As Palace faced Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the then-Carling Cup, Ambrose took to the turf as a half-time substitute looking to liven up an uneventful evening.
20 minutes after coming on, the midfielder displayed his most striking attribute on live TV when, collecting the ball from Wilfried Zaha not far from the centre circle, he roamed forward and drove home one of the finest efforts ever seen from a Palace player.
The ball sailed through the air for an eternity as it travelled over 30 yards to tear past Ben Amos and into the United net.
“It was an iconic goal for me in my career,” Ambrose later reflected, speaking to us in 2023. “I say this quite often: I didn’t win team accolades when I was playing. I never won a league or a trophy, only individual accolades.
“But to come away, seven years after retiring, and years since that goal, and still be spoken about for it… wherever I go and with whoever, whether that’s Palace supporters or United supporters... whoever I meet always talks about that goal. I'm proud to have something like that.
"Other players who have won trophies can talk about those memories, but I have something which I’m remembered by as a player: that goal at Old Trafford. And to top it off, we won the game, which was fantastic.”
Another goal like that today would be welcome – and so would a similar result for Palace, too.
Match Details
Crystal Palace v Manchester United
