PL ignores Aina, his backers BBC pundit and Lionesses legend: Forest RB misses out on Goal of the Month

The English Premier League has overlooked Ola Aina’s spectacular strike in Nottingham Forest’s 3-0 win over West Ham United at the City Ground in its shortlist for the Goal of the Month award for November.

Aina scored Forest’s third goal with a thunderous effort from outside the penalty area. 

The Super Eagles fullback displayed remarkable physicality to shrug off his marker before taking advantage of a poor clearance. He then unleashed a curling shot that beat Łukasz Fabiański and nestled into the far corner.

The goal, which marked Aina’s first for Nottingham Forest this season in 14 matches across all competitions, drew widespread acclaim. 

BBC reporter John Bennett had predicted it would make the shortlist, while Lionesses legend Karen Carney described the strike as "unstoppable, even by three goalkeepers."

However, the Premier League’s list of eight contenders for the November Goal of the Month award did not include Aina’s effort.

Among the shortlisted goals were Leif Davis’s strike for Ipswich in a 1-1 draw with Leicester City and Mohamed Salah’s effort in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Brighton, both scored on November 2.

Other nominees included Harry Wilson’s opening goal in Fulham’s 2-1 victory over Brentford on November 4 and Alejandro Garnacho’s curler strike in Manchester United’s 3-0 win against Leicester City on November 10.

Emerson Palmieri’s free-kick for West Ham against Arsenal on November 30 and three goals from Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha also made the cut. 

Remarkably, Cunha became the first player in Premier League history to have three goals nominated for a single Goal of the Month award.

Despite the setback, Ola Aina will be determined to enhance his attacking contributions and will aim to score more standout goals that could earn recognition for future nominations before the season concludes.

Adeyemi Adewale

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