Olivier Giroud scored "the goal of the year on the first day" of 2017 with his "scorpion" strike against Crystal Palace, according to his Arsenal teammate Petr Cech.
Giroud, 30, set the Gunners en route to a second successive Premier League win with a stunning backheel volley 17 minutes into his club's New Year's Day encounter at the Emirates Stadium.
The France striker had already missed an easier chance when he met Alexis Sanchez's cross sweetly with a heel, sending the ball beyond goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and into the net via the crossbar.
It may have been Arsenal's first goal of 2017, but Cech told SFR Sport there may not be a better one in the next 12 months.
"He's really set the standard very high on the first day of the year," the former Czech Republic international said. "I'm curious to see how he'll continue, because he's really set the standard high. But seriously, it was a very important goal in the game, and I think he's already scored the goal of the year on the first day.
"Technically, it was perfect. Also, it went into the top corner, off the crossbar, it was really an extraordinary goal. But he meant it, which made it all the more beautiful. It wasn't lucky. You could see what he was trying to do, but of course there was a touch of fortune about it."
Giroud's goal, his fifth of the season, was followed by Alex Iwobi's second-half strike as Arsene Wenger's men moved up to third in the table, three points behind Liverpool and a point clear of Tottenham Hotspur in fourth.
"I often say to the players to do things which are beautiful but also effective. What he did was magnificent, surprising, spectacular and effective. So there is everything in it to make it a work of art," Wenger told SFR Sport.
"In training, when he does finishing drills, he scores some good goals. But I've never seen him score a goal like that. In 30 years of my career, I've never seen that."
The wonder strike also marked a return to grace for Giroud, who after flitting in and out of the first team, has rewarded Wenger for giving him successive Premier League starts with a goal in each game.
It has also helped Arsenal recover from back-to-back defeats just before the festive period, which looked to have badly damaged morale and their title chances.
Wenger's men are nine points adrift of leaders Chelsea, but Giroud remains confident his club can still influence where the Premier League winners' trophy ends up this season.
"It's good. I'm continuing my good run. And as a team, we've reacted well after our two defeats in a week before Christmas to Everton and Manchester City," Giroud told L'Equipe. "I'm happy to have opened the scoring as the team needed to win the game.
"The pace is relentless at the top of the Premier League. It was important to stay in touch. I think the defeat to Manchester City is behind us now. There's still a lot of time for the title. You mustn't draw conclusions too quickly. We'll go to Chelsea on 4 February, and between now and then, we need to have the the best run possible."