ONE HALL OF A STRIKE
Sorry for that terrible pun. But honestly, what a goal.
Crystal Palace do have a tendency to concede wonder goals – Matt Phillips in 2014/15, Dele Alli in 2015/16, Andy Carroll and Olivier Giroud in 2016/17, the list goes on. But usually, Wayne Hennessey is the one to let them in. Vicente Guaita, whose stunning display earned Palace a point against Tottenham at the weekend, is not as susceptible to the spectacular.
Until now. With Palace leading 1-0 at half-time courtesy of a Christian Benteke header, David Moyes brought on Manuel Lanzini in what proved to be an inspired substitution.
The Argentine played a big role in the build up to the Hammers’ equaliser, spraying the ball out wide for Vladimír Coufal to cross towards target man Sebastien Haller, who finished the move in spectacular style.
The word textbook gets thrown around a lot in football, but if there was a textbook chapter on how to bicycle kick a football, you would use this as the blueprint.
Stop what you’re doing. This is goal of the night. Possibly goal of the season.
Sebastian Haller, take a bow 👏 pic.twitter.com/fswuUfr1Ap
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) December 16, 2020
Goal of the season? Too early to tell. Goal of the month? Almost certainly.
The game finished all square at the London Stadium, leaving the Hammers in seventh, five places ahead of Roy Hodgson’s side in twelfth.
