Hwang Hee-chan is reaching his prime as he enters his third year in the English Premier League. He surpassed last season's number of goals in just 10 games this season, and received rave reviews in a short period of time from Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, two greats who dominated the Premier League over the past 10 years. Then, the fantastic goal he scored against the powerful team Newcastle United was nominated for October's Goal of the Month by the Premier League Secretariat. The Premier League Secretariat announced the candidates for the 'October Budweiser Goal of the Month' on the 2nd (Korean time). Of the Premier League goals scored in October, a total of eight were on the candidate list, including one from 'Korean Guy' Hwang Hee-chan. Hee-chan Hwang scored an equalizer in the 26th minute of the second half when the team was behind 1-2 in the 10th round Premier League match against Newcastle in the 2023/24 season held at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England on the 29th of last month, creating a 2-2 draw. Considering that Newcastle is a strong team that finished fourth last season and advanced to the UEFA Champions League finals for the first time in 21 years this season, one point is like a fortune against Wolverhampton. Hwang Hee-chan put it together. When Hwang Hee-chan was in a scoring situation, he caught the ball inside the penalty box and when the opposing defense rushed in, he dodged it with his left foot and completely dodged it. He then struck the net with a left foot, rather than his usual right foot. It was a great goal that made you wonder if Hwang Hee-chan, who was thought to have a trademark breakthrough, had such detailed technique and goal-making ability. It was Hwang Hee-chan's 6th goal in the Premier League this season and 7th goal in total including the League Cup. Hwang Hee-chan did his signature kneeling ceremony and laughed out loud on the ground, where rain was pouring and his grass was soaked. In particular, the goal on this day was more valuable because Hwang Hee-chan gave a penalty kick that put the team behind 1-2 due to the referee's unclear decision. Wolverhampton blocked Newcastle's corner kick in extra time in the first half, and just as Hwang Hee-chan was trying to kick the ball out of the box, Newcastle defender Fabian Cher ran up and touched the ball, tripping over Hwang Hee-chan's feet and resulting in a penalty kick. Wolverhampton players immediately protested and even video referee (VAR) was activated, but there was no change in the decision. Newcastle's penalty kick was recognized. However, right after the game, Wolverhampton coach Gary O'Neill said, "(The penalty kick given by Hwang Hee-chan) was a scandalous decision. It was a terrible comeback. It was terrible that VAR did not request a reversal of the decision." “During the process, I couldn’t touch Cher at all. I don’t think I even touched a single hair on my soccer shoes,” he said, expressing his anger. Even Karen Carney, a soccer expert from the neutral British channel Sky Sports, said, "It didn't feel like a penalty kick at all," and added, "Hwang Hee-chan tried to kick the ball, but took his foot away in time. Despite the VAR review, the referee did not overturn the decision." He expressed disappointment with the referee's decision. The value of the goal was even greater as he scored in a situation that was so unfair and difficult to organize mentally, and saved not only himself but Wolverhampton from the pit of defeat. The British Mirror applauded, saying, "We are blessed to have Hwang Hee-chan. Hwang Hee-chan appeared at Molineux Stadium to continue his scoring streak." Hwang Hee-chan continues to sharpen his club's history. Hwang Hee-chan became the first player to score goals in six consecutive home games since Wolverhampton was founded in 1877. Previously, it was the first time in 146-year history that the team had scored in five consecutive home games, but Hwang Hee-chan broke it again. Of course, looking at the ‘Goal of the Month’ selected by the Premier League Secretariat, the possibility of Hwang Hee-chan winning the award is not remote. In addition to Hwang Hee-chan, the names include Jacob Brun Larsen (Burnley), Jack Harrison (Everton), Brian Mbomo, Saman Godos (Brentford), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal), and Philip Billing (Bournemouth). raised. Among these, the mid-range goals scored by Harrison and Godos, respectively, and the long-distance lob shot by Billing are gaining quite a lot of support. However, being nominated for 'Goal of the Month' and receiving attention is itself considered recognition that Hwang Hee-chan has stepped up to the next level. It is also not unusual for coaches Guardiola and Klopp to praise Hwang Hee-chan this fall. First, on September 30th, Coach Guardiola, who leads Manchester City, became a hot topic when he called Hwang Hee-chan “Korean Guy” because he did not know his name. At the time, Coach Guardiola said ahead of the Wolverhampton game, "We always struggled in games against Wolverhampton. Some players, including Mateus Nunes, left, but Wolverhampton has many quality players. Pedro Neto, Mateus Cunha, and that Korean player are really great." That became a hot topic. Coach Guardiola specifically called him “The Korean guy.” He couldn't remember his name, so he called him 'Korean Guy', and this expression became a hot topic in Korea and the UK at the same time. Wolverhampton even released ‘The Korean Guy’ shirt. Coach Guardiola's assessment was accurate, and Hwang Hee-chan scored the winning shot against Manchester City, defeating the leading player in last season's 'European Treble'. Then, coach Guardiola correctly pronounced it as "hwang" at the post-game press conference. Before Guardiola, world-renowned German coach Jurgen Klopp, who leads Liverpool, was also wary of Hwang Hee-chan by clearly pronouncing his last name, 'Hwang'. Coach Klopp said ahead of the away game against Wolverhampton on September 16, "It is true that (Wolverhampton) has lost important resources. Nevertheless, when I look at their squad, I think, 'They are a really good team.' If you look at the Wolverhampton squad, you will see Hwang (Hee-chan) and Sasha Kalay. "Even though there are (threatening) players like Zichi who don't even start, there are a lot of good players like Pedro Neto," he said, emphasizing that we still can't let go of the tension. In fact, Hwang Hee-chan, as if to prove that it was strange for Manager Klopp to come on as a substitute, came out as a surprise starter and hit the net of a prestigious Premier League team in the first half, becoming the center of Wolverhampton's 1-0 win in the first half. Of course, the home team lost by three goals in the second half, but Hwang Hee-chan proved his worth in front of Manager Klopp. Coach O'Neill, who had placed Hwang Hee-chan on the bench at the beginning of the season, also soon admitted that his thoughts were wrong and praised Hwang Hee-chan. Coach O'Neill noted that Hwang Hee-chan had only 11 shots until he scored his 5th Premier League goal, ranking first in goal conversion rate in the Premier League, and said, "It is important to choose a good position and shoot accurately like Hwang Hee-chan, rather than a mid-range shot that takes 100 and a half shots. “It’s great,” he praised. With so much praise, Hwang Hee-chan's goal was even recognized as one of the best goals in the Premier League. https://www.casinositerank.com/