Carlos Alcaraz stunned Arsenal and their title hopes recently after striking for Southampton just 30 seconds after kickoff. However, quick PL goals are not a rarity. In fact, the goal by Alcaraz is not even in the top-10 of the fastest goals in Premier League history.
Let’s rewind back to the moment and relive the fastest goal in Premier League history!
What is the fastest goal in Premier League history?
The honour of scoring the fastest goal in Premier League history belongs to Shane Long. Funnily enough, that goal was also scored for Southampton, who, along with Sadio Mane’s fastest PL hattrick, have made it a habit of getting on record sheets.
Also read: Why is Southampton’s stadium called St Mary’s?
The Irish international scored after just 7.69 seconds against Watford on April 23, 2019. Remarkably, it was from a Watford kickoff too!
Watford started off the match and the ball was played back to centre-back Craig Cathcart. As Cathcart opened up his body to play a long ball to the wings, Shane Long pressed him and blocked off the passing lane.
The ball ricocheted off Long and fell loose behind Cathcart. From there, Long sped onto it and cooly lifted it over an onrushing Ben Foster to give Southampton the lead after just 7.69 seconds, recording the fastest goal in Premier League history.
Ironically, Southampton led with the fastest goal in Premier League history only to be pegged back by Watford who scored with the last kick of the game to draw the tie. The game finished 1-1 with the match sheet showing two goalscorers at minute 1 and minute 90 respectively, perfectly bookending the match.
Shane Long beat the record set by Ledley King who had scored for Tottenham against Bradford City after 9.82 seconds on December 9, 2000.
Since then, Ledley King’s record has also been bettered by Philip Billing of Huddersfield who scored after 9.11 seconds against Arsenal on March 4, 2023. However, Shane Long’s remarkable record is probably one that will stand forever unless a player manages to score from the kickoff itself.
What are the top 10 quickest goals in Premier League history?
Here is the table that shows the top 10 fastest goals in Premier League history with all relevant information including date, opposition, and more.
| Scorer | Time after KO (Seconds) | Team | Opposition | Date |
| Shane Long | 7.69 | Southampton | Watford | April 23, 2019 |
| Phillip Billing | 9.11 | Huddersfield | Arsenal | March 4, 2023 |
| Ledley King | 9.82 | Tottenham | Bradford City | December 9, 2000 |
| Alan Shearer | 10.52 | Newcastle | Man City | January 18, 2003 |
| Christian Eriksen | 10.54 | Tottenham | Man Utd | January 31, 2018 |
| Mark Viduka | 11.90 | Leeds United | Charlton | March 17, 2001 |
| Dwight Yorke | 12.16 | Aston Villa | Coventry City | Sept 30, 1995 |
| Chris Sutton | 12.94 | Blackburn Rovers | Everton | April 1, 1995 |
| Kevin Nolan | 13.48 | Bolton Wanderers | Blackburn Rovers | January 10, 2004 |
| James Beattie | 13.52 | Southampton | Chelsea | August 28, 2004 |
