Gareth Bale scored one of the goals of the season as the Tottenham Hotspur winger’s stunning individual effort salvaged a 1-1 draw against Norwich City on Wednesday.
Andre Villas-Boas’ side struggled to break down a stubborn Norwich defence after Wes Hoolahan gave the hosts a shock first-half lead at Carrow Road and it needed a moment of magic from Bale to save Spurs from an embarrassing defeat to a team beaten by non-league Luton in the FA Cup on Saturday.
With 10 minutes remaining, the Wales international took possession on the halfway line and surged towards goal, weaving his way past two defenders before blasting his shot into the far corner to conjure up memories of the brilliant Ryan Giggs strike for Manchester United against Arsenal in the 1999 FA Cup semi-finals.
Bale’s heroics left fourth-placed Tottenham one point clear of Everton and four ahead of Arsenal in the race to qualify for the Champions League.
It also gave Bale the chance to hit back at his critics, who claim the winger is often guilty of diving.
“It was nice to get a goal of that nature and it was important to get back into the game,” Bale said.