Wayne Rooney’s Goal for Manchester United vs Arsenal: Goal of the Season
There is only one other goal I have seen in the Premier League this season that can hold a candle to Wayne Rooney’s goal for Manchester United against Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday and that is Maynor Figueroa’s long range effort for Wigan Athletic at Stoke.
Nothing else comes close.
I don’t think I need to say much to convey the sheer magic of this brilliant, ruthless counter attack to be honest. All I can add to it is – 9.2 seconds. That is the time it takes between Ji-Sung Park winning the ball inside Arsenal’s own penalty area and Rooney hitting the back of the net at the other end.
9.2 seconds.
9.2 seconds to cover almost 100 yards. It is pretty much the equivalent of Usain Bolt and two other 100 metre sprinters running an Olympic 100 metre race while having to simultaneously dodge defenders and pass a football amongst themselves. It is unbelievably quick.
Speed on the break from Nani, Rooney and Park caught Arsenal out time after time in United’s 3-1 win on Sunday. The Gunners just could not handle it. This goal was the most frighteningly exquisite testament to Manchester United’s counter-attacking style on the day, a style that has been carefully cultivated by Sir Alex Ferguson for years at Old Trafford through flying wingers and forwards like Andrei Kanchelskis, Lee Sharpe, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke and Cristiano Ronaldo. Rooney, Park and Nani are the latest graduates of this school of speed.
As with any great goal, context is also important. Ferguson called this ‘the biggest game of the season’ before the match. To create a goal like this away from home against one of your biggest rivals, in a game likely to have a significant effect on the title race, only adds to it’s majesty.
Interestingly enough, another breathless Manchester United counter attack at the Emirates, Ronaldo’s goal in United’s 3-1 Champions League 2008/2009 semi final win, also saw the Red Devils travel from one end of the pitch to the other in exactly 9.2 seconds.
Simply put, the goal of the season.
Arsenal, English Premier League, Great Goals, Manchester United, Wayne RooneyShare This Post!
About Jonathan F
The boss of this here... Creator and Editor of Just-Football.com, world football analyst, watcher, freelancer and all-round enthusiast. French football analyst for Football Radar. Write for FourFourTwo, have also written for ITV, When Saturday Comes and others.
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Its not even close to being goal of the season, thats a stretch.
United supporter, I presume?
A good goal, but goal of the season?
No.
Feel free to name any goals that were better?
Several pundits called Ashley Cole's goal against Sunderland the goal of the season the other day. To me this was 10 times better.
Like I say, Figueroa's goal and this are the best two goals I've seen so far this season.
Thanks,
Jonathan
It wasn't even the best goal in the game. Did you miss how Nani destroyed his two markers, then danced past a defender and crapped on the goal keeper??? I will be anything that the author of this article is English. Hyping Rooney when in fact… anyone in his position would have scored it. Nobody on that pitch could do what Nani did.
P.S— I'm an Arsenal fan.
Is this article a joke?
Best goal of the season? Oh my….
You just have to laugh at the bias in some people.
it´s too difficult run the way rooney did and finish like that, it was a perfect counter attack, maybe is not the goal of the season but is one of the best
Seeing typical clueless Man U fans such as this make me want to puke.
Much had been said about how well ManU counter attack without thinking and being in perspective. The main reason is not because ManU counter attack are soo great but much more with the Arsenal ways of naivety in tactical and also player themselves.
Think about it, in just recent 5 game, Everton, Stoke, had an oppose no where to be seen arsenal player around to oppose the counter attack, even Sudebe(stoke big bulky) player can run unopposed by Arsenal. if Sudebe can, of course others also can let a alone rooney.
I see many begrudging Arsenal fans, but not too many credible alternative suggestions for goal of the season so far. Still waiting…
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Ba, hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. As someone already pointed out, Nani's goal was better. Calling this goal of the season is beyond laughable.
what a load of tosh. lazy defending does not create a great goal. denilson was jogging back, had a 10 yard start on Rooney and still got overtaken. Sloppy goal not great goal.
Arsenal. Fan. Overload.
how dumb can y'll be. Name a better goal if there is and stop spitting crap. i dont know if there's a better goal. i hate the prem league, rooney, manure,chelski,loserfool,arse-nal. but this is simple foolishness. u cant name a better goal but u hav d time to say that was not? now i see why arsenal can condone d dumbest coach in d business. Barca 4 life
I think you have to have more of an effort at defending to be goal of the season. I'll nominate the last goal Chelsea scored against Bolton in one of their two shellackings of us, I think the Premier League one.
Fernando Torres score a better goal, Nani scored a better goal in that game, Figeroua, Danny Rose’s goal against Arsenal was better than Rooneys goal too. What a joke, goal of the season what were they thinking.