Support truly independent journalism Find out more Close Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth. Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Jack Wilshere won Match of the Day's goal of the season award for the second year running thanks to a collective surge of support from Arsenal fans.
The midfielder was a late entry among the eight contenders for the gong, with his final day strike against West Brom deemed worthy of inclusion.
When the results came in it seemed BBC officials had been right to include it, with Wilshere's volleyed effort from outside the box taking a staggering 34 per cent of the vote.
However, Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker felt compelled to point out that there had been something of a rallying cry from Arsenal fans on Twitter to vote for Wilshere.
Wilshere, who won the award the previous year for rounding off a brilliant team move against Norwich, thanked those who voted for him.
Premier League 2014/15 memorable momentsShow all 12 1 /12Premier League 2014/15 memorable moments Premier League 2014/15 memorable moments Comical tackle of the season Phil Jones’ commitment has never been in question – but he really went the extra mile in May’s Premier League clash against Arsenal. Having slipped with Olivier Giroud on his shoulder, the defender managed to nod a header away – despite lying flat on the ground. Former Gunners defender Martin Keown labelled him as a “comical stuntman” – and it’s hard to disagree on this showing.
Getty Images
Premier League 2014/15 memorable moments Unluckiest player of the season In the opening match of the season, Ashley Young may have seen Ki Sung-Yeung’s goal and thought it was going to be a bad day – but little did he know, it was about to get a whole lot worse for him. Whilst berating team-mates for their defending, videos appear to show bird excrement falling from the sky and straight into the midfielder’s mouth – something he still denies, of course.
Getty Images
Premier League 2014/15 memorable moments Best free-kick “It was a boring game and I livened it up. My mates think I’m a legend” – the words of Jordan Dunn, the pitch invader who ran on to take a free-kick in August’s match between West Ham and Spurs. His effort was arguably better than many seen on the pitch that day, but Dunn was subsequently fined £305 for his moment of madness.
Getty Images
Premier League 2014/15 memorable moments Best worst celebration Charlie Adam’s reaction to scoring one of the goals of the season? A not-so-great robot celebration – which led team-mate Peter Crouch to judge it as “horribly wrong”. Adam had just scored from his own half against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but many will remember the goal for other reasons.
Getty Images
Premier League 2014/15 memorable moments Worst attempt at a head-butt An addition to the historic list of on-field battles between Manchester United and Arsenal, Gunners midfielder Jack Wilshere took umbrage with opponent Marouane Fellaini – and appeared to head-butt the Belgian. Wilshere’s nine inch height disadvantage meant that his strike failed to meet its target, however, probably helping him to avoid an FA ban.
Getty Images
Premier League 2014/15 memorable moments Strangest complaint Match officials will carry out a number of checks before every match – ensuring twenty-two are on the field of play, checking there are no holes in the nets and so on – but in October, before Leicester’s match at Swansea, the away team’s goalkeepers became convinced that the crossbar was too high and complained to the officials. Checks were made – and the goals were found to be the correct height.
Getty Images
Premier League 2014/15 memorable moments Biggest loser at mind games After West Ham’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United in February, Hammers chief Sam Allardyce accused his opponents of purely playing long-ball football – much to the Dutchman’s anger. Instead of brushing the comments off, Van Gaal produced a document to suggest it was actually Allardyce’s men who lumped the ball forward more often. Big Sam’s efforts to get under the skin of his counterpart had worked.
Getty Images
Premier League 2014/15 memorable moments The Alan Pardew award for bonkers behaviour from a manager In February, the pressure was starting to mount on Leicester boss Nigel Pearson – and things threatened to come to a head during his side’s 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace. Eagles midfielder James McArthur had collided with the hot-headed manager on the touchline, and instead of helping him to his feet, Pearson appeared to strangle the 27-year-old. He subsequently escaped punishment by the FA.
Getty Images
Premier League 2014/15 memorable moments Most topical celebration On the day of Manchester United’s victory over Spurs in March, a video emerged showing the United Wayne Rooney skipper being knocked to the ground in a boxing match in his own home by ex-team-mate Phil Bardsley. He went on to celebrate his goal in the 3-0 win with a celebration imitating his own knock-out.
Getty Images
Premier League 2014/15 memorable moments Weirdest press conference/best name calling Nigel Pearson has always been a manager who will back his players – even if it means ostracising himself from the media. A journalist had asked Pearson to explain his comments that his side had faced a high level of criticism and negativity, and instead of giving a reasoned answer, Pearson labelled the reporter as an “ostrich” and said his “head must be in the sand”.
Getty Images
Premier League 2014/15 memorable moments The delusional boaster award Step aside Jose Mourinho – you’re not the best coach in the Premier League, according to Newcastle boss John Carver. His suggestion for the mantle? Himself. Speaking recently, on the back of eight straight defeats, Toon boss Carver made the bold statement – perhaps to deflect attention onto himself and away from his struggling squad.
Getty Images
Premier League 2014/15 memorable moments Playground moment Cesc Fabregas has always been able to pick a pass – and showed this more than ever in May’s away trip to West Brom. During a break in play, the Spaniard’s 20-yard punt hit opponent Chris Brunt on the head whilst referee Mike Jones was dealing with another incident. Jones saw Fabregas’ strike and showed him a straight red card – but his three-match ban has since been reduced to just one, after Chelsea successfully argued the initial punishment was excessive.
Getty Images
Lineker and Match of the Day pundits Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy expressed surprise at the result - with Shearer saying his pick would have been Charlie Adam's effort from his own half against Chelsea, whilst Murphy would have picked Bobby Zamora's outside-of-the-foot lob for QPR. Other contenders included Juan Mata's acrobatic strike against Liverpool, Angel Di Maria's lob against Leicester and Graziano Pelle's self-made overhead volley.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments