Wayne Rooney bicycle kick vs Man City named greatest Premier League goal

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Wayne Rooney's spectacular bicycle kick against Manchester City has been declared the greatest Premier League goal of all time, according to a mathematical analysis. The overhead kick, which came in the 77th minute following a cross from Nani, saw Rooney adjust mid-air to give Manchester United a 2-1 lead over their rivals.

This conclusion was reached by a team of experts who analysed 35 of the league's most memorable goals using a unique formula designed to objectively rank each strike. The scoring system awarded points for technical brilliance (up to 35% of the total score), difficulty (25%), context (20%), impact on result (15%), and the moment itself (5%).

The study was commissioned by OLBG, who teamed up with maths whizz Bobby Seagull to develop the formula.

Goal Score = (35 x T) + (25 x D) + (20 x C) + (15 x I) + (5 x M) gave a maximum of 1,000 points, with Rooney’s finish hitting 970, just 30 shy of perfection.

Bobby Seagull said: "The maths confirms what our hearts already knew. When you combine outrageous technique, high stakes and perfect execution, you get goals that transcend sport and become art. Rooney's goal is the perfect storm in my formula."

Dennis Bergkamp's pirouette against Newcastle in March 2002 took second place with 925 points. Thierry Henry's flick-and-volley against Manchester United came third, scoring 905 points.

Rounding out the top five were Vincent Kompany's long-range rocket against Leicester (900) and David Beckham's iconic halfway-line strike against Wimbledon (895).

The mathematical ranking emerges hot on the heels of a survey involving 2,000 football supporters, who shared their own favourite Premier League goals.

In the fans' poll, Rooney's spectacular overhead kick secured second place, whilst Beckham's daring long-range effort against Wimbledon claimed the crown. Cristiano Ronaldo's stunning free kick against Portsmouth in 2008 completed the supporters' top three.

When quizzed on what elevates a goal to legendary status, supporters highlighted technique, technical ability, and ball control as the key ingredients, with precision, distance, and unexpected creativity following closely behind.

The OnePoll.com research revealed that 79% of fans reckon spectacular goals strengthen the Premier League's standing as one of the world's finest competitions, whilst two-thirds confessed they regularly hunt down clips of brilliant goals to watch repeatedly.

Jake Ashton, for OLBG, said: "Fans have had their say on the subject before, which was why we wanted to call in the experts to run the numbers on some of these amazing moments.

"The fact there are a few differences between the maths and supporters' shows that these moments are subjective and also can carry some emotional weight.