The day Jack Wilshere and Arsenal combined to score the greatest team goal in Premier League history

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If there is a Premier League club who are synonymous with scoring beautifully crafted goals, you should look no further than Arsenal.

Switching their play from a defensive style under George Graham, to the fast-paced attacking style under former boss Arsene Wenger, it created a boom in exceptional goals at Highbury and later the Emirates Stadium.

Thierry Henry’s long-range volley against Manchester United, Dennis Bergkamp’s various Goal of the Month contenders that even the best artists in history couldn’t curate, Robert Pires’ deft lobs and Olivier Giroud’s scorpion kick – the list goes on.

But one contender that always seems to rank above the rest is Jack Wilshere’s outstanding team goal against Norwich City in October 2013 – and after Wilshere’s appointment as Luton Town boss, it’s resurfaced as fans remember the talent that the 34-cap England international had in his locker.

Jack Wilshere’s goal for Arsenal vs Norwich City will live forever in the memory

Wilshere had broken into the Arsenal side as a 16-year-old, and with a loan spell away at then-Premier League side Bolton Wanderers, had become a key part of Arsenal’s new-look side under Arsene Wenger.

Donning the No.10 shirt, it was clear that the French gaffer liked the look of him – and his goal against Norwich proved that.

The midfielder picked up the ball in his own half before passing to left-back Kieran Gibbs, seeing Arsenal start an attack down the left-hand side whilst he drifted into space in the middle of the Norwich half.

Receiving the ball from Santi Cazorla about 30 yards from goal, Wilshere took a touch with the outside of his boot before playing the ball back to the Spaniard.

Cazorla’s first-time pass found Olivier Giroud, who flicked the ball to Wilshere with the outside of his boot. On the half volley and seeing the ball go behind him, Wilshere instinctively flicked it back to Giroud and continued his run into the Norwich box, where the Frenchman found him with the same type of pass.

Wilshere, all alone, volleyed the ball home in such a passive manner that Canaries stopper John Ruddy barely moved. All in all, from Wilshere’s first pass to Cazorla and the ball ending in the back of the net, the move took four seconds.

Norwich players were left startled, fans struck with disbelief, and Wilshere was the only one moving as he slid into the corner. It really was poetry in motion.

Jack Wilshere’s goal was the greatest team goal in Premier League history

Around that time, Barcelona were curating passing sequences that sparked a ‘tiki-taka’ influence across the world, and that was felt on that October afternoon in North London.

There aren’t many better team goals in football history, but certainly not in the Premier League.

Wilshere’s strike was even voted as the BBC’s Goal of the Season, but nothing comes close in terms of team goals since the competition started.

The Gunners produced similar in the 2018-19 season with a superb team goal vs Leicester City that was finished off by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Chelsea had a similar moment to the Wilshere goal with Didier Drogba’s strike in a fixture against Bolton in 2009-10, whilst another Arsenal goal in Aaron Ramsey’s finish against Fulham in 2018-19 evoked memories of that day in the capital just five years prior.

But in terms of sheer speed, intricacy, instinct and pure art, Wilshere’s may never be topped, ever.