Skip to main content

Rooney joins great PL long shots

Wayne Rooney delighted Goodison Park with a goal from inside his own half against West Ham United, sealing his first Everton hat-trick as they romped to a 4-0 victory.

Asked if he had ever scored a better goal, Rooney said: "I don't think so.

"It's one of – if not the – best goals I've scored. I hit it as well as I've ever kicked a football. To make it my first hat-trick for Everton, I'm delighted."

The spectacular strike on Wednesday has sparked debate about which is the best long-distance goal in Premier League history.

Some of the other contenders:

Wayne Rooney v West Ham United, March 2014

Rooney's mesmerising strike against West Ham was not his first goal from a stupendous distance. It was not even the first goal of its type he has scored against West Ham. Rooney, then a Manchester United player under current Hammers manager David Moyes, won the ball on the halfway line before unleashing a looping shot that flew over the head of despairing goalkeeper Adrian. United legend David Beckham, who had scored a similar goal nearly two decades earlier, was in the crowd at Upton Park to witness the goal.

David Beckham v Wimbledon, August 1996

Beckham's goal for Manchester United against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park made everybody sit up and take notice. The shy, quietly spoken 21-year-old sent his profile soaring when he took aim from just inside his own half before chipping Wimbledon goalkeeper Neil Sullivan. The ball was perfectly weighted, brushing the back of the net without a single bounce, and Beckham, who was mobbed by his teammates, never looked back.

Maynor Figueroa v Stoke City, December 2009

Figueroa's strike may not have propelled him into the sporting stratosphere like Beckham's did, but his goal for unfashionable Wigan Athletic against Stoke at the Britannia Stadium was just as memorable. Wigan won a free-kick a couple of yards inside their own half and as both teams shuffled back into position, the quick-thinking Figueroa came darting towards the stationary ball. The Honduran then rifled it with his left foot over the scrambling Thomas Sorensen and into the corner of the net for one of the Premier League's greatest goals.

Charlie Adam v Chelsea, April 2015

Adam's talent for striking the ball is well known, but his effort at Stamford Bridge was extraordinary. Chelsea's attack had broken down and as Stoke countered, Adam received possession midway inside his own half. The midfielder took a touch so that when he unleashed his shot the ball was just short of the tip of the centre circle. It soared over Thibaut Courtois, who tried to palm the ball away, but could not keep it out.

Xabi Alonso v Newcastle United, September 2006

Alonso had already scored from the halfway line nine months earlier against Luton Town in the FA Cup and the Spaniard showed his technical excellence once more against Newcastle at Anfield. Charles N'Zogbia lost possession and Alonso looked left and right to start a counter-attack. With no obvious options for a pass, he instead drilled a shot from inside his own half and while goalkeeper Steve Harper slipped as he rushed back, even on his feet he might not have stopped such a supreme effort.

Luis Suarez v Norwich City, April 2012

Suarez's lob against Norwich came around 10 yards into his opponents' half, but it was no less impressive. The Uruguayan bustled past Elliott Ward on the halfway line and scampered forwards before driving the ball perfectly beyond John Ruddy and into the Norwich net. Like Rooney's latest strike against West Ham, the goal completed Suarez's hat-trick at Carrow Road and in the most spectacular fashion.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hurricane Hits Texas, One Person Reported Dead

Hurricane Harvey hit Texas as a Category 4 storm on Friday, battering the coast with 130-mph winds and torrential rain. It was the strongest hurricane to hit the United States in more than a decade leaving a massive destruction, loss of electricity, wrecked buildings and has so far killed at least one person. Scroll down to see more pictures of the incident:
Post a Comment
Read more

Kenyan Law Court dismisses case of man seeking compensation after his wife eloped with another man from hospital

  A lawsuit filed by a man seeking to be compensated by St Mary's Mission Hospital in Kenya for allowing his wife to leave the hospital with another man after giving birth, has been struck out by a law court.    The appellant had sued the St. Mary's Mission hospital at Kakamega law courts in 2020 seeking general damages from the facility on grounds that the hospital had discharged his wife and allowed her to leave with another man. After delivering and at the time of discharge, the wife of the appellant claimed he was the baby's father.   The court of appeal judges Patrick Kiage, Mumbi Ngugi and Francis Tuiyott sitting at the Kisumu Court of Appeal, empathized with the man, but disagreed that he (the appellant) be compensated by the hospital for not detaining his wife.  They upheld the lower court's judgement which added that there's no remedy that lies in the law for such grievances.   Kiage said;   "I agree that if a man takes the woman he loves to t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nigerian Military hands over 23 rescued children to UNICEF through Borno State

The Nigerian military has handed over 23 children who were formerly associated with Boko Haram insurgents, to UNICEF through the Borno State government.  The children were picked up during various military operations around the north-east region. Aged between 17 and 10 years, the boys and girls confessed to the military that they have been assisting the Boko Haram insurgents either as fighters or domestic helps in the camps. The Theatre Commander of a military counterinsurgency force, Abba Dikko, said the 23 children were released in line with Nigeria military’s commitment to the observance of human rights. He observed that the children and other vulnerable persons were victims who faced with the highly unstable circumstances induced by the conflict would have had little option but to fall under the thrall of the insurgents.  “We were able to identify this category of people, especially the women, the aged and children to whom it behooves our sense of duty and res...
Post a Comment
Read more