Scoring a goal is, as the old adage goes, the hardest thing to do in football.
Well, there are some players who have wasted very little time in putting that particular aphorism to shame in Premier League play.
On February 1, 2025, Abdoulaye Doucoure scored the fourth-fastest goal in the competition's history, netting after only 10 seconds against Leicester City. It seems remarkable that three other goals could have been netted in quicker fashion, let alone that one of those was only two years ago, but that's just what the table below shows.
Here, The Sporting News presents the top 10 fastest goals ever scored in Premier League history.
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Fastest goal in Premier League history
The fastest goal in a Premier League match was scored by Shane Long for Southampton against Watford on April 24, 2019.
The striker intercepted a pass from Craig Cathcart before chipping the ball over goalkeeper Ben Foster with just 7.69 seconds on the clock.
Long's goal broke the record set by Ledley King for Tottenham Hotspur against Bradford City way back in 2000/01. The defender's shot from 25 yards out deflected into the net after just 9.82 seconds of play.
Philip Billing is the man who is second on this list, with the official time of his opening goal at Arsenal on March 4, 2023 given as 9.11 seconds.
Doucoure's goal, fourth on this list, is the fastest ever scored by a home team in a Premier League match.
Top 10 fastest goals in Premier League history
| Time (seconds) | Scored by | Match | Season | |
| 1. | 7.69 | Shane Long | Watford vs. Southampton | 2018/19 |
| 2. | 9.11 | Philip Billing | Arsenal vs. Bournemouth | 2022/23 |
| 3. | 9.82 | Ledley King | Bradford vs. Tottenham | 2000/01 |
| 4. | 10.18 | Abdoulaye Doucoure | Everton vs. Leicester | 2024/25 |
| 5. | 10.52 | Alan Shearer | Newcastle vs. Man City | 2002/03 |
| 6. | 10.54 | Christian Eriksen | Tottenham vs. Man United | 2017/18 |
| 7. | 11.90 | Mark Viduka | Charlton vs. Leeds | 2000/01 |
| 8. | 12.16 | Dwight Yorke | Coventry vs. Aston Villa | 1995/96 |
| 9. | 12.94 | Chris Sutton | Everton vs. Blackburn | 1994/95 |
| 10. | 13.48 | Kevin Nolan | Blackburn vs. Bolton | 2003/04 |