14 years since a beach ball made history in Sunderland, and Liverpool

There's bizarre - and then there's the Sunderland goal which went in off a beach ball.

Can you believe it. Fourteen years have passed since that famous moment when a Darren Bent shot for SAFC deflected off the beach ball and went in.

History on the pitch

It gave Sunderland a 1-0 win over Liverpool and the goal will never be forgotten.

In 2021, Darren reflected on the incident when he was interviewed on a radio show and said it was the one goal in his career total of 106 that people always asked about.

Over the moon with his buy

That very ball was back in the news later that same year when local man Kevin Barlow made a bid for it in an auction - and won.

He posed with it outside the Stadium of Light. We wonder if he still has it.

In the end, there were some positives from the unusual goal apart from sealing the Sunderland win.

Darren Bent signed a beach ball in late 2009 to promote an SAFC Foundation charity fashion show.

Were you there when his shot on goal deflected past Pepe Reina? Tell us more by emailing [email protected]