SHEFFIELD – Last-place Sheffield United scored the latest goal on record in the Premier League — in the 13th minute of a wild period of stoppage time — to salvage a 2-2 draw with West Ham on Sunday.
Two players had already been shown red cards in added-on time when Oli McBurnie was fouled by West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola in an aerial collision.
McBurnie got up and took the penalty himself, dispatching his attempt past Lukasz Fabianski — who had come on as a substitute because Areola needed treatment after his foul and wasn’t allowed to be in goal for the subsequent penalty.
The goal was timed at 102 minutes and 7 seconds. Opta, which compiles statistics for the Premier League, said it overtook Dirk Kuyt’s penalty for Liverpool against Arsenal in April 2011 — timed at 101:48 — as the latest goal in the competition.
“That is the least we deserved,” Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder said. “I thought we were really good. My side has character, resilience and a bit of bottle.”
Sheffield United stayed bottom but is two points behind next-to-last Burnley and seven adrift of safety.
Playing its first league game of 2024, Sheffield United had a goal on debut by Chile striker Ben Brereton Diaz, who joined on loan for the rest of the season from Villarreal two weeks ago.
His 44th-minute strike canceled out the opener by Maxwel Cornet in the 28th but Sheffield United went behind again in the 79th as James Ward-Prowse converted a penalty after Danny Ings was tripped by Gustavo Hamer.
Sheffield United substitute Rhian Brewster was shown a straight red card in the third minute of stoppage time for a dangerous lunge on Emerson, with the referee upgrading his initial yellow card after a VAR review.
Vladimir Coufal was booked for his part in a melee after Brewster’s foul and picked up a second yellow card moments later for a foul on James McAtee.
The drama didn’t finish there as the home team earned its penalty after a hopeful cross into the area and McBurnie didn’t waste his chance.
West Ham stayed in sixth place and is five points behind Tottenham in fifth.
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