As the European championships in France come to a close and the new season draws near, we’ll get you geared up and ready for more football with our selection of the best 10 strikes from the English Premiership Season 2015/16. In a season where the experts were made to look like fools, managerial casualties were aplenty and the Premier League bid farewell to Aston Villa; a club previously apart of an elite group of seven clubs to have played in every Premier League season. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ten best goals of the 2015/16 English Premier League season.
10. YAYA TOURE – MANCHESTER CITY VS ARSENAL – 21 DECEMBER, 2015
A classic Yaya Toure goal, scoring when he looks like he’s barely trying. With Arsenal’s defence in a solid shape, there appeared to be no route to goal for Manchester City, trailing 2-0. A nice one-two with Bacary Sagna at the edge of the area created a small bit of space for a shot on his left foot, hit first time, that beautifully ends up in the top corner. Petr Cech could only stand and watch. It wasn’t enough to win the game, with City going down 2-1, but is surely one of the best goals of the season.
9. JEREMAIN LENS – SUNDERLAND VS WEST HAM – 3 OCTOBER, 2015
Jeremain Lens scored one of the best technical goals of the season with this exquisite chip that almost reduced then-manager Dick Advocaat to tears. However, it was not enough to keep Advocaat at the club as Lens was sent off in this match, finishing 2-2. Advocaat resigned the following day. Lens has fallen out of favour at Sunderland since the season-saving decision was made to appoint Sam Allardyce as manager. He was fined two weeks worth of wages for refusing to participate in the team warm-down session following defeat to Watford on 12 December, 2015.
8. DANNY WELBECK – ARSENAL VS EVERTON – 19 MARCH, 2016
One of the more aesthetically pleasing sites in football: that of a well-built team move being finished off with a cool and composured striker to put the ball in the back of the net. It was almost impossible to seperate this from Ryan Mason’s strike against Sunderland, another great team goal, which made the honourable mentions list. This is the kind of football Arsenal have built a reputation for with Arsene Wenger, and when it comes off like this, is one of great sights to behold in football.
7. ADAM SMITH – BOURNEMOUTH VS EVERTON – 28 NOVEMBER, 2015
One of the truest strikes of a football you will ever see in a game that saw four goals scored after the 80th minute, with this one scored by one of the lower profile names in the English Premier League. This was Adam Smith’s first ever Premier League goal, well worth the wait. Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth enjoyed a dream debut season in the Premier League, finishing in 16th place with 42 points, 5 points clear of the relegation zone.
6. RIYAD MAHREZ – LEICESTER CITY VS CHELSEA – 15 DECEMBER, 2015
Give him an inch, he makes a mile. A great display of control in a tight space; Mahrez surely had little to aim for once closed down by Cesar Azpilicueta. He twists one way, then the other, bringing the Chelsea defender to a sense of comfort with all angles seemingly blocked. Then, somehow, a strike goes past him and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois into the top corner. The Spaniard’s reaction to the goal said it all. World class. (Goal at 3:06 of video)
5. CHRISTIAN BENTEKE – LIVERPOOL VS MANCHESTER UNITED – 12 SEPTEMBER, 2015
The 32 million pound striker from Belgium came under a lot of criticism from Liverpool fans for squandering big chances in games, but there was no fault to be found here. Trailing 2-0, with Brendan Rodgers still manager, Benteke scored this scissor kick in a moment of pure brilliance. It was the kind of goal he was known for scoring from his Aston Villa days. Unfortunately for Benteke it seems as though his Liverpool days are over, with new manager Jurgen Klopp often selecting fellow Belgian Divock Origi ahead of him as second-choice striker, with Daniel Sturridge the main man at Anfield.
4. MATT RITCHIE – BOURNEMOUTH VS SUNDERLAND – 20 SEPTEMBER, 2015
Our second Bournemouth entry into the list is something Zinedine Zidane would be proud of scoring. A headed clearance falls to Matt Ritchie at the edge of the area, who takes a near perfect touch with his chest to control, before firing a violent volley directly into the top corner. The camera angle from behind Richie shows just how high up in the top corner the ball goes. The goal helped Bournemouth to a 2-0 win, their first ever in the top flight.
3. HARRY KANE – TOTTENHAM VS ARSENAL – 5 MARCH, 2016
Tottenham fans might feel this season was ‘the one that got away’, but at least they provided some spectacular goals in the process. Their first entry into the list is provided by the Premier League top scorer for season 2015/16, Harry Kane, in the heated occasion of a derby against Arsenal. The match finished 2-2 and this was Kane’s 10th strike against London-based opponents. He holds the highest goals-per-game ratio, of 0.77, against London-based opponents when comparing to players who played in more than 10 fixtures against such opposition.
2. JAMIE VARDY – LEICESTER CITY VS LIVERPOOL – 2 FEBRUARY, 2016
The story of the season, you all surely know it by now, was Leicester City’s title victory and the crowning moment of Jamie Vardy’s rise from non-league footballer and factory worker to the record holder for goals scored in consecutive Premier League games, with 11. This volley against Liverpool might just be the best way to sum up how good Jamie Vardy’s season was.
1. DELE ALLI – TOTTENHAM VS CRYSTAL PALACE – 23 JANUARY, 2016
One of the standout performers of the Premier League season, capped off with a fantastic sense of awareness, show of skill and lethal finishing all in one with our pick for best goal of the English Premier League 2015/16 season. Once the ball is headed towards him, Alli takes three touches: one to control, one to flick above Mile Jedinak and one last touch to volley into the bottom corner. All of this without letting the ball hit the ground and never once taking a glance towards goal. Take a bow, son!
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Considering just how many top quality goals there were over the course of the season, we figured it best to mention as many of them as possible. There really isn’t much else besides subjective preferences as to how these didn’t make the top 10, as they are all likely to be worthy of making the list.
XHERDAN SHAQIRI – STOKE VS EVERTON – 29 DECEMBER, 2015
Match of the Day panellist Alan Shearer was adamant that Shaqiri didn’t intend on this finish, rather meaning to cross this to his teammate, but when you sit back and take the goal and celebration all in you can only think: who cares!
RYAN MASON – TOTTENHAM VS SUNDERLAND – 13 SEPTEMBER, 2015
The previously mentioned Tottenham team goal to win the game in the 82nd minute. Now that I think about it, on second glance, is this one better than the Arsenal team goal in our top ten list? It’s close, what do you think?
DIMITRI PAYET – FREE KICKS
This guy gets his own little section. Payet scored two unbelievable free kicks in the Premier League, against Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, and this video shows it’s no fluke with free kicks scored in the FA Cup and for France. Sure, those aren’t Premier League goals, but they give us evidence to show how easily he can put the ball in either top corner. That’s exactly what he did in the Premier League, with one in the top left against Bournemouth and one in the top right against Palace.
CUCO MARTINA – SOUTHAMPTON VS ARSENAL – 26 DECEMBER, 2015
Arsenal had the chance to go to the top of the table in a game where they were stunningly out done 4-0 by Southampton. Debutant Cuco Martina provided a fantastic display of the outside of the boot technique known as the ‘Trivela’, bending a shot from outside the box past a helpless Petr Cech. (Goal at 1:02 of video)
CARLES GIL – ASTON VILLA VS SUNDERLAND – 2 JANUARY, 2016
Aston Villa fans had to endure an awful season, one which may have drawn a sense of dread everytime the weekend came around, knowing what the match days were going to have in store for them. Carles Gil provided one of the very rare sparks of hope and enthusiasm for them here, a stunning jumping volley from a cross. That evened things up at 1-1, but Villa went on to lose 3-1 before ultimately being relegated to the English Championship for the first time since 1987. (Goal at 40 seconds in)