Peter Schmeichel was inches away from scoring one of the greatest ever FA Cup goals

Peter Schmeichel is widely recognised as one of the greatest goalkeepers in history.

At Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, the Danish colossus was the definition of world-class between the sticks.

Schmeichel’s giant frame and supreme athleticism made him a striker’s nightmare and he’s a key part of the reason why the Red Devils were so dominant during the 1990s.

In his 384 appearances for United across all competitions, the 58-year-old kept 173 clean sheets and conceded only 318 goals.

And as well as possessing a defensive record any goalkeeper in history would be proud of, Schmeichel contributed at the other end of the pitch.

The ‘Great Dane’ scored for United in the 1995 UEFA Cup against Russian side Rotor Volgograd, although his late header was not enough to prevent Fergie’s team from being eliminated on away goals.

A very decent header that.

Two years after he found the back of the net for United, Schmeichel came within inches of adding to his tally.

In an FA Cup fourth-round replay against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park, the goalkeeper entered the penalty area with his team 1-0 down and seconds later, he thought he’d levelled the scores at 1-1 with an incredible bicycle-kick finish.

However, the linesman’s flag sadly went up for offside, robbing us of one of the greatest goals in the competition’s rich history.

Take a look at Schmeichel’s acrobatics here…

Peter Schmeichel's disallowed, outside-of-the-boot overhead kick against Wimbledon in 1997 pic.twitter.com/wfrzhq5MGE

Imagine the scenes in the away end if that goal had stood!

Schmeichel knew he was just offside, though, and simply trudged back to his natural habitat for the remainder of the game.

Wimbledon went on to win 1-0 thanks to Marcus Gayle’s