Getting an early goal can make all the difference in a game of football and is an ideal way to set a team on course to victory.
Such goals can come in all styles, whether through deliberate, furious pressing from kick-off, quick-thinking or simply a dollop of luck.
GOAL takes a look at the fastest goals in the history of the Premier League and who scored them.
What is the fastest goal in Premier League history?
The fastest goal in Premier League history was scored in 7.69 seconds by Shane Long for Southampton against Watford in the 2018-19 season. But Philip Billing has put his name in the hat with a second-place goal in the record book on March 4, 2023, for Bournemouth against Arsenal.
Watford kicked off the game at Vicarage Road on April 23, 2019 and Long charged down a clearance from Hornets defender Craig Cathcart before chipping the ball past Ben Foster before eight seconds had elapsed.
Long's goal against Watford smashed the previous record of 9.82 seconds, which was set by Ledley King when he scored for Tottenham against Bradford City in the 2000-01 campaign.
King's record had stood for almost two decades before being broken by the Irish striker.
| Rank | Time | Player | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7.69 seconds | Shane Long | Watford vs Southampton (2018-19) |
| 2 | 9.11 seconds | Philip Billing | Arsenal vs Bournemouth (2022-23) |
| 3 | 9.82 seconds | Ledley King | Bradford City vs Tottenham (2000-01) |
| 4 | 10.52 seconds | Alan Shearer | Newcastle United vs Manchester City (2002-03) |
| 5 | 10.54 seconds | Christian Eriksen | Tottenham vs Manchester United (2017-18) |
| 6 | 11.90 seconds | Mark Viduka | Charlton vs Leeds United (2000-01) |
| 7 | 12.16 seconds | Dwight Yorke | Coventry vs Aston Villa (1995-96) |
| 8 | 12.94 seconds | Chris Sutton | Everton vs Blackburn Rovers (1994-95) |
| 9 | 13.48 seconds | Kevin Nolan | Blackburn Rovers vs Bolton (2003-04) |
| 10 | 13.52 seconds | James Beattie | Chelsea vs Southampton (2004-05) |
"The manager said to have a quick start and put them under pressure," Long told the BBC afterwards. "Ninety-nine times out of 100 you don't block them, but it fell nicely.
"I took a touch across him and - Ben is a good keeper, he spreads himself well - I knew before the game that the dink was a good finish against him and luckily it came off."
This season, Philip Billing came close to matching the record when he fired in immediately after kick-off as Bournemouth caught Arsenal off guard with a quick attack at the Emirates Stadium.
Alan Shearer went close to taking number one spot in the 2002-03 season when he bagged a goal for Newcastle United against Manchester City in 10.52 seconds.
Christian Eriksen, likewise, had gone close the season before Long smashed the record, with a strike in 10.54 seconds for Tottenham against Manchester United.
Before King, the fastest goal to be scored in the Premier League was by Dwight Yorke during the 1995-96 season, when he bagged for Aston Villa in 12.16 seconds against Coventry.
Remarkably, a goalkeeper makes the top 10 fastest goalscorers in the Premier League as well. Asmir Begovic scored in 13.64 seconds for Stoke City against Southampton on November 3 2013.
However, it was certainly a fluke and the Bosnia-Herzegovina international expressed sympathy for his opposite number Artur Boruc, who was caught out by the clearance.
"It is a terrible feeling to be on the end of one of those but that's football. One bad bounce for a goalkeeper makes you look silly," Begovic said, per The Guardian.