Ademola Lookman learned on Saturday evening that there’s a time and a place to attempt a Panenka penalty.The 98th minute of a game you’re losing 1-0 isn’t one of those times.The Fulham forward embarrassed himself on Saturday with his failed effort in the dying seconds of their defeat to West Ham.Even Fulham boss Scott Parker didn’t shy away from criticising Lookman at full-time.“I'm angry and he is as well,” Parker said, per the Daily Mail.“You just can't miss a penalty like that. If you take one like that, you have to score. He knows that.”
You’re not Sergio Ramos, Ademola.
His awful attempt has got us thinking about other tragic penalties in the Premier League and we’ve gathered 11 of the worst.
So without further ado, he’s our ranking for the worst penalties in top-flight history.
11. Wayne Rooney vs Arsenal | 2010
Man United weren’t made to pay for this ugly effort from Rooney against Arsenal, hanging on for a 1-0 win, but it was still dreadful.
He was closer to finding the top corner of the stand than he was the top corner of the net.
10. Christian Benteke vs West Ham | 2016
This isn’t the only Benteke penalty to make the list.
Four years ago, he missed a glorious chance to equalise for Crystal Palace against West Ham when he sent his penalty high and wide.
Not for one moment did the Belgian look confident as he stepped up to the ball. Dismal.
9. Harry Kane vs Southampton | 2016
On first glance, this looks like it belongs in the top 5 worst penalty misses.
Tottenham’s Kane sent his spot-kick so far above the goal that it’s yet to come down.
Upon closer inspection, however, the poor turf played a part in Kane’s wayward effort.
Indeed, when Kane planted his left foot down before striking the ball, it appeared to jump up slightly.
So Kane wasn’t entirely at fault, but we’re still including it.
8. David Silva vs Southampton | 2012
Silva enjoyed a glittering career at Man City, but we’re not letting him off for this abysmal penalty in 2012.
How can such a technically-gifted player strike a penalty so poorly?
“What the f***ing hell was that?,” we hear one furious City fan ask aloud in the fan footage of the penalty.
7. Luis Suarez vs Sunderland | 2011
Luis Suarez didn’t miss much during his Liverpool career but this was one to forget.
He blazed the ball over the bar at Anfield in 2011.
He did, however, make up for it by putting the Reds ahead minutes later.
6. Wayne Rooney vs Chelsea | 2011
Sorry to do it Wayne, but we had to.
Rooney was left with egg on his face in 2011 when he slipped just before kicking the ball against Chelsea.
Fan footage shows just how far wide Rooney’s attempt went. It might not have gone in even if a second goal was there.
5. Riyad Mahrez vs Liverpool | 2018
If Liverpool had gone on to win the 2018/19 Premier League ahead of Man City by one point, instead of the other way around, Mahrez would not be a popular figure in Manchester.
The two clubs met in October 2018, when the season was still very young, and battled to a 0-0 draw.
Mahrez squandered the chance to put City ahead in the 85th-minute, though, when he lashed a penalty over the bar.
He didn’t look confident and it was hardly a surprise when the ball rocketed up and over towards the skies.
4. Christian Benteke vs Bournemouth | 2017
Many Crystal Palace fans still haven’t forgiven Benteke for this.
In 2017, Palace took on Bournemouth at Selhurst Park when, drawing 2-2, they won a penalty in injury time.
Luka Milivojevic, Palace’s first-choice penalty taker, had already scored from the spot in the first half and grabbed the ball to take this one.
Benteke wanted it, though, and was able to wrestle it away from the Serbian.
Crystal Palace fans shouted, “Luka, Luka, Luka!” but there was nothing to stop Benteke from taking it.
Of course, the Belgian missed - his poor attempt was easily saved by Asmir Begovic.
Absolutely shocking, and well-deserving of a place so high up the list.
3. Ademola Lookman vs West Ham | 2020
Fulham will probably spend the entire season fighting for their lives towards the bottom of the table.
Points are so valuable to them - so what’s Lookman doing attempting a Panenka in the 98th minute?
He was so hesitant. It was like he knew he should back out of it at the last moment, but by that point he had already made contact with the ball.
Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t take another penalty again this season.
2. Jason Puncheon vs Tottenham | 2014
This was inexplicably excluded from a video Sky Sports posted on YouTube in 2019 titled: ‘Five WORST penalties in Premier League history!’
Puncheon’s against Tottenham in 2014 was disastrous. One of the worst single attempts at kicking a ball we’ve ever seen.
He was so gentle in his approach, and the strike… he somehow managed to caress the ball high, wide and into orbit.
1. Robert Pires & Thierry Henry vs Man City | 2005
No shocks or surprises here.
Arsenal under Arsene Wenger around the turn of the century were always bringing something new to the table, but this is something that Robert Pires and Thierry Henry wish they hadn’t unfurled.
Pires shared the story about how the pass penalty came about in a column for The Times in 2016.
"The story of our missed penalty is actually a funny one,” the Frenchman wrote.
“The day before the City game, Thierry and I practised it at training.
“There was one difference though: he was passing and I was scoring. We never said we would do it against City if we had a penalty.
"It turned out that we got one. I took the ball to take it, Thierry didn’t say anything and I scored it, putting the ball on the right of the goalkeeper.
“Then when we were awarded a second one, Thierry approached me and said: 'Let’s do it but we change the roles, you pass and I score!'"
It served as a welcome reminder to the rest of us that, sometimes, the best players in the world get it wrong, too.