9 Players Who Never Score...Who Actually Scored This Weekend

This weekend has been all about surprises. Teams like Chelsea and Leicester City were both humiliated, but we don't care about team results here. What's caught our eye is the sheer number of unlikely goalscorers.

This weekend was full of "What, really? Him?!" moments. We're used to getting one of those every once in a while, but not all at one time. The football gods are spoiling us.

Here are some of the most unlikely goalscorers from the past weekend.

1. David McGoldrick

Sheffield United's David McGoldrick entered this weekend as the man with the most shots on target without scoring in the Premier League. He'd played 25 games (20 starts) and failed to find the back of the net.

Then Chelsea rocked up to Bramall Lane.

The Blues, who had only just recovered from letting Crystal Palace's Christian Benteke net his first home league goal in 800 days, watched on as McGoldrick fired home. Twice.

It's a Chelsea thing.

2. Dominic Solanke

Speaking of Chelsea things, Blues academy graduate Dominic Solanke hasn't had the best of times out on his own. He scored just once Liverpool and entered this weekend with one goal in 42 appearances for Bournemouth – none in the Premier League.

He had, after 60 appearances, as many England caps as Premier League goals.

The Cherries ran into Leicester City this weekend and soon found themselves 1-0 down. However, Brendan Rodgers' side collapsed and allowed Solanke to put two past them in what turned into a 4-1 loss.

There were his first Premier League goals for Bournemouth, in his 39th appearance.

3. Michail Antonio

Michail Antonio does score the odd goal – the West Ham man had managed four in his last 22 games in the Premier League.

So, when he managed to match that tally in just 90 minutes by putting four past Norwich City, it's safe to say that we were a little surprised.

4. Rubén Pérez

Leganés took a huge step towards La Liga safety this weekend by picking up a shock 1-0 win over Valencia – now just three points from 17th with two games left – but what was even more surprising is that Rubén Pérez was the man who scored the goal.

The 31-year-old midfielder fired home his first league goal since May 2013 to take his all-time tally to...two. In 260 games. If you're going to do your best to keep Super Pepino on the touchline in the Primera Division, do it in style.

Pérez bagged just his sixth career assist last weekend as well. He's a man in form!

5. Toby Alderweireld

It's not unusual to see Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld pop up in with a goal, but it's pretty rare to see him do it at home. Heading into the weekend, his last goal at home was back in September 2016 in a Champions League tie with Monaco at Wembley. If you want a goal at an actual home (White Hart Lane), you've got to go back to April of that year.

Guess who headed home the winner in the north London derby?

It was the Belgian's first goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and it could hardly have been more important.

6. Joe Rothwell

When you watch Blackburn Rovers, you'll see Joe Rothwell pop up all over midfield. He plays in the centre but is often seen out wide. Where you won't usually see him, however, is on the score sheet.

25-year-old Rothwell has just 12 career goals to his name, and he bagged one of those this weekend in a 1-1 draw with high-flying West Bromwich Albion.

He earned himself a few new fans up at Elland Road with that goal.

7. José Manuel Arnáiz

25-year-old forward José Manuel Arnáiz, who plays primarily as a winger but also as a central striker, doesn't come with the best goal record. He failed to score after swapping Barcelona B for Leganés in 2018 and was shipped out on loan to Osasuna in January.

Coming into this weekend, his last goal came back in January 2018 (for Barcelona's first team in a Copa del Rey draw with Celta Vigo), but he finally ended the drought by coming off the bench to net in Osasuna's 2-1 win over none other than...Celta Vigo.

If in doubt, just play Celta.

8. Aday

Aday does it all for Girona. He's a left-back who can play on the right, and since the turn of the year, he has been used almost exclusively as a winger, which is an odd move for a player with seven goals in 168 appearances before this weekend.

The Spaniard fired home a lovely free kick in his side's 2-2 draw with Lugo just seven minutes after entering the game as a substitute. Not bad.

Moving him forward was a masterstroke.

9. Alexandre Lacazette

A special shout-out to Alexandre Lacazette. The Arsenal man does score goals, but almost exclusively at the Emirates Stadium. It's got so bad that some fans want him gone because of it.

He went 510 days without scoring an away goal before he found the net in the recent 2-0 win over Wolves, but then needed to wait just eight days to do it again in the 2-1 loss to Tottenham.

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