FASTEST GOAL GOAL: WEST HAM'S MATEUS FERNANDES SHATTERS HUGO EKITIKE'S FASTEST GOAL RECORD
Hugo Ekitike's record for the season's fastest goal lasted only a day, as Mateus Fernandes stunned Aston Villa with a 28-second strike—West Ham's quickest ever.
Hugo Ekitike's reign as the fastest Premier League goal scorer this season was short-lived.
On Saturday, the Liverpool striker scored just 47 seconds into the 2-0 victory against Brighton.
That was one of two goals Ekitike scored that afternoon.
But during Sunday's 2 p.m. games, Mateus Fernandes scored for West Ham against Aston Villa in only 28 seconds at the London Stadium, snatching the record.
The goal, 19 seconds faster than Ekitike's, is the quickest West Ham has ever scored in a Premier League game, and the fastest Aston Villa has ever conceded.
However, West Ham's lead didn't last long, as Konstantinos Mavropanos scored an own goal for Villa to equalise.
Jarrod Bowen then put West Ham back ahead in the 24th minute.
StadiumNest noted the flurry of early goals, saying, Just yesterday, we saw Hugo Ekitike score for Liverpool after only 46 seconds against Brighton. Now, Mateus Fernandes has beaten that by 17 seconds. West Ham United fans are very happy. West Ham has scored inside the first 15 minutes eight times this season, while Villa has given up a third of its goals in the first 15 minutes.
Fielden believes this will probably stand as the quickest Premier League goal this season.
Hugo Ekitike's Liverpool Record
The £79m striker is Liverpool's top scorer this season since his move from Eintracht Frankfurt.
He has 10 goals in 23 games, performing better than Alexander Isak.
In Premier League play, he's scored seven in 15 games, making him their best signing of the season.
After the game, Ekitike admitted he wanted more against Brighton: I wanted a hat-trick, but there'll be another time; two goals is still good.
CONOR GALLAGHER CONFIRMED AS "VITAL" STARTER FOR SPURS FOLLOWING BENTANCUR’S INJURY LAYOFF
Conor Gallagher proved the doubters wrong against Man City. Discover why his €40m move to Tottenham is finally paying off for Spurs.
Chelsea and Atletico Madrid both decided Conor Gallagher wasn’t worth the trouble. At Chelsea, he had his moments—Pochettino liked him, but the fans never really warmed up. When Chelsea shipped him off to Atletico, it made sense. Enzo Fernandez stepped up, took over Gallagher’s role, and fit in perfectly next to Caicedo, with Cole Palmer adding that extra spark up front.
Things didn’t get much better for Gallagher in Spain. He barely got a chance at Atleti, lost his spot in the starting eleven, and pretty much ended up on the transfer list before anyone had time to blink. Interest was lukewarm at best until the winter window rolled around. Aston Villa wanted him and went after him pretty aggressively, but then Tottenham swooped in late. Spurs needed someone to patch up the midfield after Bentancur’s injury, so they just paid up—40 million euros, no hesitation.
His start at Tottenham? Rough. Honestly, that was to be expected. He’d played well at Palace before, but after his struggles at Atleti, he needed time to adjust. Sitting on the bench in Spain didn’t do him any favours.
Then Gallagher showed up. People doubted whether he could really add creativity and move the ball forward for Spurs, so his early struggles got people worried. But then came the 2-2 draw against Manchester City. He suddenly looked like the player both Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank were so desperate to sign.
Against City, Gallagher flipped the script. He set up a crucial assist, drove play forward on the dribble, and kept drawing fouls—everything the Spurs needed. Defensively, he was all over the place in a good way: two tackles, three interceptions, a full 90 minutes, and a huge part of the Spurs clawing their way back into the game.
Tottenham fans loved it. They saw the effort, the attitude, and the hunger to win. Gallagher just wouldn’t quit, and in that second half, he, Xavi Simons, Pape Matar Sarr, Destiny Udogie, and Dominic Solanke ran the show. Four of those guys have been carrying Spurs lately, so Gallagher is fitting right in with them. That’s a pretty good sign he’s going to work out just fine in North London.
AC MILAN MEDICAL FAILURE: THE HIDDEN KNEE INJURY THAT CRUSHED MATETA’S £30M MOVE
Jean-Philippe Mateta's £30m move to AC Milan is OFF. Discover why a failed medical has put his France World Cup dreams in jeopardy.