The Saints striker netted after 7.69 seconds against Watford.
Southampton have taken another step towards Premier League safety thanks to their 1-1 draw with Watford on Wednesday night but the big talking point was Shane Long’s record breaking goal.
The Republic of Ireland striker netted on 7.69 seconds, directly after the Hornets kicked off, as he blocked a Craig Cathcart clearance before bearing down on goal and lofting the ball over goalkeeper Ben Foster.
Long’s goal at Vicarage Road broke a 19-year record held by Tottenham Hotspur, defender Ledley King, who scored 9.82 seconds after kickoff against Bradford City back in December 2000.
Southampton also hold the record for the fastest ever Premier League hat-trick, scored by Sadio Mane against Aston Villa in May 2015 at a time of 2 minutes 56 seconds.
Here is how some of the Saints fans reacted on Twitter to Long’s historic strike:
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s charges led for the majority of the game and were close to securing victory, only for the Hornets to strike back in the 90th minute through Andre Gray, who rifled home via a deflection from Maya Yoshida.
The result means that Southampton are two places and six points above the Premier League relegation zone with three games remaining, and up next for them is a south coast derby against Bournemouth at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
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