Crystal Palace saw their six-game unbeaten run come to an end against Brentford on Sunday.
A penalty from Bryan Mbeumo – on his second attempt after Marc Guehi encroached – and a powerful header by Kevin Schade saw the Bees secure a 2-1 win and stay ahead of the Eagles in the Premier League.
There was something for Crystal Palace fans to get excited about on a miserable afternoon in SE25 as Romain Esse netted with his first touch in Premier League football – following a £14.5m move from south London rivals Millwall last week.
What a MOMENT for Romain Esse on his Crystal Palace debut! ✨ pic.twitter.com/otBfyl18r5
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 26, 2025
In doing so, the 19-year-old actually smashed a Premier League record.
Romain Esse becomes fastest debut goalscorer in Premier League history
Prior to Sunday’s clash at Selhurst Park, David Healy held the record for the quickest goal scored by a debutant in Premier League history, netting within just 51 seconds for Fulham against Arsenal back in 2007.
However, Esse scored just 30 seconds after Oliver Glasner introduced him in place of Will Hughes – meaning the England U20 international has absolutely obliterated Healy’s record.
| Date | Player | Team | Opponent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26/01/25 | Romain Esse | Crystal Palace | Brentford | 00:30 |
| 12/08/07 | David Healy | Fulham | Arsenal | 00:51 |
| 11/08/17 | Alexandre Lacazette | Arsenal | Leicester | 01:34 |
| 15/08/09 | Emmanuel Adebayor | Manchester City | Blackburn | 02:28 |
| 19/08/01 | Louis Saha | Fulham | Manchester United | 4min* |
| 13/08/05 | Kevin Phillips | Aston Villa | Bolton | 4min* |
| 17/08/24 | Amadou Onana | Aston Villa | West Ham | 03:28 |
| 11/08/07 | Matt Oakley | Derby | Portsmouth | 03:58 |
| 19/01/08 | Lewin Nyatanga | Derby | Portsmouth | 03:51 |
| 16/08/08 | Samir Nasri | Arsenal | West Brom | 03:41 |
What an achievement for the teenager – to say the very least.
TBR Football understand Crystal Palace wanted to sign Ben Doak before Esse – although Glasner will be delighted by his newest recruit nonetheless after his historic debut.
Crystal Palace have every right to feel aggrieved by Bryan Mbeumo retake
As aforesaid, Mbeumo was given the chance to retake his missed penalty due to encroachment from Guehi.
However, the FA (Football Association) rulebook states: “The kicker must not play the ball again until it has touched another player.”
Therefore, even if Guehi was nowhere near Mbeumo, the Brentford No.19 would have been unable to score from the rebound as the ball bounced back towards him off the post.
Strangely, the Crystal Palace No.6 actually would have been better off failing to reach the ball and letting the Cameroon international score the rebound – as it would have then been disallowed.
Related Topics