I don’t know if it’s my favourite, but that is, for several reasons, a well nigh incomprehensible goal. It is, among other things, no look. It’s not lucky. He knows exactly, to the millimetre, how much he has to aim at.
If you notice, he often felt more comfortable touching the ball right of centre, even when he had the opportunity to hit it from dead centre with a gap in front of him. Making the angle more difficult seemed to make his judgement more certain. And he’d send it exactly over into the far corner. Nothing as extreme as this, though.
He could do it from the left, too, although it was of course much rarer. That goal against Chelsea in October 2013. He's definitely offside when the movement starts, but one second before the ball is released, he takes one economical step to get back onside. Not too much. Just enough. Such an intelligent player. Cech was a bloody good keeper, even then. But he has no chance.
Very fond of that goal against the rags in September 2013, too. The cross from Kolarov is as good as it can be in the circumstances, but it's well behind him. He didn't need crosses or assists to be perfect. Just approximately in the right area.
Oh God, look, I just love them all. I would buy a DVD of all his goals for us, and just watch it lovingly, over and over.
Give us a couple more, please, Sergio, before you go. Just for old times sake.
