Okay, it’s a little premature, but any excuse to look back on the Premier League’s best goals seems like a good one, right?

From some individual moments of dribbling brilliance to jaw-dropping pieces of athleticism, this Premier League season has – like so many others – been laced with truly wonderful goals.

Varying in importance, the goal of the season contest is always a controversial one. Subjective, by nature, what an individual views as the perfect goal will be markedly different. Some would prefer a well-crafted team effort, others a flamboyant volley and there will be some fans who think the relevance of the goal within the match and season should count for something.

Fortunately, we have compiled a short list of who we see as the main contenders for the goal of the season award. Obviously, there could be a couple of scorchers in the remaining matches to force their way into the reckoning, but these FIVE all deserve to be in the conversation…

Payet Dazzles

Although Dimitri Payet has been swept into the annals of West Ham’s history books after his petulant behaviour during the January transfer window, he remains in with a good shout of claiming goal of the season for his stunning solo effort against Middlesbrough at the London Stadium.

Leaving Boro’s defence in tatters, Payet jinked his way through to goal before applying a calm finish to send the frustrated Hammers fans into raptures.

Giroud’s Improv

Pipped to Premier League goal of the month, Olivier Giroud remains a contender for the goal of the season award with his stunning scorpion kick.

Ignore the fact that it’s a compensation for a poor cross, the Frenchman had little time to adjust and athletically flicked his boot towards his hamstring to send the ball flying into the net. The sort of finish that produces a stunned silence rather than a yell from the crowds, Giroud may not win goal of the season, but he scored a goal that will go down as one of the greats.

Carroll rides a bike

Andy Carroll’s goal was so good that he has a cut-out of this strike at the London Stadium. The West Ham striker saw a lofted ball played to him on the right-side of the opposition’s box and, from quite some range, he saw the only way to fire it towards goal was with the most outlandish of bicycle kicks.

He went for it. He pulled it off. A giant man like Carroll is hardly expected to produce moments of such agility, but that is part of what made this such a stunner.

There is an element of hit and hope about strikes like these, but that does not seem to undermine their chances of winning awards.

Mkhi’s Moment

Similar to Olivier Giroud, Henrikh Mkhitaryan executed a perfect scorpion kick as Manchester United beat Sunderland. Ending up lying flat on his front by the goal, the Armenian proclaimed this as his best goal ever and it's not hard to see why.

Some will claim it is a fluke, but it takes flexibility and ingenuity to even consider attempting such a ludicrous finish. To then pull it off might take an element of luck, but Mkhitaryan still deserves credit. Goal of the season, maybe, an iconic moment in Mkhitaryan’s career, certainly.

Hazard does his thing

Now this goal was about even more than the run and finish. Eden Hazard delivered when Chelsea most needed him and it could be the goal we look back on as sealing the title. With Arsenal having missed chances and Chelsea only 1-0, the match was in the balance until Hazard’s stunning solo effort left Arsenal’s defence in tatters.

The close control, quickness of feet and sheer strength to bump Francis Coquelin out of the earth’s orbit made this one of the Premier League’s best individual efforts.