Mirror

Darren Bent continues to terrorise Liverpool hero on anniversary of iconic beach ball goal

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The former England striker's infamous goal against Liverpool - deflected into the history books by a rogue inflatable - remains one of the Premier League's most bizarre moments.The goal - which secured Sunderland's 1-0 victory over Liverpool on October 17, 2009 - was so surreal that it has, in some ways, overshadowed Bent's remarkable legacy, which includes more than 100 Premier League goals, a milestone only 33 other players have reached.Unsurprisingly, Bent hasn't let the moment go to waste, regularly poking fun at ex-Liverpool defender Glen Johnson, the man who came mere millimetres from preventing one of English football's most iconic strikes."I speak to Glen Johnson about it - he's a good friend of mine," Bent said speaking exclusively to Mirror Football. So we have a joke about it, I take the mickey out of him."READ MORE: 'I scored 100+ Premier League goals but England never rated me - I felt like a fan on duty'READ MORE: 'I was an England prodigy like Rio Ngumoha - here's what Liverpool ace must avoid'Had VAR existed in 2009, the goal would almost certainly have been disallowed.



He had a wand of a left foot - but as it was on his right foot, I knew he'd cut it back and get it into a good area."I remember it coming across the box and as it bounced up and was on its way to me, I was thinking to myself, 'hit the target. He admitted he "couldn't eat" in the aftermath, describing the experience as his "worst nightmare.""When I got home I went into the garden and threw up.

I was physically sick - and that's before the death threats started appearing on the internet the next day," he told Mirror Football a few days after the match."I watched it over and over again, and I still can't work out how it happened," he added. "When I read about that [the abuse he suffered], I found it quite appalling," he said.