Alan Shearer admits he was carrying an injury during historic Newcastle match

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Newcastle United’s 4-3 win over Leicester City in 1997 is one of the most memorable comebacks from the Toon in Premier League history. Alan Shearer scored a late hat-trick to turn the game on its head.

The Magpies were 3-1 down, but in the 77th minute the future all-time Newcastle goalscorer would begin the comeback. By the 90th minute, Shearer had completed the turnaround and bagged a hat-trick.

The only greater comeback by a Toon side was in February 2011. The Magpies were 4-0 down to Arsenal at half-time but managed to pull it back to 4-4. The late Cheick Tiote scored a stunning volley which has been immortalised in Premier League history.

Shearer went in for a hernia operation not long after, he was ‘hanging on’

The ex-Newcastle forward spoke about the game on the Match of the Day: Top 10 Podcast. They discussed the greatest Premier League comebacks and the Newcastle vs Leicester match featured.

“Honestly, if you look at the whole game, that was one of the worst performances I’ve had for 78 minutes or whatever it was,” he said.

“I needed a hernia operation. I only played because we had injuries and I was hanging on.

“The plan was to get that game out of the way and then I would have the hernia operation on the Monday or Tuesday after that game. I went out, played, hobbled around and we’re getting done with 12 or 13 minutes to go.”

Kenny Dalglish was the Magpies boss at this time – Kevin Keegan had left the month before. It was one of the more memorable seasons for Newcastle.

They finished second in the league, finishing above Arsenal and Liverpool due to goal difference. The league winners Manchester United finished seven points ahead of the Toon.

Shearer was the top scorer for the club that season. He netted 25 league goals and got 28 in all competitions. He would finish the season as top scorer for the entire Premier League too.

When you look at the side put out by Dalglish, it was brimming with quality. Shearer, Les Ferdinand, Rob Lee, Phillipe Albert and Faustino Asprilla just to name a few.

The mid-90s was a very memorable period for Newcastle. Hopefully, another period of good times is just around the corner. With ambitious owners, there could be some exciting times on Tyneside very soon.