Diego Gómez's long-range shot for Brighton beats goalkeeper Walter Benítez. Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images Diego Gómez added his name to an exclusive list of Premier League players who have scored goals from near the halfway line on Sunday afternoon, after walloping one in from long range in Brighton & Hove Albion's 5-0 demolition of Crystal Palace.
After receiving the ball in the center circle, the Paraguay international midfielder turned, spotted Palace keeper Walter Benítez off his line and proceeded to unleash a monstrous shot that sailed in from 55.7 yards.
Diego Gomez joins the list of longest Premier League goals scored by outfield players 😯 https://t.co/B6pVrqeyu4
That is the furthest out a goal has been scored in the Premier League since Wayne Rooney's similarly outrageous effort (63.4 yards) for Everton against West Ham United almost nine years ago.
Alongside Rooney, Gómez now joins some big names in the rundown of Premier League long-rangers. But how does his extraordinary strike against Palace stack up against the other raft of goals that have been scored around the halfway line?
The first of three goal-scoring keepers on the list, Howard successfully harnessed the power of the wind to score from inside his own area for Everton. While the distance was impressive, the goal loses several aesthetic points for being a freak, weather-assisted goal that bounced several times before hitting the back of the net.
Demonstrating his renowned set-piece mastery, Robinson scored for Spurs with a direct free kick from around 95 yards out when his aimless punt up field bounced high over the head of England rival Ben Foster and into the Watford goal.
The longest-distance goal in Premier League history (101 yards) was scored by Begović from inside his own penalty area with just 13 seconds of the game elapsed. The feat is certainly noteworthy, but the Bosnian was hugely assisted by a strong prevailing wind, a fortunate bounce, and the fact that his Saints counterpart, Artur Boruc, appeared to be playing in roller skates.
After managing to evade an interfering referee, Alonso slung a speculative shot toward the Newcastle goal from the center circle that only really ended up in the back of the net thanks to the fact that goalkeeper Steve Harper's legs turned to jelly while trying to recover his position. Ingenious, but fairly low on style.
Villa thrashed Derby County 6-0 in what would prove to the latter club's Premier League annus horribilis, during which the Rams accrued a record low total of just 11 points. Petrov capped off the rout with a marvellously struck long-distance goal from the edge of the center circle.