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Goalscoring debutants
Arsenal finally completed the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on transfer deadline day, with the striker joining the north London club for a club-record fee of £55.4m.
The Gabon international will be keen to hit the ground running, which is exactly what the following 10 players did on their Premier League debuts…
Paulo Wanchope vs Man United (05/04/1997)
Wanchope announced himself to Derby fans in style, scoring a superb solo effort against Manchester United. Having joined just over a week earlier from Costa Rican side Herediano, the striker gave his new side a 2-0 lead inside 35 minutes at Old Trafford.
Collecting possession on the halfway line after Darryl Powell dispossessed Nicky Butt, Wanchope ran – and then kept running. Derby’s leggy frontman got the better of five United defenders, before keeping his composure to slot the ball past Peter Schmeichel. Derby went on to beat Fergie's champs 3-2.
Robbie Keane vs Derby (21/08/1999)
After signing for Coventry in 1999, Keane set about immediately repaying the £6m fee on his Premier League debut against Derby. The Irishman scored both goals in a 2-0 victory for the Sky Blues – and his opener was a truly special strike.
Keane latched onto a ball down the right wing before dribbling into the box, turning one way and then the other to leave Derby defender Jacob Laursen chasing his own shadow. He then showed enough composure to finish past Mart Poom from the tightest of angles.
Jurgen Klinsmann vs Sheffield Wednesday (20/08/1994)
Klinsmann was best known in England for being part of the West Germany team which knocked England out of the 1990 World Cup (oh, and diving), but Tottenham fans were prepared to forgive him after the striker scored on his Premier League bow against Sheffield Wednesday.
The German emphatically headed home Darren Anderton’s right-wing cross at Hillsborough to put Spurs 4-2 up. It was his self-mocking diving celebration which grabbed the headlines, though, and laid the foundations for a successful season in the Premier League: Klinsmann ended the season with 30 goals in all competitions and picked up the Football Writers’ Player of the Year award.
Anthony Martial vs Liverpool (12/09/2015)
If you’ve just signed for Manchester United for a sizeable transfer fee, there’s no better way to immediately endear yourself to the club’s supporters than by netting a stunner against arch-rivals Liverpool.
United were protecting a slender 2-1 lead with five minutes left to play when the Frenchman put the game out of Liverpool’s reach. Collecting a pass from Ashley Young on the left, Martial gave Nathaniel Clyne and Martin Skrtel twisted blood, bamboozling the Reds’ defensive duo before tucking a neat finish into the bottom corner.
“Oh yes! Welcome to Manchester United,” exclaimed a particularly excitable Martin Tyler – much to Merseyside chagrin.
Danny Rose vs Arsenal (14/04/2010)
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp surprised many by handing a Premier League debut to teenage left-back Rose in this north London derby in 2010. Just 10 minutes in, though, his decision looked justified – and in some style.
After Manuel Almunia had punched clear a corner, the ball bounced up to Rose 30 yards from goal. Instead of taking a touch and looping a cross into the box, the full-back struck a rasping volley (it was clocked at 69.7mph) which swerved past Almunia and into the net.
Alan Shearer vs Crystal Palace (15/08/1992)
Blackburn were losing 2-1 to Crystal Palace on the inaugural weekend of the Premier League in August 1992 when new signing Alan Shearer – an English transfer record at £3.6m – stepped forward.
With 66 minutes on the clock, the ball dropped to the 22-year-old outside the area – as good an invitation as any to thump a looping volley over Nigel Martyn, off the crossbar and in. Shearer had his second just 15 minutes later, cutting in from the left and unleashing a superb strike from outside the area which once again gave poor Martyn no chance whatsoever.
Federico Macheda vs Aston Villa (05/04/2009)
Macheda made 36 apperances for Manchester United, but most neutrals would struggle to recall more than one. Indeed, the Italian never quite managed to live up to the promise of his debut, which featured a crucial late winner as Alex Ferguson’s side looked to hold off Liverpool in the race for the title.
Papiss Cisse vs Aston Villa (05/02/2012)
Cisse signed for Newcastle in January 2012 and made his debut for the club at home to Aston Villa a couple of weeks later. With the scores locked at 1-1 and 20 minutes remaining, Jonas Gutierrez’s cross found its way to the Senegalese striker on the edge of the box; Cisse controlled it with his chest before hitting a sweet left-footed half-volley right into the top corner.
Cisse ended the campaign with 13 goals in 13 appearances as Newcastle finished fifth. Although he’s mainly remembered for his goal against Chelsea towards the end of the season, his debut finish was also terrific.
Mario Stanic vs West Ham (20/08/2000)
After signing for Chelsea from Parma, Stanic scored twice on his maiden appearance as the Blues beat West Ham 4-2 on the opening weekend of the 2000/01 season.
The Croatian’s second was a powerful header from a free-kick, but his first was a goal that anyone present will remember for a long time. The forward collected the ball 40 yards out and teed himself up by controlling it with his thigh, then keeping it in mid-air with another touch.
Having moved around 10 yards closer to goal, Stanic unleashed a sensational right-footed volley which left Shaka Hislop with no chance. The ball didn’t touch the ground between his first and final touch.
Marcus Rashford vs Arsenal (28/02/2016)
A week before this clash with Arsenal, few outside the Manchester United academy knew much about Rashford. But with injuries plaguing Louis van Gaal’s attack, the teenager had been thrown into United's starting line-up for a Europa League clash against Midtjylland – and scored twice on his senior debut at Old Trafford.
Three days later, he started in the Premier League against Arsenal and was on for a hat-trick after just 32 minutes. Rashford netted his first with a side-footed finish to open the scoring, and had his second within a matter of minutes by deftly heading in a Jesse Lingard cross. Just for good measure, he later assisted a second-half winner for Ander Herrera – not a bad day at the office, all in all.
