In Friday evening’s clash at St Mary’s Stadium between Southampton and Liverpool, striker Shane Long put himself into the history books as he opened the scoring nine minutes into the match.
The 32-year-old attacker is often maligned given his goalscoring return, but few can doubt his overall work rate and team ethic, and in opening the score in our most recent Premier League clash, he made it 50 goals in the top flight – making him only the fourth Republic of Ireland international to achieve that feat.
Netting his second goal of the 2018/19 campaign, he goes into a select list of half-century Premier League goalscorers for the Emerald Isle, and he’ll be hoping to move up the list a touch given Damien Duff is slightly ahead with 54 strikes. Niall Quinn is on 59 but Robbie Keane is way out in front with 126.
Quite a tidy strike and some good composure as well – even Jurgen Klopp has to smile, although I guess it was ironic. Either that or he appreciated Virgil van Dijk’s involvement (or lack thereof) in it.
https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1114244415260852228