Having developed a reputation as one of the toughest men in the Premier League, it takes a brave man to take on Roy Keane.
Such was his steely gaze, the Irishman was an intimidating presence, capable of striking fear into even the toughest opponents.
3
However, a certain West Ham youngster in 2002 called Joe Cole refused to be intimidated by Keane and his mastery of football’s dark arts.
Manchester United travelled to Upton Park in March 2002 in search of a fourth consecutive Premier League title, with Arsenal and Liverpool also in the mix.
As for West Ham, which had names like Paolo Di Cano, David James and Frederic Kanoute along with a young Cole and Michael Carrickthey were comfortably seated in the middle of the table.
It was the Hammers who opened the scoring through Steve Lomas after eight minutes
However, the Red Devils got off to a poor start when the Hammers opened the scoring after eight minutes through Steve Lomas.
David Beckham levelled for the Red Devils nine minutes later before Frederic Kanoute hit back to put the Hammers ahead once again.
Unfortunately, that was the best the Upton Park faithful could manage in terms of goals. Nicky Bum, Paul Scholes, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Beckham again helped United secure a valuable 5-3 victory.
But Hammers fans will always remember the moment Cole did what few players have managed to do over the years: embarrass Keane.
The United midfielder gave Cole all the usual warning signs during the contest, with the fledgling talent certainly aware of what could happen if he continued to irritate him.
Keane even appeared to slap Cole on the neck but, despite the West Ham midfielder’s protests, the Irishman was not punished.
3
3
But Cole would soon have his sweet revenge in a moment that was immortalized.
A backheel from Sebastian Schemmel put the ball right at Cole’s feet.
Keane, sensing an opportunity to send Cole flying with a thunderous tackle, charged forward like a thundering freight train.
But the agile Cole knew exactly what to expect.
Cole made an incredible move that left Keane humbled, sending the ball spinning wide and into the path of Kanoute.
The crowd roared in approval after seeing an academy product make one of the Premier League’s most demanding clients look ridiculous, if only for a brief moment.
Cole lasted one more season at West Ham before being signed by Chelsea in August 2003, where he won three Premier League titles and two FA Cups.
He would eventually return to West Ham after spells at Liverpool and Lille in January 2013, but left in 2014 to join Aston Villa.
Cole ended his career with moves to City of Coventry and the American team Tampa Bay Rowdies before retiring in November 2018.