The sublime, the beautifully crafted; the crucial and the historic... Our City journalists pick their favourite goal of 2018.

David Clayton - Gabriel Jesus’ momentous matchwinner

It wasn’t the most spectacular goal of 2018 but it was the icing on the cake for the Blues who had played majestically all season.

Saints made it difficult and looked to have secured a draw when, in added time, Kevin De Bruyne played Gabriel Jesus in and, as the keeper ran out to narrow the angle, the Brazilian striker expertly lobbed the ball over his head to send the travelling fans, bench and players wild.

READ: City v Burton | First leg date confirmed

WATCH: Bernardo Silva | ‘We need an instant response’

GALLERY: Christmas special | Home Alone with KDB

It turned the champions’ performance into the game that made the Blues centurions to cap an historic season in style.

Rob Pollard - Beautiful Football on Derby Day

If ever a goal summed up Pep Guardiola’s philosophy, it was the 44-pass move that ended with Ilkay Gundogan tapping home from close range in the 3-1 win over Manchester United.

City moved it from left to right, forwards and backwards, toying with United who simply couldn’t get near us. It was a remarkable period of possession football.

The magic pass came from Bernardo Silva, who produced an outstanding reverse ball into the box that took out United’s centre-halves and left Gundogan with a simple finish.

Critics will point to United’s defending and say they didn’t do enough to close City down, but that would be ignoring the context of the game. City had outrun, out-thought and outfought United, who by this stage of the match had been ran ragged.

Neil Leigh - Kyle Walker’s cracking winner

If you are going to wait three years to score a goal, you may as well make it a memorable one and City full-back Kyle Walker more than delivered on that score when we played host to Newcastle at the start of September.

With the Blues being held to a 1-1 draw by a dogged Magpies side who were warming to their defensive task, the Blues urgently needed a touch of inspiration.

Step forward the most unlikely of candidates… marauding England right-back Walker who, despite his penchant for spectacular forward raids, was without a goal since November 2015.

Receiving the ball from Sergio Aguero midway in the Newcastle half, Walker took one touch with his right foot before sizing up his options, seizing the moment and unleashing an absolute thunderbolt of a shot which whistled past Newcastle keeper Martin Dubravka into the bottom left-hand corner of the net, sparking delirium all around the Etihad.

It was a wonder goal worthy of winning any game and ultimately proved the difference in a tight encounter.

What a way to open your City account!

Caroline Oatway - Caroline Weir’s wondergoal

One of five summer recruits, Caroline Weir has slotted into Nick Cushing’s squad seamlessly: quickly becoming a regular starter and fans’ favourite, admired above all as a scorer of sensational goals.

She has already bagged multiple Goal of the Season contenders – the best a magnificent 30-yard effort to cap City’s 3-0 win at Bristol City in September.

The Scot took a touch to create a yard of space before unleashing an unstoppable effort into the top corner to add the icing to the proverbial cake in a fantastic triumph. A goal of real quality.

Abigail Withey - Kevin De Bruyne‘s rocket

With a spot in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals up for grabs and a trophy to defend, it was all to play for at the King Power Stadium.

Cut KDB. With 14 minutes on the clock, out of nowhere, the Belgian fired a superb low drive expertly into the bottom corner of Danny Ward’s net from 20 yards out to send the travelling fans (and myself in the press box!) wild.

It marked his first goal of the season and reminded us exactly what we’d been missing during his absence.