Crowded Field for Liverpool’s August Goal of the Month

Liverpool have today unveiled the list of nominated goals for the opening month’s Goal of the Month award, with Dominik Szoboszlai’s impressive free kick against Arsenal surely the favorite given both its technical skill and importance for the league campaign.

You can watch all 12 contenders and cast your vote on the club website, with eight contenders from first team action and four from the academy level.

Hugo Ekitiké is most-featured, with his low strike in his debut in the Community Shield and his immediate-post-halftime goal against Newcastle both nominated. Three of the four goals against Bournemouth are nominated, with Federico Chiesa’s strike to break the deadlock perhaps the romantic option of the day, Cody Gakpo’s goal emphasizing how calm and collected he can be in front of goal, and Mohamed Salah’s late effort showcasing his matchday one continuity as much as his skills on the pitch.

Ryan Gravenberch’s precise low effort to open the scoring at St James’ Park is the second nominated goal coming against Newcastle, with Rio Ngumoha’s calm and collected late finish naturally nominated as well. (In the interest of disclosure, I went with Ngumoha’s strike: his age, the moment, and the entire team bar Szoboszlai being involved tipped my personal scales.)

At the U18 level, Joe Bradshaw’s Szoboszlai-esque free kick has made the cut alongside Josh Sonni-Lambie’s long effort from near the halfway line, having taking advantage of the Stoke goalkeeper’s adventurous defending. Though both players could use some improvements in their knee sliding technique, it was lovely to see Bradshaw’s celebration include a homage to the late Diogo Jota.

At the U21 level, Jayden Danns has his strike against Leicester City U21s nominated, and it showcases clever on-the-ball play with a strong turn and effective one-two before a striker’s finish. Finally, Kieran Morrison’s fast-break goal against Burnley is among the contenders, showcasing confident play and finishing.

Though every month has some delightful goals on show, this August is perhaps more crowded than normal with emotion: late finishes, debut goals, and great technique.

Get your votes in!

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com