The Best Goals Of The 2023/24 Premier League Season So Far

Did we see the Premier League’s Goal Of The Season award secured on Sunday afternoon?

Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho stunned all who were tuned into Everton’s clash with United on the weekend, with the 19-year-old evoking memories of Wayne Rooney in the Manchester Derby in 2011 after his stunning 3rd-minute bicycle-kick goal handed United an early lead.

We are only in November and just 131 matches of the campaign have been played, yet many are already declaring Garnacho’s goal to be the best to have been scored this season, and that nothing else could top it. Diogo Dalot’s cross into the box initially looked like it might have gone too far behind Garnacho for the young Argentine to have done anything with it, but he did extremely well to adjust his body in time to catch the cross and send the ball flying past Jordan Pickford in the most sublime manner.

So, with Garnacho’s goal still fresh in everyone’s mind, we are going to take a quick run-through of some of the other great goals that have been scored so far this season…

Aston Villa’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace in September was not an easy victory, despite the scoreline perhaps making it look that way. All three of Villa’s goals came after the 86th minute in what was absolutely a smash-and-grab victory, but the best of Villa’s three late goals undoubtedly came from substitute Jhon Duran.

A half-space cross from full-back Lucas Digne found Duran in the box, and the Colombian first chested the ball down to the ground before unleashing a thunderous first-time effort into the roof of the net. The sheer ferocity and speed of the strike saw Sam Johnstone left with no chance of preventing the equaliser, and ultimately saw Palace’s winless record at Villa Park since 2013 extended for yet another season.

Newcastle’s opening goal of their win against Burnley on the final day of September is next up, with Miguel Almiron the scorer of what was a wonderful long-range effort. Despite Burnley starting the game off well and testing Nick Pope early on, the Paraguayan’s strike ultimately set Newcastle on their way to what was a comfortable win.

20-year-old Aaron Ramsey’s lack of urgency and awareness on the ball saw him have his pocket picked by Kieran Trippier, whose tackle saw the ball set up nicely for Almiron to bare down on goal. Advancing further, Almiron then let fly with a fierce shot that flew past James Trafford and nestled comfortably in the far corner.

When making predictions about how each of the 20 Premier League clubs would fare before the campaign got underway, practically everybody thought Sheffield United would struggle in 2023/24. And the Blades have struggled, currently sitting 18th in the standings with just one win to their name so far. There has not been much to be positive about for fans, with the exception of Gustavo Hamer.

The performances of the summer signing from Coventry City have been a rare bright spot for the crisis-ridden South Yorkshire club, with his goal against Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 2 a great indicator of his quality. Receiving the ball on the edge of the box after a headed clearance from Forest’s Scott McKenna, Hamer took a touch before bending a sumptuous strike into the top corner to draw his new side level.

Julian Alvarez’s superb set-piece effort was in vain as Manchester City succumbed to a surprise 2-1 defeat to Wolves on the 30th of September, with the loss to Gary O’Neil’s men being just the second time in 45 Premier League meetings that Pep Guardiola has lost to a side managed by an Englishman.

Fine work by Pedro Neto led to Ruben Dias’ own goal to hand Wolves the lead, but the young Argentine Alvarez stepped up with a moment of magic from a dead-ball situation 13 minutes into the second half. Facing a three-man wall of Max Kilman, Matheus Cunha and Nelson Semedo, Alvarez curled home a delightful equaliser despite the best efforts of goalkeeper Jose Sa.

Brentford’s 3-0 victory over Burnley in late October was their first win at home this campaign, and it saw two fantastic goals from both Bryan Mbeumo and Saman Ghoddos. Ghoddos’ effort, a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, was good but not good enough to make this list, but Mbeumo’s definitely was. With the Bees already 1-0 up thanks to Yoane Wissa, his partner-in-crime Mbeumo stepped up to double the Bees’ lead via a powerful strike in the 62nd minute.

Frank Onyeka’s burst down the right flank ended with him passing to Kristoffer Ajer, who subsequently found Neal Maupay unmarked just inside the box. The unmarked Maupay, rather than swivelling to have a shot on goal himself, saw the onrushing Mbeumo and chose to lay the ball off to him instead, with the Cameroonian firing home a fine first-time effort into the top corner.

Any and all spectators that tuned in to watch lowly Sheffield United’s visit to Arsenal a month ago expected a drubbing to be handed out to the Blades, but an Eddie Nketiah hat-trick was surely not in anybody’s pre-match predictions.

But, the Englishman did indeed bag a hat-trick, with his third of the match the pick of the bunch on what was a fantastic day for the Gunners. Already 2-0 up and cruising after an earlier brace, Nketiah’s third from 25 yards out essentially confirmed Arsenal’s win after just 58 minutes - the Englishman took a touch with his left boot from Emile Smith Rowe’s pass, took another with his right while swivelling to set himself, before lashing home a fine effort from range into the top corner.

Oleksandr Zinchenko scored Arsenal’s 1,002nd goal at the Emirates Stadium in the Gunners’ 3-1 win over Burnley a little over two weeks ago, with the Ukrainian’s scissor-kick effort putting the gloss on what was ultimately a routine win for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Leandro Trossard’s corner was headed onto his own crossbar by Burnley’s Dara O’Shea before he then headed the ball away from goal again with the imminent danger seemingly gone. However, Zinchenko did well to nip in ahead of Luca Koleosho and, with the ball still in the air, adjusted his body to strike home a memorable scissor-kick.

The Bees and the Irons played out an end-to-end five-goal thriller at the Gtech Community Stadium just over three weeks ago, with Nathan Collins’ header 20 minutes from time sealing all three points for Brentford.

But, the highlight of what was a very entertaining game was Mohammed Kudus’ goal after just 20 minutes for West Ham, with the Ghanaian acrobatically volleying home to hand his side an equaliser in the tie. Michail Antonio’s initial cross into the Brentford box seemed like it might be dealt with by Vitaly Janelt, who was the closest player to Kudus, but the former Ajax man did well to meet the cross with an astonishing effort that flew past Mark Flekken.

Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling has scored five goals in 13 outings so far this season, but his latest effort is definitely the pick of the bunch.

Chelsea were thrashed 4-1 away to Newcastle last weekend, but a moment of quality from Sterling from a free-kick got the Blues back into the game having gone behind to Alexander Isak’s opener. Both Jamaal Lascelles and Kieran Trippier were at fault in conceding the set-piece, Lascelles first losing possession of the ball before Tripper was adjudged to have fouled Sterling just outside the penalty arc.

Sterling stepped up to take the free-kick, and his brilliant effort into the right-hand side of Nick Pope’s goal left the English goalkeeper stranded and got Chelsea back into the game.

Honourable mentions also go to Michael Olise’s fine individual effort against Luton, Jack Harrison’s first-time effort from outside the box against Bournemouth, Diogo Dalot’s stunner against Sheffield United and Joachim Andersen’s ferocious first-time hit from close-range against Manchester United.

Erling Haaland’s effort against Burnley on the opening weekend of fixtures is also worthy of a mention, as is Pablo Sarabia’s equaliser against Tottenham just a few weeks ago. Beautifully curled efforts from outside the 18-yard box from Bukayo Saka, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Gordon against Nottingham Forest, Burnley and Sheffield United respectively are all up there as well, as is Nicolas Dominguez’s header for Nottingham Forest against Brentford, and both Tom Cairney’s long-range effort and Rodri’s vicious hit against Sheffield United.

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