Brighton teen Ferguson becomes youngest Irish international to score in Premier League

Meath native's consolation effort against Arsenal carries a little bit of history as he takes the record from national teammate Michael Obafemi

Sat, 31 Dec, 2022 - 19:24

Examiner Staff

It may have amounted to a mere consolation in the scheme of the contest but Evan Ferguson's late goal in Brighton's 4-2 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday night carried significant consequence for the teenager.

Ferguson became the youngest Ireland international to score in the Premier League, taking almost 100 days off Michael Obafemi's record. At 18 years and 72 days old, the Meath native saw his effort after 77 minutes at the AMEX Stadium earn him a place in the history books.

Republic of Ireland international teammate Obafemi had held the record for over four years after he had scored for Southampton in a 3-1 victory over Huddersfield Town in December 2018. Obafemi was 18-years and 169 days old at the time.

Ferguson was introduced by Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi on the hour mark on Saturday evening with league leaders Arsenal romping into a 3-0 lead. He immediately made an impact as Brighton edged their way back into the game and gave Arsenal a scare when a late third goal to bring it back to 4-3 was ruled out by VAR.

Ferguson became Brighton's youngest Premier League scorer too, wrestling that record from Aaron Connolly who was 19 when he scored against Tottenham Hotspur. The 77th-minute effort wasn't Ferguson's first goal of the season for the Seagulls however. He found the net in the League Cup against Forest Green earlier in the campaign and made his senior Ireland debut last month against Norway.