#98 on Brady Jones’ Top 100 Goals of the Decade is from Dirk Kuyt, who dribbled and weaved through a West Brom defense like a knife through warm butter.
Dirk Kuyt’s goals have traditionally been scrambled efforts, well-placed shots in the box, or headers. Not this time. Instead, he was allowed a rare opportunity to run up the middle of the park and weave through a stunned defense. Gerrard fed Kuyt 40 yards from goal, and our #18 took it at the defenders, twice changing direction, and eventually letting rip from 20 yards into the low near-post corner. Not only was the goal unusual from Kuyt, but it illustrated his ability to play up front and create in the middle of the park. It WAS West Brom, though… but that’s a different story!
This sort of goal is usually the trademark of Steven Gerrard or Fernando Torres, so it was a pleasant surprise to see it from Dirk Kuyt. It may not have flown into the far-post upper corner, but it was still a magnificent piece of skill and deserves credit for that. The 2008-2009 had seen an increase in goals from Kuyt from previous seasons (15 compared to 11 the season before) and you could tell he was confident. The goal was the second for Liverpool in a 2-0 win at the Hawthornes that officially relegated West Bromwich Albion.
Why #98?
The goal apart from the build-up was barely enough to make it into a top 200 list, but the way he danced past the last few defenders and make it look so easy is why it makes it. Had the goal been scored from Torres, Gerrard, or Benayoun we probably would have said “fantastic.” Instead, it is Kuyt and we automatically assume the defenders were poor. Funny how that works! Realistically, the goal deserves to be on this list by merit and not just because it is an unusual source. As said earlier, had it gone upper corner or been with a bit more resistance it could have been higher, but it was still a great strike.
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