Premier League Christmas advent calendar - 1 December: SunSport's festive football countdown starts

IT'S the 1st of December, which means one thing – Christmas is coming!

And what better way to bring in the festive season than SunSport's festive football advent calendar.

As the Premier League heads towards its 25th anniversary, we count down some of the most memorable moments to grace the top flight, starting with that Ronnie Rosenthal miss back in the league's maiden season.

It says something (well, it says a lot actually) that we’re still talking about this nearly a quarter of a century later but Ronnie Rosenthal’s miss on September 19, 1992 remains the howler against which all others are still measured.

The inaugural Premier League season was barely a month old when Liverpool travelled to Aston Villa and their Israeli striker wrote himself into the history books for all the wrong reasons.

And yet, he had done everything so right (up to a point, obviously).

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The move, if you can call the most route one of tactics that, began with a typically aimless punt forward from Liverpool keeper David James. As the ball fell from the sky, Rosenthal shook off the attentions of Shaun Teale (or ‘outstrengthed’ him as Big Ron would call it) and then shimmied round Nigel Spink, leaving the Villa number one in a sorry heap on the edge of the box.

He takes a touch and steadies himself. Then, just 10 yards out from an open goal, he shoots – and somehow hits the crossbar.

e could give him the benefit of the doubt and mention the tiniest of bobbles before he made contact. But we won’t.

Ironically, Rosenthal actually went on to score that day although Liverpool still lost 4-2. But nobody remembers that goal, do they?

Watch the shocker here:

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