Astounding! Just hours into the New year, Olivier Giroud scores Puskas award winning goal (video)

The Frenchman complemented a superb move by the Gunners with an unimaginable flick-on-volley to beat Crystal Palace' goalkeeper Wayne Hennesey to put his side ahead in the 17th minute.

Recall that Manchester United’s Henrik Mkhitaryan netted a curtain raiser in a similar fashion on Boxing Day; Giroud’s goal seem to have dusted that of the United player as many have notched further to agree that the Arsenal man’s strike was purely 'heavenly'.

The Puskas award which was established in 2009 is an annual award presented to the player with the most spectacular goal in a calendar year.

Although there are more goals to come in the course of the year, Giroud's strike against Palace on January 1, 2017, will definitely be a strong contender.