Two of the game’s greats held the record for the fastest ever Premier League goal. Alan Shearer held the second spot for his effort against Manchester City back in 2003. The Newcastle United man charged down Carlo Nash’s attempted clearance inside ten seconds and then poked home. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur legend Ledley King was considered to have the record for his effort against Bradford City in 2000, also inside the ten-second mark.
Tonight, though, on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, that record has been smashed by a man who, with his goal against Leicester City in January, ended a scoring drought of 279 days; Southampton’s Shane Long.
Shane Long Smashes Record For Fastest Premier League Goal
No Time At All
0.07 – At just seven seconds, Shane Long’s strike against Watford is the fastest ever scored in @premierleague history. Record. #WATSOU
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 23, 2019
According to Opta, Long’s goal in the Premier League fixture against Watford came after just seven seconds. This shaves an enormous (in the context) three seconds off King’s previous record, one that will surely take decades to be repeated.
How It Happened
It would be safe to assume that it came from a Southampton kick-off, from which it was lumped forward for Long to race onto and slot in. You’d be wrong, though. This actually came from a Watford kick-off.
The ball was passed straight back to Craig Cathcart from the start and, as most would, he was expected to punt it forward and gain some territory for his side. Instead, the Northern Irishman dallied on the ball and his clearance struck the on-rushing Long.
The Irishman was then faced with just Ben Foster in the Hornets goal and he produced a sublime finish over the 36-year-old to hand the Saints the advantage, probably before most of their fans had even taken their seats.
Main Photo
