5. Stewart Downing vs Hull
Stewart Downing has really become a different player at West Ham since his move from Liverpool. Here we have a magnificent through ball from loanee Alex Song that finds the on-rushing Downing. After receiving the ball, Downing coolly slots it past Hull’s keeper and into the goal.
4. Gonzalo Higuain vs Lazio
Another beautiful through ball for a goal. This one slightly edges out the one for Stewart Downing’s goal because it beats two players and the goal itself was a bit better. Here, Gonzalo Higuain has a genuinely difficult angle to beat the keeper. Somehow, he finds the space and blasts it in.
3. Oscar vs Swansea
This game had five goals in it. Statistics demand there would be at least one goal selected for this list. To start off with this move, we have Willian breaking through three tackles, slipping a curling through ball to Diego Costa, who then cuts the ball back to Oscar. Oscar instinctually strikes the ball first time and powers it past keeper for their fourth goal of the game.
2. Fabio Borini vs Aston Villa
I had a real difficult time choosing between this goal and the Rickie Lambert goal (we try to keep it to one goal per team each week). In the end, it’s Borini’s acrobatics and the wonderful cross from Jordan Henderson that won it for this goal. If you pause the gif right before Henderson crosses the ball to Borini, you’ll he that he was under tight pressure from two, potentially three, Aston Villa players. In spite of this, he is able to hit a perfect cross. Finally, when it gets to Borini, he pulls off a great lunging kick and “ninjas it”, as a coworker put it, past Brad Guzan, Aston Villa’s keeper.
1. Leo Messi vs Deportivo La Coruna
Much like the Chelsea goal, there was bound to be a Messi goal here. He got a hattrick after all. On a side note, he is now one short of tying Telmo Zarra and Cristiano Ronaldo for most hat tricks in La Liga history. Presently, those two have 23 hat tricks in La Liga while this is Messi’s 22nd. He also has 30 in all competitions for Barcelona. This goal also brings him up to 382 goals for Barcelona. He’ll probably break 400 this season. Simply an incredible player.
