Former England international Darren Bent has recalled his conversation with referee Mike Jones after his infamous beach ball goal against Liverpool in 2009.
The striker scored the only goal of the game to claim victory for Sunderland as his strike ricocheted off a rogue inflatable, that had been thrown onto the pitch by a Reds fans, diverting it beyond the hapless Pepe Reina.
Bent has admitted the goal is what he is best-remembered for, with fans still asking him about it 12 years later, and has conceded it should not have counted when sharing his exchange with referee Jones at the Stadium of Light that day.
"The beach ball goal is all anyone wants to talk to me about," Bent told the ITV Football podcast. "I get asked some of the most stunning questions.
"Did you aim for it? Do you know who put it there? Things like that and I just think come on.
"That's the one goal that people always go - 'that beach ball goal was crazy, how did that even happen?'
"I don't know.
"A little boy threw the ball on and I think the Liverpool players - who were in the box at the time, were looking round thinking what's happened here?"
He continued: "I think because it hadn't happened before the referee didn't have a clue what to do. Absolutely no clue. He even came up to me at half time and asked Darren did that come off the beach ball.
"I went I think so I don't know. His face just panicked because the goal shouldn't have stood. It finished 1-0."
