CARROLL BEATS GIROUD TO SCORE PREMIER LEAGUE GOAL OF THE MONTH

The West Ham United striker netted a stunning acrobatic strike against Crystal Palace, beating the Arsenal star's scorpion kick to the award When Olivier Giroud scored his incredible scorpion kick for Arsenal against Crystal Palace on New Year's Day, many thought he had the Premier League Goal of the Season award wrapped up. Stats show only Ronaldo compares to Ibrahimovic However, the Gunners star’s effort was not even the best goal of January, according to a panel which included the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Thierry Henry combined with a public vote. The French striker's mind-blowing goal went viral at the start of 2017, leaving players past and present, fans and even the man himself in awe of it. But two weeks later Giroud was overshadowed by West Ham's Andy Carroll, whose goal, which also came against Crystal Palace, claimed the award for the best of the month. An awesome acrobatic bicycle kick at the London Stadium saw the Hammers extend their lead to 2-0 in the 79th minute in a 3-0 win. The award was a delight for Carroll, who has his goal etched into his memory already. “I’m delighted to have won the Goal of the Month competition, especially given how good some of the other goals were," he told West Ham's official website. PLAY “As soon as I hit it I knew it was in, I got a good connection and knew it would hit the back of the net. It’s definitely the best goal I’ve ever scored, one I’m very proud of. Who is Europe's best No.9? “I enjoy every goal I score, but that one was certainly a little bit more special – I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of watching that one back.” Since that strike, Carroll has registered another three in the Premier League, scoring a double against Middlesbrough and finding the net once against Southampton. He now has six goals in 12 league matches.