Season In Review: Top Ten Goals of the Season

In the 2010/11 season, Arsenal scored 72 goals in the Premier League, 21 goals in the Champions League, 12 goals in the FA Cup and 14 goals in the Carling Cup. That is a lot to choose from for a terribly indecisive person as myself. The list I came up with is subjective, but in general I kept in mind quality of the goal and its significance. Feel free to mention any goals that I may have missed (I’m sure I missed some good ones).

#10 Henri Lansbury v Tottenham Hotspur (Carling Cup)

This is a personal favourite of mine. Lansbury didn’t get to play a lot for us this season before he went out on loan to Norwich, but he did get to start our first Carling Cup match of the season against the Scum. He marked the occasion by scoring his very first goal in an Arsenal shirt. It all started with Eboue switching up play with a cross-field pass to Gibbs wide on the left. Gibbs moved in towards the penalty area and laid the ball off to Rosicky on the edge of the box. Jack had made an overlapping run and collected a pass from Rosicky. Jack fired a low cross across goal and Lansbury was there to pounce on it and stick the ball in the back of the net. It was a great team effort that included three of our Academy players, which just makes it a bit more special. The picture of Gibbs, Jack, and Lansbury celebrating still makes me smile.

#9 Carlos Vela v Bolton (Premier League)

Our little Mexican Chippy managed to get himself on the list with this wonderful finish. I haven’t counted how many passes we made before the actual goal, but it was the final delightful lofted ball over the top by Fabregas (which he does over and over again for us so well) that mattered the most. I hope Vela can score more goals like this for us next season so I can put forward my idea for introducing the ‘Mexican Chip Butty’ at the Emirates.

#8 Aaron Ramsey v Manchester United (Premier League)

After a year out with a horrific leg break, Rambo finally came back into the Arsenal first team in the spring. He stepped in for our captain in this match against Man United and scored the only goal in the match. It was a big goal in a big game that the team sorely needed after a miserable run of results. How fitting that it was Ramsey who lifted gooners’ spirits that day.

man10ram56 by arsenalist

#7 Robin van Persie v Birmingham City (Carling Cup Final)

I know most of us have tried to block this game from our minds, so I’m sorry to bring it up again. Did you even remember that we scored in this game? First, Jack took a shot from outside the box (*gasp*) that smacked off the crossbar. Arshavin ended up getting the ball and he made a driving run towards the byline. He cut the ball back for van Persie who did a sort of half-scissor kick around the back of the defender to put the ball past Ben Foster. A great goal in a game that ended up being a huge black cloud over our season. Also, RvP injured himself scoring. Some things never change.

#6 Theo Walcott v Chelsea (Premier League)

Theo really stepped up big in this match and finished his great performance with an emphatic strike against Chelesa, who have haunted us for so many seasons. Theo started off the whole move by dispossessing Chelsea and you could see that the only thing on his mind was scoring. He made his way forward, exchanging passes with Cesc, and drove the ball low and hard to put Arsenal 3-0 up against the Blues.

#5 Robin van Persie v Wigan (Premier League)

RvP got his first ever Arsenal hattrick in this game, though he could have had 4 goals if he hadn’t missed a penalty in the 2nd half. All three goals were great, but it was his third goal that was the best. Theo held off a defender inside the penalty area to allow van Persie to score at a crazy angle at the near post. When he scores goals like these, I can watch RvP all day long.

#4 Theo Walcott v Shakhtar Donetsk (Champions League)

(Description taken from Midseason Review)
Theo got off to a blistering start this season, scoring goals left and right and enjoying his football. Losing him to an injury was a big blow, but he came back ready to reclaim his form. The sequence begins with a great little chip-pass from Wilshere to send Theo off to the races. His fantastic speed is on show, yet again, and he ends with a composed finish, full of calm and confidence. Perhaps a bit reminiscent of a certain other number 14 Arsenal striker?

#3 Robin van Persie v Barcelona (Champions League)

Who else but van Persie could score a goal from such a ridiculous angle against Barcelona? Valdes was slightly off his line and van Persie saw his chance and got the glory. When he’s on form, he’s the best striker in the league, and this goal shows his class. Props to Clichy for providing a very nice assist.

#2 Samir Nasri v Fulham (both goals) (Premier League)

(Description taken from Midseason Review)
Ok so I cheated. I don’t care. The fact that both of these goals came in the same game and that both goals were crucial for our win that took us (briefly) to the top of the table just add to their greatness.

The first started with a short run and then a superb pass from Arshavin in behind the Fulham defense to Nasri. Nasri then proceeds to cut in, not once, but twice and then fire a bullet in past Schwarzer. Deceptively simple, yet brilliant in its execution. It takes great skill and control, not to mention composure, to complete such an audacious move in such a small space with defenders hurling themselves in front of you to block the shot is just pure class. You know a goal is good when the goalmouth is littered with defenders left for dead.

The second goal was no less brilliant. Nasri begins the entire sequence nearly at the halfway line. He passes to Arshavin who finds van Persie at the top of the box. Nasri makes his way forward as van Persie fakes a shot and lays the ball off into Nasri’s path. Nasri then slaloms his way past the Fulham defense, takes the ball away from the keeper, swivels and turns to get the ball on his right foot (he had missed a couple chances in similar positions on his left foot in previous games) and finishes from an incredible angle, leaving us all with our mouths gaping wide open. I can’t even do it justice, just watch it. Over and over and over.

#1 Andrei Arshavin v Barcelona (Champions League)

Andrei Arshavin. The little Russian magician. The goal of the season in the game of the season. A classic Arsenal counterattack with an intelligent assist from Nasri and a beautiful finish from Arshavin. A thrilling moment and one I will never forget as a gooner. Arshaviiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnn!!!!

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Simão | Myspace Video

Honourable Mentions: Samir Nasri v Birmingham City; Samir Nasri v Manchester City; Andrei Arshavin v Wigan; Marouane Chamakh v Braga; Cesc Fabregas v Sunderland; Nicklas Bendtner v Ipswich Town

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