Welcome to theguardian.com review of the 2016-17 Premier League season. Now that the campaign has ended we would like you to help us choose your favourite goal, the best referee and the best manager, and other winners in a total of 10 categories. We have nominated some contenders but this is just to get the discussion going: we would like your suggestions so that we can compile the best into final polls that you can vote on. The polls will be published at midday on Wednesday 24 May, so please tell us what you think. Thanks
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Manchester United v Sunderland, 26 December)
Scoring against Sunderland this season was no major feat but doing so in a style that few people had ever seen took real ingenuity. The start was routine enough: United played the ball wide (after Sunderland gave it away), Zlatan Ibrahimovic collected it and Henrik Mkhitaryan darted between two centre-backs. Then Ibrahimovic’s cross flew ever so slightly behind Mkhitaryan; then the Armenian blew minds. Allowing himself to fall forward, Mkhitaryan hooked his right leg up and used his heel to flick the ball past a bewildered goalkeeper. The goal meant nothing in terms of the result but redefined what it is possible for players to do, putting it on a similar plane to Cruyff’s turn, Panenka’s penalty and Beckham’s sarong. Of course, the goal shouldn’t have counted because Mkhitaryan was offside.
Olivier Giroud (Arsenal v Crystal Palace, 1 January)
Behold the most beautiful evidence of television’s ability to influence young minds. Mkhitaryan’s goal against Sunderland was replayed a million times over the days that followed so when, less than a week after that goal, Alexis Sánchez delivered a cross between Crystal Palace defenders but fractionally behind Olivier Giroud, the Frenchman knew what to do. His scorpion kick was not original but might have been even better than Mkhitaryan’s in technical and aesthetic terms, since he had to raise his leg slightly higher and the ball crashed in off the crossbar, which is always pleasing. And he was onside.
Eden Hazard (Chelsea v Arsenal, 4 February)
It was the contrast that made this so beautiful, the difference between the skill and joyous impudence of Hazard’s dribble and the panic and slapstick clumsiness in Arsenal’s attempt to stop it. Hazard received the ball right in the middle of the centre and immediately shrugged off one token Arsenal challenge before skedaddling forward with a speed and menace that frazzled the opposition. Francis Coquelin tried to cling on to the the Belgian but was sent reeling backwards like he had fallen off a ladder. Laurent Koscielny was challenged to a dance-off and jigged off stage like a bad Ed Balls, leaving Hazard to shoot past Shkodran Mustafi and Petr Cech and into the net.
Andy Carroll (West Ham v Crystal Palace, 14 January)
If there was a category for Most Futile Gesture of the season, Wayne Hennessey would win it hands down. The dive by Crystal Palace goalkeeper moments after the ball whizzed past him was never going to make any difference to the outcome of Andy Carroll’s amazing shot, although it did at least emphasis just how powerful that shot was. Few scissors-kicks have ever been struck so perfectly. This was Exhibit A to Z in the case against anyone whoever says that Carroll is just a great header of the ball.
Jordan Henderson (Liverpool v Chelsea, 16 September)
Every goal of the season competition needs a blaster from outside the box. But this was more than a blaster, for Henderson did more than whack it and hope for the best. For a start, his first touch was perfect, turning Gary Cahill’s hurried clearance into the ideal set-up. Then he did more than fire the ball into the top corner from nearly 30 yards, he deposited it there with precisely the right amount of power and curl to make Thibaut Courtois’ full-spread dive inadequate. It was the only goal Henderson scored in an injury-ruined season but it was a masterpiece.
