Who was the first goalkeeper to score in the Premier League?

The Premier League superseded the First Division of the English Football League (EFL) as the top tier of football in England in 1992. Since then, at the time of writing, six goalkeepers have scored in Premier League matches.

On February 21, 2004, Brad Friedel scored a last-minute equaliser for Blackburn Rovers against Charlton, only to concede a goal in stoppage time and lose the match 3-2. Three years later, on March 17, 2007, Paul Robinson scored for Tottenham Hotspur from fully 80 yards in a 3-1 win over Watford at White Hart Lane and, on January 4, 2012, Tim Howard scored for Everton from inside his own area with a bizarre, wind-assisted clearance that bounced over Bolton Wanderers’ goalkeeper Adam Bognan.

The following year, on November 13, 2013, Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic opened the scoring after just 13 seconds of a Premier League clash with Southampton, with another windswept effort that bounced over opposite number Artur Boruc and, in fact, was officially registered by Guinness World Records. Last, but by no means least, on May 16, 2021, Alisson Becker scored a dramatic late winner for Liverpool against West Bromwich Albion, having come up for a corner deep into stoppage time.

The first goalkeeper to score in the Premier League, though, was former Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel, not during his halcyon days with the Red Devils but, rather, on his return to England, after a two-year hiatus, with Aston Villa during the 2001/02 campaign. On October 20, 2001, with his side trailing 3-1 to Everton at Goodison Park, Schmeichel came up for a corner in stoppage time and scored what turned out to be just a consolation goal for the visitors, courtesy of a powerful right-footed volley from close range.

Marvin Sordell holds which unenviable Premier League record?

Former centre-forward represented England at under-20 and under-21 level and played for Team GB, under Stuart Pearce, at the 2012 Summer Olympics. However, he retired in July 2019, at the relatively young age of 28 having struggled with depression and, at one point, attempted suicide. At the time of his retirement, Burton Albion manager Nigel Clough said, “We are sure Marvin has a massive amount to contribute in helping people with their mental wellbeing and we look forward to seeing all that he achieves in the future.”

Born in Pinner, northwest London, on February 17, 1991, Sordell played youth football for Fulham between 2004 and 2007 and for Watford between 2007 and 2009. He made his professional debut for the Hornets, in the Championship, during the 2009/10, which also included a brief loan spell with Tranmere Rovers in League One.

After scoring at a rate of one goal every three games in 81 appearances for Watford, Sordell was transferred, for £3.6 million, to Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League on January 31, 2012. However, he made just three Premier League appearances for the Trotters, who were relegated at the end of the season, and subsequently the whole of the 2013/14 season on loan to Championship rivals Charlton Athletic.

At the end of his that loan spell, Sordell joined newly-promoted Burnley, back in the Premier League, albeit for a reduced transfer fee of £630,000. He made 14 Premier League appearances for the Clarets, mainly from the bench, but his contract was cancelled on September 1, 2015. The uncoveted record that he holds is that of having made the most appearances in the Premier League, 17, without ever being on the winning side.

Which boxer has the better knockout ratio, Anthony Joshua or Daniel Dubois?

At the time of writing, Anthony “AJ” Joshua is scheduled to fight Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois for the IBF World Heavyweight title at Wembley Stadium, London on September 21, 2024. Indeed, the eagerly-anticipated clash is expected to set a post-war record for attendance at a British boxing event, surpassing the 94,000 achieved when Tyson Fury fought Dillian Whyte at the same venue on April 23, 2022.

Of course, Joshua, 34, is a two-time unified world heavyweight champion boxer and, since losing, by split decision, to unbeaten Ukranian Oleksandr Usyk at the Jeddah Superdome on August 20, 2022, has beaten Jermaine Franklin Jnr., Robert Hellenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou, with only Franklin Jnr. Lasting the distance, to earn himself another title fight. He currently boasts a 28-3-0 career record, including 25 knockouts, which gives him a knockout ratio of 89.29%.

Dubois, 26, has been knocked out twice in his 23-fight career, by compatriot John Joyce in November 2020 and Usyk in August 2023, but his 21-2-0 record nonetheless includes 20 knockouts, giving him an impressive knockout ratio of 95.24%. Indeed, on June 1, 2024, he achieved his biggest win to date, an eighth-round technical knockout of hitherto unbeaten Croatian Filip Hrgovic at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudo Arabia to win the vacant IBF Interim World Heavyweight title.

Just over three weeks later, Dubois became full IBF World Heavyweight champion after Usyk was forced to vacate the belt, in a move that the hitherto undisputed heavyweight champion described as “my present” to the two British fighters. Joshua is long odds-on to dethrone Dubois, but the latter is “a bigger puncher”, according to promoter Frank Warren, so the fight may not be as one-sided as the odds suggest.

How many times did Ray Reardon win the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre?

The late Raymond “Ray” Reardon retired from professional snooker, aged 58, in 1991 and died from cancer, aged 91, on July 19, 2024. Nevertheless, to readers of a certain age, he will be remembered as one of the greatest British snooker players of all time and a force majeure in the sport throughout the seventies.

Born in Tredegar in Monmouthshire, South Wales on October 8, 1932, Reardon became English Amateur Champion in 1964 and turned professional three years later, aged 35. His timing was fortuitous, since it coincided not only with the advent of colour television – and, hence, “Pot Black”, a weekly, one-frame snooker showcase on BBC2 – but also the revival of the World Snooker Championship, as a knockout tournament, in 1969.

Reardon first won the World Championship in 1970, some seven years before the tournament would find its “spiritual home” at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. In the early days of the modern era of snooker, the world title was decided on a series of lengthy matches played at various venues, at home and abroad, throughout the season.

At Victoria Hall, London on April 11, 1970, Reardon defeated John Pulman 37-33 to win his first title and would go on to win five more, including in Melbourne, Australia in 1975. His one and only title at the Crucible, though, came in 1978, when he defeated Perrie Mans 25-18 in the final. As testament to his ability, and longevity, Reardon was a losing finalist, against Alex Higgins, in 1982 and a losing semi-finalist, against Steve Davis, in 1985, at the age of 52.

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