#3 Dimitri Payet, West Ham vs. Crystal Palace, 2nd April 2016
(Video Courtesy: Football Vine YouTube Channel)
Another one for the Payet books. The French playmaker has firmly established himself as a master of the dead-ball and his finest moment came last year against Crystal Palace.
West Ham were pushing for a Top 4 finish and in the tough matchup against a resurgent Palace, the score was tied 1-1. Near the halfway mark, Payet was fouled just outside the area and stepped up to take the free-kick. Such was the sublime technique and vicious dip on the ball, it found the top-left corner and went in by the right pole side. No goalkeeper in the world could’ve saved that.
If David Beckham hadbeen visiting Boleyn Ground for this match, he would’ve seen this moment of curling (and look at that dip!) perfection that would have made him proud. Though the Hammers went on to draw the match and their top 4 hopes were diminished, they had seemingly found a new hero in Dimitri Payet and his breathtaking free-kicks.
