For our Arsenal supporters here in the Football Transfer Tavern, it feels absolutely fantastic to be a Gooner right now with Arsene Wenger’s men having made a huge statement in their 2-1 victory over title rivals Manchester City on Monday night.
In what turned out to be an incredibly tight affair with Yaya Toure’s late consolation goal making Gunners fans sweat, Arsenal are now much more savvy in their play and look for the first time in a long while like they may maintain it for a longer period than usual.
Much credit must be given to the likes of Joel Campbell and Mathieu Flamini who have been relied upon from the off in the absence of both Alexis Sanchez and Francis Coquelin and so far, Arsenal are coping well in light of their inevitable annual injury crisis.
Still sitting just two points behind fantastic table toppers Leicester City, many punters in the bar still think Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes will fall away at some point or other nearer the sharper end of the season and with a nice four point cushion now between both Arsenal and City, you can see why the Gunners are much fancied right now.
Given we have a little three-and-a-bit-day wait until the next Premier League action on Boxing Day whereby the Gunners will travel to Southampton, we’re taking this moment to reflect upon the Gunners’ five best goals so far this 2015/16 season.
Do you agree with our choices?
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Click on the image below to reveal the five best Arsenal goals so far this 2015/16 season.
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Theo Walcott vs Manchester City (H)
Lets start with the most recent cracking strike from an Arsenal player – Theo Walcott’s opener against Manchester City on Monday night.
In a first half whereby Manchester City were dictating the pace of the game with a higher level of possession, it was Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal who devastatingly made the Citizens pay on the counter in the 33rd minute.
With Mesut Ozil coolly spraying the ball out wide with the pass originally intended for Nacho Monreal who was rampaging forward from left back, it was Walcott who took the initiative in intercepting that pass for himself before leathering the ball past Joe Hart with a full swing of his right foot.
Emirates Stadium was sent into raptures and as we all know, Arsenal seized even more of the initiative with Olivier Giroud’s second in first-half stoppage time.
Olivier Giroud vs Crystal Palace (A)
Back in August during Arsenal’s second Premier League fixture of the campaign, there was a lot of pressure on Arsene Wenger’s men to deliver three points given the total hash they made of their opener against West Ham United.
Boasting a cracking record over their South London opposition Crystal Palace, fortunately for the Gunners, it was Olivier Giroud who got them motoring in the 16th minute with a simply sublime overhead volley that Alex McCarthy could do nothing about.
With Mesut Ozil (who else?) collecting the ball in the left channel, he immediately pinged a ball across the Eagles’ backline before Giroud dispatched it expertly with aplomb.
It’s surely strikes like this that make Giroud one of the best and indeed, most underrated strikers in the Premier League?
Alexis Sanchez (2nd) vs Manchester United (H)
Sunday 4th October was an incredibly enjoyable day to be a Gooner with Arsenal sailing into a 3-0 first-half lead against their old foes Manchester United.
Simply blowing the Red Devils away in just a 20-minute spell, Louis van Gaal looked shell-shocked after Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil put the Gunners into a two goal lead in seven minutes.
But it was Sanchez’s second on 19 minutes that was an absolute stunner with the Chilean superstar making one of his trademark runs where he cuts inside on his right foot before unleashing an unstoppable strike beyond David De Gea.
Similar in a way to his strike against Liverpool at home last season, this goal simply has to be included given the fact it was United as well!
Sensational!
Mathieu Flamini (2nd) vs Tottenham (A)
Mathieu Flamini most certainly ate his Weetabix on the morning of September 23rd earlier this season.
With the Gunners drawing their North London rivals Tottenham in the third round of the Capital One Cup, it was clearly the tie of the round and this game will forever be remembered as Mathieu Flamini’s finest hour in an Arsenal shirt.
No matter it was just the League Cup, in a summer whereby most Arsenal fans had been calling for a new striker such as Karim Benzema, it was Flamini who made all Gooners forget this notion for 90 minutes at least with two excellently taken strikes at the home of their fiercest rivals.
While the first represented good poaching after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s initial effort, the second was something else with the Frenchman latching onto a ball that was falling out of the air before smashing it past Michel Vorm on the volley sending the away section into ecstasy.
Gunners fans didn’t know Mathieu was capable of such a strike!
Alexis Sanchez (2nd) vs Leicester City (A)
The story of the Premier League season so far – Leicester City – have still only remarkably been beat just ONCE so far this season but at the hands of who?
Arsenal.
Coming out 3-5 victors in an enthralling game at the King Power Stadium back in late September, these three points could be absolutely crucial for Arsene Wenger’s men in the final reckoning if the Foxes maintain their quite sensational form.
In a game of eight goals, it was Alexis Sanchez’s second strike of an eventual hat-trick on 57 minutes that just has to make its way into this countdown.
A fantastic team goal, it was Mesut Ozil who deserves equal praise on this one for the delightful ball he chipped into the path of Sanchez who leapt like a salmon to head the ball beyond Kasper Schmeichel.
Arsenal were definitely in the groove that day going forward and Mesut Ozil was beginning to show the doubters just how wrong they were about his abilities.
