Former Liverpool midfielder Cameron Brannagan wrote his name into the history books on Saturday after scoring four penalties in Oxford United's 7-2 win over Gillingham.
Brannagan, who joined Liverpool as a five-year-old, made his Reds debut in 2015 and went on to make eight further appearances for the first team.
However, his 16-year association with the Reds ended in January 2018 when he joined the League One side for an undisclosed fee.
And the former Reds Academy star became the first player to score three or more penalties in an English league game since 2017 on Saturday afternoon.
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Remarkably they were the first successful penalties of his senior career, excluding shootouts, and more than he had taken in normal time at any level.
Brannagan described his achievement as 'absolutely mental' after the game and admitted it was only the other day that it was decided he would be on penalties.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We agreed the other day I was moving on to pens, and lucky enough we got four today and I put them all away. I’m absolutely made-up to score four goals, who wouldn’t be?”
While Oxford’s manager, Karl Robinson, said: “The headlines will be about the penalties today, but it was a sensational away performance. I’ve never won here before as a manager, so what a lovely way to do it.”
Brannagan’s quartet means he’s now the first player to score three or more penalties in an English league game since 2017, with Gillingham on the other end of the deal on that occasion when Josh Wright’s treble earned a 3-2 win over Scunthorpe, before that it had not been achieved in the league since 1957, by Manchester City’s Ken Barnes against Everton.
While the only other only spot-kicks of the midfielder’s career came in Premier League Two for Liverpool’s under-23 side in December 2017, scoring in successive games against Sunderland and Swansea – though he has scored in shoot-outs including the 2020 play-off semi-final against Portsmouth.
Brannagan, now 25, was once described by Jurgen Klopp as 'everything you need' in a midfielder after he signed a new contract with the Anfield club back in 2015.
He said: "He's a great young guy. I like his style. For his age he brings everything you need for a midfield player. He wants to play football, he's strong, he's clear, he's cool."
