A goal kick, a header, a header, a volley, another header.
And the first time the ball finds the ground, it’s into space—Chicharito sprinting onto it.
Then, 2-0 West Ham.
Assist to Marko Arnautović.
There’ve been lot of familiar old names involved in the year’s best assists:
Rooney, Suárez, Giroud, Fàbregas, Iniesta, Podolski, Ronaldo, Özil, Modrić, Quaresma, Messi.
As if out of a time machine, showing they still have it.
And today, with West Ham United—the little green pea, too.
It's a clever touch from Arnautovic that puts Hernandez in behind Newcastle's defence. West Ham have breathing space, at last,
— KUMB.com (@kumbdotcom) December 1, 2018
Earlier in the game, he scored another, with another fantastic assist—Robert Snodgrass curling the ball in from the wing, finding Chicharito in a gap of space as Arnautović drew the attention of both center backs.
See here:
Arguably the better assist was the first one.
But also a little more textbook.
While the second, the header from Arnautović, was one of the rarest.
Not so often that you see a header assist, even less often you see one that occurs in the midfield—a through ball of sorts, with just enough oomph on it to open up a breakaway for Chicharito.
Like an unlucky game of pinball for Newcastle, the ball pinging around off the bumpers, and then, without warning, down the drain.
Bad day at the office, West Ham are not great but they have a class player in Arnautovic, we don't have anyone on that level or close
— Jordy (@JordyDem) December 1, 2018
There’s only been one other assist like it on this site, from Ivan Perišić in the World Cup semi-final—when Croatia took the lead over England in the final minutes.
A jump, a neck thrust, a header breaking down the defense in a surprise.
They’re rare. But spectacular.
And today, Marko Arnautović had one of the best there can be.