Sissoko vs Chelsea stand out, but nothing on that level is jumping out at me right now.

[constant]

Away day at Forest in 1997 from Benito Carbone.

After a decent run of form with wins against Sunderland, Southampton and Boro we had been thumped by United, thrown away a lead at home against Leeds and played wretchedly at Leicester so I decided that clearly it was on me to make the trip across to the City Ground.  It all started much the same with Forest dominating play for the first half hour until we subbed little Benny on at which point the match was never the same.  Carbone literally ran every bit of that match, scoring two and setting up the third with every bit of attacking play being dictated by his right foot.

Brilliant performance made doubly impressive by coming on as a sub.

[deano]

Probably has to be Carroll against Chelsea our first season back in the Prem. Never seen Terry look so shaken battling against a striker, remember him absolutely wiping out Ivanovic in a 50/50 challenge as well.

[#FreeBTS]

As with most threads of this nature, these best ever performances look like slightly decreasing into merely good ones. Though I guess 'best performances seen live' is subjective.

Forgot to mention in mine, closest I've ever saw to an opposition player getting a standing ovation at SJP (without them having any obvious ties to us that us).

[Pole Land]

Earliest one that sticks in my mind is Van Nistelrooy against Fulham, we won 3-0, he scored all three including his famous run from the halfway line.

Second one is Rooney in the 8-2 against Arsenal, I know Arsenal were shit that day but he was immense.

[Disenchanted]

mine was nothing special really in the sense that it was the kind of thing everyone goes mental over but it was at home to maribor in the Europa last year where I saw Bale really up close for the first time since he'd come of age and I realized how ridiculous he was. Someone would launch a ball aimlessly cross-field and he'd just casually take it down and get on with it, every single ball up field he somehow got to his feet without losing the ball or miscontrolling it or anything, I'd never seen someone control a ball with as much ease as that at any point during my life. I think it struck me as amazing just because he didn't do anything amazing if that makes sense, he just did absolutely everything well.