Jack Hinshelwood scores two goals in 79 seconds as Premier League returns

It took Jack Hinshelwood 35 seconds to make Premier League history. The Brighton midfielder buried the opening goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers before most fans had found their seats, recording the fastest goal in Brighton & Hove Albion’s top-flight existence.

Brighton went on to dismantle Wolves 3-0 at the Amex Stadium on May 9, a result that keeps the Seagulls firmly in the conversation for European qualification as the 2025-26 season enters its final stretch.

A blistering start rewrites the record books

Hinshelwood’s 35-second opener obliterated the previous club record for fastest Premier League goal, set by Alexis Mac Allister with a 49-second strike back in 2022.

Captain Lewis Dunk added a second goal just five minutes into the match, meaning Brighton had scored twice in the opening five minutes of a Premier League game for the first time in the club’s history. Yankuba Minteh added a third at 86 minutes to complete the rout.

The tactical shift behind Hinshelwood’s emergence

Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has recently redeployed Hinshelwood as an attacking midfielder, operating in the No. 10 role rather than in the deeper or wider positions where he spent most of his early career.

For a player who came through Brighton’s academy primarily as a right-back and utility defender, the transformation has been striking. Hinshelwood, born April 11, 2005, is still only 21, yet he’s already accumulated 66 Premier League appearances for the club. His goal tally now sits at 12 in the league, a number that looks increasingly impressive given that a significant chunk of those appearances came in defensive roles.

As an England U-21 international with a contract running until 2028, Hinshelwood is exactly the kind of asset Brighton’s model is built to develop.

Brighton’s European push gains momentum

The 3-0 victory is significant beyond the individual brilliance. Brighton entered the final weeks of the 2025-26 season fighting for European qualification, and comprehensive wins like this one carry weight in both the standings and the goal difference column.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.