LONDON: Southampton striker Shane Long has broken the record for the fastest goal in Premier League history after scoring seven seconds into his side’s 1-1 draw at Watford.

Long charged down an attempted pass from Craig Cathcart and then lobbed the ball over Ben Foster to give his side the lead.

The goal was officially clocked at 7.69 seconds into the game at Vicarage Road, quicker than Ledley King’s previous mark of 10 seconds.

Tottenham defender King’s goal, which came against Bradford, had held the record since December 2000.

Long’s goal was his third in the last four games, although the 32-year-old has netted on just one other occasion in all competitions this season.

Christian Eriksen produced a moment of late quality to give Tottenham a vital 1-0 win over Brighton which strengthened their grip on a top-four place in the Premier League.

It appeared for the majority of the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that Mauricio Pochettino’s men would not be able to capitalise on Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all dropping points over the Easter weekend as they were frustrated by an 11-man visiting defence.

But Eriksen came to the rescue in the 88th minute when he drilled a low 25-yard shot into the bottom corner, giving Spurs a fourth win from four in their new home after total domination.

The win moved them to 70 points, four ahead of Arsenal in fifth place, and they look set to book a fourth year of Champions League football with three games remaining.

For Brighton, who defended stoutly for much of the game, conceding so late would have left them feeling deflated but they can have no complaints and they remain just three points ahead of Cardiff.

Brighton have failed to score in seven consecutive games in all competitions for the first time ever. They have lost all 11 of their Premier League away games against ‘big six’ opponents, conceding 23 goals and scoring just twice.

As for Eriksen, ince his Premier League debut in September 2013, he has scored 21 goals from outside the box in the competition, more than any other player.

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