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One football fan was happier above anyone else when Xabi Alonso's 70-yard strike found the net in Liverpool's eight-goal thriller against Luton Town.
The third round FA Cup tie in January 2006 was a battle for the ages as the Premier League giants went 3-1 down to the then-Championship side after 53 minutes. Rafa Benitez's men soon mounted a comeback as second-half braces from Florent Sinama Pongolle and Xabi Alonso secured a 5-3 win for the Reds who went on to win the competition after defeating West Ham 3-1 on penalties.
Within the eight goals, there was one that resulted in a cash windfall for one fan. Xabi Alonso's second of the game was a 70-yard effort inside his own half as the stunning strike sealed the victory for the Reds.
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With Luton chasing an equaliser in stoppage time, Liverpool won the ball inside their half and with goalkeeper Marlon Beresford out of his goal, the Spaniard had an empty net to shoot in and was certainly accurate with his shot.
The goal sent Liverpool fans into dreamland as one particular supporter was literally in that state just months prior to the game. According to a report from the BBC, Liverpool fan Adrian Hayward had a dream in July 2005 that Alonso would score a goal from inside his own half in the 2005/06 season.
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Hayward's premonition caused the Berkshire native to place a £200 bet on the midfielder doing just that, at the odds of 125/1. Alonso's second of the game won the fan a whopping £25,000 as he opened up about the moment the midfielder had scored: "I’ve never placed such a large bet before but I had a feeling about it.
"I was watching the Luton match on TV with my family and I saw the keeper off his line. I was shouting ‘Shoot!’ and he did. It seemed to take an age to hit the net but when it did, I just went berserk."
Paddy Power praised Hayward for his gutsy bet as they said: "When he placed the bet we thought it was the easiest £200 we had ever made. But fair play to him. It’s great when these unusual bets payout and it shows that dreams do come true."
- Liverpool FC
- Premier League
- Luton Town FC
- Championship
- FA Cup
- West Ham FC
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