Julio Enciso v Man City voted WAB Brighton Goal of the Season
Julio Enciso has racked up his fair share of awards for that stunning goal for Brighton against Man City in the penultimate game of the 2022-23 campaign.
Premier League Goal of the Season. Match of the Day Goal of the Season. And now comes the most coveted of the lot; the one the teenager from Paraguay no doubt wanted to win above any other – the WAB Brighton Goal of the Season award.
It hardly comes as a surprise that Enciso was victorious in an absolute landslide, taking 67.24 percent of the vote to leave Kaoru Mitoma’s later winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup a distant second.
Enciso himself completed the top three with his other blockbuster strike from earlier in the campaign which helped secure a first ever Albion league win away at Chelsea.
There were certain similarities between the two Enciso efforts. They both saw the forward collect position near the halfway line and slightly to the left before advancing around 10 yards towards the opposition goal.
With limited options in terms of forward or sideways passes, Enciso opted to gave a go from distance. For the Man City goal, he was around 30 yards out. Against Chelsea, circa 25.
The result on both occasions were powerful shots which neither Stefan Ortega nor Kepa Arrizabalaga had a hope in hell of stopping. You could have put three goalkeepers between the sticks and they still would not have kept either effort out between them.
What made the Man City goal more impressive – other than the slightly increased distance – was the swerve and dip Enciso got on the ball as it rocketed into the top corner postage stamp, sending Brighton fans delirious in the process.
More telling than the reaction of Seagulls supporters, however, was that of the City contingent sat in the South Stand.
The slow-motion replay taken from behind Enciso showed visiting fans with hands on heads and mouths wide open in shock and awe. One bloke even starts clapping before the ball has crashed into the back of the net.
When people who watch the magic Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland serve up on a weekly basis are reacting like that to a goal, it must be something special.
As for Mitoma against Liverpool, that was a rather different type of finish involving a supreme piece of skill rather than a spectacular blockbuster.
The context too was different, Mitoma delivering in the final minute to eliminate the FA Cup holders from the competition and ignite Albion dreams of Wembley.
Brighton were so good against the Redmen that the only answer Jurgen Klopp’s side had was to kick anything in blue and which moved, whilst trying to hold onto a draw and a subsequent Anfield replay.
There was a certain amount of irony then that it was the 752nd poor challenge from a Liverpool player which ultimately led to Mitoma winning it for the Albion right at the death.
Andy Robertson found his way into the book for chopping down Alexis Mac Allister, giving Pascal Gross the chance to deliver a ball into the box from the subsequent free kick.
Over it came to Mitoma at the back post. Substitute Deniz Undav played a very underrated role in blocking a Red defender from getting closer to Mitoma, giving the Japanese Bullet Train a bit of space to work in.
Mitoma then sublimely chopped his foot across the bouncing ball, producing the perfect amount of spin and lift to send it sailing up and over the head of Joe Gomez.
With Gomez flummoxed, Mitoma appeared on the other side of the Liverpool defender and crashed a volley beyond Alisson Becker.
Brighton were through, Liverpool were out and Mitoma was on his way to being voted WAB Brighton January Player of the Month, becoming the first player to win three consecutive awards in the process.
WeAreBrighton.com Brighton Goal of the Season 2022-23 – The Results
- Julio Enciso v Manchester City (H) – 67.74%
- Kaoru Mitoma v Liverpool FA Cup (H) – 14.27%
- Julio Enciso v Chelsea (A) – 9.18%
- Pascal Gross v Wolves (H) – 5.57%
- Solly March v Southampton (A) – 1.95%
- Alexis Mac Allister v Leicester (H) – 1.27%
Previous Winners: Enock Mwepu (2022), Danny Welbeck (2021), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (2020), Anthony Knockaert (2019), Jose Izquierdo (2018), Steve Sidwell (2017), Jiri Skalak (2016) Rohan Ince (2015), Jake Forster-Caskey (2014), Craig Mackail-Smith (2013), Inigo Calderon (2012), Liam Bridcutt (2011), Gary Dicker (2010).
