Type 'strangest ever goals' into any search engine and within seconds you will be greeted by numerous articles providing a rundown of the weird and wonderful. From Lee Dixon's 25-yard own goal to John Eustace's ghost goal that never was, it is fair to say that English football has been treated to some truly bizarre incidents down the years.
Of course, the higher you move up the chain the more contentious such goals start to become. In a division in which every league position takes on added significance in terms of the millions of pounds awarded to each club, Premier League sides know that every last bit of bad luck could cost them dearly in the long run.
© Getty Images
That is what made Darren Bent's infamous goal so tough to take for Liverpool in their meeting with Sunderland on this day in 2009, as the striker was given a huge helping hand by a beach ball that had made its way onto the field of play. Not so much a goal for Bent, but more an assist with the seaside inflatable taking all the post-match credit.
The fact that this proved to be the only goal of the game, in a match containing so few clear-cut chances, made it all the more difficult for the travelling Liverpool supporters camped behind one of the goals inside the Stadium of Light to take. Sunderland climbed above their opponents in the league table as a result, as the Reds' season took a turn for the worse in the North-East.
© Getty Images
There is no question what the big talking point was, even to this day some six years on. In fact, everything that happened before and after the unusual deflected strike pretty much pales in comparison. Without star duo Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, the Merseyside outfit did little to answer those critics who suggested that this was merely a two-man team.
In front of a capacity 47,000 attendance, Sunderland were quick to take control against a Liverpool side facing a truly huge week in their season. With Manchester United to come, on top of a Champions League meeting with Lyon, Rafael Benitez's men were unable to find any sort of rhythm in their 5-4-1 formation.
If that set-up seemed strange, then Liverpool fans had another thing coming just five minutes in when Bent's shot flew off the beach ball and seemingly left Pepe Reina wrong-footed. To compound the Reds' misery even more, it later transpired that the object had been thrown onto the pitch by one of their own travelling supporters.
Many were shocked that it was even awarded, with the rules of the game stating that referee Mike Jones should have instead ruled out the strike and resumed play with a dropped ball. In fairness, the officials can hardly be blamed for their oversight, with such an incident proving as rare as can be.
© Getty Images
Still, Benitez's charges had another 85 minutes to work their way back into the game; a task made all the more difficult by a forceful display from midfield duo Lee Cattermole and Lorik Cana. Liverpool were restricted to many long-range efforts, including one from Premier League debutant Jay Spearing, while Bent had a chance of his own to double his side's tally.
The prolific striker, with eight goals to his name at this point of the season, would later head the ball against the post as the ball simply refused to cross the line. There was very nearly a late twist to the game as, with seven minutes of time added on at the end - something which caused Benitez and Steve Bruce to exchange some words on the touchline - Dirk Kuyt forced Craig Gordon into a fine stop.
So in the end Bent's early, memorable goal proved to be the difference in the tight top-flight affair, dominating the headlines for the remainder of the weekend and asking serious questions of Liverpool's early-season title credentials.
Speaking to The Telegraph earlier this year upon dropping down a level to join Championship side Derby County, the former England international said: "All anyone ever talks about is the beach-ball goal. At the time, I didn't think anything of it.
"It was only after the game when people were talking about what a bizarre goal it was, and it shouldn't have counted, that I really realised what had happened and I started to think it was a bit odd.
"I didn't really know the ball had hit the beach ball. All I do remember is seeing Pepe Reina looking one way and the ball going in over his other shoulder. Of course I am [claiming it] though. Maybe we'll call it 105½ Premier League goals."
More than 23,000 goals have now been scored in the Premier League overall, yet it will take some doing to rival Bent's beach ball strike as the most bizarre and contentious.
Sunderland XI: Gordon, Bardsley, McCartney (Henderson-46), Turner, Ferdinand, Malbranque, Cana, Reid, Cattermole (Zenden-58), Bent, Jones (Campbell-66)
Liverpool XI: Reina, Johnson, Agger, Carragher, Skrtel (Voronin-72), Aurelio, Benayoun, Babel (Ngog-81), Lucas, Spearing (Mascherano-72), Kuyt
Daniel Lewis
