Crystal Palace 1 Fulham 4: Goal of the season? Pajtim Kasami scores wonder volley to sink Eagles
How does Kasami's strike rank with the greatest Premier League goals of all time?
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Is this the goal of the season already? Pajtim Kasami scored one of the finest goals in recent memory during Fulham’s 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Monday night, giving his side a much needed boost having gone behind early on to an Adrian Mariappa header.
When Sascha Riether spotted Kasami’s run from the halfway line, there looked to be little on for the Swiss forward, as Mariappa pushed him away from goal having appeared to have covered the 21-year-old’s burst.
Kasami though had other ideas. Controlling the ball first time on his chest, he struck a beautiful volley across his body, looping over goalkeeper Julian Speroni and sailing into the back of the net.
The strike got the Cottagers’ manager Martin Jol leaping out of his seat in celebration along with thousands of fans at Selhurst Park, who realised they had just witnessed something special from Kasami. He chose an even better occasion to produce the wonder goal, with Fulham owner Shad Khan looking on from the executive boxes – he was later forced to evacuate his position due to a fire alarm, resulting in the billionaire joining the fans in the stands.
Khan was in attendance ahead of his NFL franchise’s Wembley match on Sunday, when the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the San Francisco 49ers. The Jags are still searching for their first win of the season, although the same cannot be said with Fulham as they have earned back-to-back victories after the triumph over Stoke before the international break.
As if that wasn’t enough, midfielder Steve Sidwell then smashed home a fine volley of his own to put Fulham ahead after Bryan Ruiz’s free-kick was rebounded to the edge of the area, and following a goal from striker Dimitar Berbatov which extended the lead, Kasami’s international team-mate Phillipe Senderos got in on the act with a scissor-kick volley of his own.
Fulham have climbed up to 14th in the Premier League table with 10 points – just one point behind defending champions Manchester United, but they face a difficult ask to make it three in a row when they travel to St Marys to take on Southampton on Saturday evening, with Saints coming off a terrific performance at Old Trafford that saw them depart with a well-earned point.
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere finished off a beautifully flowing move on Saturday that many had claimed would be the goal of the season, despite the current campaign being just over two months old. The England international started the move deep in his own half, before combining with both Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud with pinpoint first-time passes to finish from close range.
But even Wilshere was in awe of Kasami's strike last night, taking to Twitter to praise the Swiss and claim that it was better than the one he scored against Norwich on Saturday.
"Well there's my 'goal of the month' prize gone!!!! Take a bow! #Player #MNF," Wilshere wrote on his official Twitter account.
But where did Kasami's volley rank among the Premier League's all time best goals? Take a look at a selection of them below...
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments