The Best Goal Of The Year award
Nominees: Paul Scholes, Nani, Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov
Paul Scholes’ late winner against Manchester City at Wastelands helped ensure the blues would miss out on Europe whilst giving United a shout of the title still. After beating them in injury time twice already that season, you could hardly believe that as the time ticked down we’d be allowed to do it again. The goal itself wasn’t much to write home about, other than the sheer surprise that Scholes was in a position to score from a header, but it’s importance was MASSIVE.
Nani’s first goal against Bayern Munich should have been enough to put us through to the European Cup semi-final last season. Going 2-0 up with just 7 minutes played was incredible but the execution of Nani’s goal was even better and marked the turn around in the player. He flicked the ball across goal with his first touch, showing not only the creativity to think of something like that, but the ability to go ahead and do it.
Berbatov has scored a few delightful goals this year and it pains me not to include his third goal against Liverpool. It was a move that he started off, before finishing with a header after outjumping Carragher. But if I have to pick just the one, it has to be his overhead kick in that game. As the ball came in, he controlled it on his thigh, before booting it over his head in to the net. One of the best goals I’ve ever seen and to be as part of a hattrick against Liverpool only adds to it.
Rooney picked up the ball in our half just outside the box, passed to Nani who took the ball the length of the pitch with not a single Arsenal player even attempting a tackle, before sliding the ball to Rooney inside the box. He hit it first time to make it 2-0 to United just before half time, in a goal that was almost a carbon copy of the one he created for Cristiano Ronaldo the season before at the Emirates in Europe.
Winner: Dimitar Berbatov
