“I will love it!” 30 years on from the fiery Keegan rant that lit up the 1995/96 Premier League title race | OneFootball

There are moments across Premier League history that are etched indelibly into the league's history. Kevin Keegan's post-match title-race tirade during the 1995/96 season is chief among them.

Keegan is a two-time Ballon d'Or winner, the only Englishman to have achieved that feat, but for fans of a certain vintage, it's his iconic 'I would love it' rant that is the everlasting image.

To paint the picture, Keegan'sNewcastle United side had closed the gap on title rivals Manchester United to three points after a 1-0 win at Leeds United, with only two fixtures remaining.

The Magpies had, of course, contrived to surrender a seemingly insurmountable lead, having been 12 points clear at the summit in late January.

By early March, a Manchester United win at St James' Park had shifted the momentum. Further Newcastle defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool, the latter courtesy of Stan Collymore's stoppage-time sucker punch at Anfield, before the end of the month did further damage. Regardless, it was a battle that would last the distance.

Keegan was an emotive coach, and his foe was a man well-versed in how to exploit that. Sir Alex Ferguson, in the red corner, was a master of psychological warfare.

'Slanderous' was how Keegan referenced comments from Ferguson, in the build-up to Newcastle's visit to Leeds. The Scot suggested that both Leeds and Nottingham Forest, Newcastle's upcoming opponents, would not 'try as hard' as they had against his own side.

It was a red rag to a bull.

Sky Sports set the stage, with Richard Keys asking Keegan whether the 'tension' of recent comments had contributed to a slow start at Elland Road.

Cue four minutes of television gold.

“I don’t think you can discount it,” Keegan started.

“A lot of things have been said over the past few days, some of it almost slanderous," he continued, with his voice's volcanic crescendo building.

By now, Keegan was jabbing a finger in the direction of his interviewers: “I’ve kept really quiet, but I’ll tell you something, he went down in my estimation when he said that. We have not resorted to that.

"You can tell him now, we’re still fighting for this title, and he’s got to go to Middlesbrough and get something. And I’ll tell you, honestly, I will love it if we beat them. Love it.”

Keegan's heartfelt hurl at Ferguson and Manchester United had not been preplanned, a spontaneous speech intended to inspire. For Ferguson, it's hard not to envision that he watched on with a wry smile. His title race grenade, tossed towards Tyneside, had exploded.

Manchester United did, indeed, go to Middlesbrough and get something, with three points sealing Premier League title success. Newcastle failed to win either of their final two games, with the club's collapse widely regarded as the Premier League's greatest.

Title races forevermore will reference Keegan. Some suggest the outburst was the final dagger in Newcastle's title dream, unnerving his own squad, and fuelling Ferguson's side for their trip to the North East.

Others, rightly, suggest the damage had been done long before. Regardless, it's aPremier League