Andros Townsend has won September 2021’s Budweiser Goal of the Month award with his spectacular long-range strike against Burnley.
The Everton winger is the first player to win the award three times since the Premier League introduced it in August 2016, with his latest winner being his curling effort beyond goalkeeper Nick Pope from 30 yards out.
Townsend says the goal was made even more special by the atmosphere at Goodison Park as his strike helped the Toffees fight back from 1-0 down to win 3-1.
“It was incredible,” he says. “They had just scored not long before that, so they went 1-0 up and we scored three in a six-minute period. Honestly, the atmosphere was electric, especially the fact we’ve had no fans for 18 months.
“That was up there with one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever witnessed, in that period when we went from 1-0 down to 3-1 up and cruising.”
His previous two Goal of the Month winners came for Crystal Palace, whom he left to join Everton this summer.
He won December 2018’s accolade with the strike at Manchester City that earned him the 2018/19 Budweiser Goal of the Season prize, and claimed the March 2017 award at West Bromwich Albion.
Townsend says his latest showpiece strike was inspired by his mum, Katerina, who had sent him a compilation of his best long-range goals with the message, “Believe in yourself again”, a few days before the Burnley match.
“My last goal from outside the box was May 2019, so it’s been a while,” he says. “All of a sudden I get a compilation of my goals, a lot of them outside the box, and within a few days I score a cracker.
“Confidence, belief, visualisation. Honestly, it must play a part in what happened against Burnley.”
The 30-year-old’s goal was chosen by a panel of experts combined with a public vote, beating six other contenders.