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SIGNIFICANCE OF POGBA’S PENALTY KICK GOAL

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The English Premiership League for the Season 2018/19 opened last Friday with Manchester United beating Leicester City 2-1.

The opening goal as by Manchester United’s midfielder and captain for the day, Paul Pogba when he converted a third minute penalty kick.

That goal made Pogba as the fourth player to open season with penalty. He is the first player from either of the squads to achieve the feat, despite the past four opening fixtures having featured one of these two teams.

United and Leicester avoided the first goalless opener since Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City drew 0-0 in 2010/11.

It was a very different story last season as Arsenal opened up in a seven-goal thriller, beating Leicester 4-3.

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Quick off the mark

 

Alexandre Lacazette headed in the opener after just 94 seconds. That was the third time the first goal of the season had arrived inside the opening two minutes.

Kevin Campbell scored the early opener for Arsenal against Manchester City in 1994/95. Faustino Asprilla was similarly quick off the mark for Newcastle United against Sheffield Wednesday in 1997/98.

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Opening from the spot

 

Pogba’s goal is the fourth instance where the opening goal of the season has come from the penalty spot.

Alan Shearer was one of three players to score in the fifth minute on the opening day in 1995/96, for Blackburn Rovers against Queens Park Rangers.

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Michael Ricketts converted his fourth-minute penalty for Bolton Wanderers against Fulham in 2002/03, while David Dunn did so for Birmingham City against Spurs in 2003/04.

On only one occasion has the season’s first goal been an own goal. Kyle Walker put the ball into his own net to give Man Utd a 1-0 home win over Spurs in August 2015.

Opening goalscorers of all Premier League seasons

Find below the opening goal scorers for each of the 27 Premier League seasons.

Please note that for the seasons to 2002/03 the goal scorers below are for the fastest goals scored on the first match week when there was no single opening match.

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Season Minute Player Team Opp
1992/93 5 Deane SHU MUN
1993/94 10 Beagrie EVE SOU
1994/95 2 Campbell ARS MCI
1995/96 5 Shearer BLB QPR
Ekoku WIM BOL
Williamson WHU LEE
1996/97 4 Bjornebye LIV MID
1997/98 2 Asprilla NEW SHW
1998/99 7 Heskey LEI MUN
1999/00 10 Cort WIM WAT
2000/01 9 Venus IPS TOT
2001/02 15 Nolan BOL LEI
2002/03 4 Ricketts BOL FUL
2003/04 36 Dunn BIR TOT
2004/05 38 Cisse LIV TOT
2005/06 43 Van Nistelrooy MUN EVE
2006/07 46 Hulse SHU LIV
2007/08  90 Chopra SUN TOT
2008/09 4 Nasri ARS WBA
2009/10 28 Hunt HUL CHE
2010/11 14 Kalinic BLA EVE
2011/12 12 Suarez LIV SUN
2012/13 8 Michu SWA QPR
2013/14 37 Sturridge LIV STK
2014/15 28 Ki SWA MUN
2015/16 22 Walker (OG) MUN TOT
2016/17 45 Diomande HUL LEI
2017/18 2 Lacazette ARS LEI
2018/19 3 Pogba MUN LEI

 

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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