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Is this the best goal the Premier League has seen?

THE year is just a day old, but we may have already seen the goal of 2017 — thanks to Olivier Giroud’s stunning strike.

2 min read
January 2, 2017 - 8:29AM
The scorpion strikes again.
The scorpion strikes again.

THE Premier League has resumed in 2017 where it finished in 2016, with Olivier Giroud submitting his goal of the year submission on the very first day of the year.

Just days after Manchester United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan had football fans amazed with his ‘scorpion’ backheel goal, on the run, against Sunderland at Old Trafford, Arsenal’s marksman has produced a finish of similarly extraordinary quality as Arsenal opened 2017 with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Giroud said he got “maximum luck” with his outrageous goal, which he labelled as the best goal of his life.

Giroud opened the scoring at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday with an audacious midair back-flicked volley that looped into the top corner of Wayne Hennessey’s net.

The 30-year-old appeared almost as stunned as the packed 60,000 crowd by his moment of magic and, speaking after the match, he conceded it was a goal that he could never have dreamt of producing.

“I have maximum luck, it’s just about luck,” Giroud said. “Not at all have I done anything like that before. I tried to deflect it.

“I was a bit lucky but it was the only thing I could do, the ball was behind me and I tried to hit it with a backheel.”

Giroud’s incredible effort came just days after Mkhitaryan produced a similar goal against Sunderland and the France forward added: “Maybe that goal inspired me. It’s the only thing you can do in that position.

“It is nice for me and the team because we start the year with a win.”

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has seen many great goals from his players down the years, but he didn’t expect Giroud to join the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Robin van Persie in the roll of honour.

“His reflex surprised everybody who knows football and that’s what makes the goal great,” Wenger said.

“I have been a bit spoilt over the years by the exceptional quality of the players I’ve had, but it will be remembered as an exceptional goal.

“Olly is very good in front of goal, but I’ve never seen this kind of goal from him.”

Wenger added: “He transformed that goal into art.

“Art, because of the surprise, because of the beauty of the movement; the efficiency of the movement.

“That will be remembered as the Giroud goal that nobody will forget. Every striker is remembered for one or two or three special goals, and that will certainly remain with him forever.

“I’ve been spoilt in my career because I’ve had many great players and many great strikers, and that is certainly in the top five (goals from an Arsenal player).”

Asked of the others in his top five, Wenger responded: “I remember Bergkamp, Henry, with special goals. Bergkamp at Leicester, Newcastle; Henry at Real Madrid, against Liverpool. (Nwankwo) Kanu at Chelsea ...

“It’s difficult in a second to get the best five.”

“Giroud’s is definitely the better of the two goals. It’s certainly more spectacular,” said Jamie Carragher.

— with AFP

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/football/is-this-the-best-goal-the-premier-league-has-seen/news-story/537b15692dadeb376b3f062f37180131