Your striker bundles the ball over the line in the 78th minute - but it only takes a few seconds for the replay to show it came off a defender on the way in.

Right there and then, the official scorer gives it as an own goal, and the anytime goalscorer bet you were halfway through celebrating is dead.

That is this market in a single moment. Anytime goalscorer is a bet on a named player to score at least one goal, and on the surface nothing in a Premier League fixture is simpler: he scores, you collect.

The catch is that "scores" and "at least one goal" both have precise definitions at settlement, and neither one matches what punters assume in the pub.

The goal has to be credited to your man. It has to land inside a window that shuts earlier than most people think, and he has to get onto the pitch at all.

What Does Anytime Goalscorer Mean?

The selection is one player, and the only question is whether he finds the net.

That really is the whole bet. It does not matter when he scores, how many he scores, or whether his side wins, draws or gets thumped.

A striker who nets in the 89th minute of a 4-1 defeat has landed the bet exactly the same as one who opens the scoring in the second minute of a win.

The market is popular because it is easy to follow and because it gives you a reason to watch a player rather than a scoreline. 

It is also a nice way to appreciate the players chasing down the highest scorers in football history.

It is also one of the most misunderstood markets on the board, because the settlement rules do a lot of work that the market name does not explain.

The 90-Minute Rule and Anytime Goalscorer

Sportsbet settles soccer bets on the result at the end of 90 minutes including stoppage time, unless a market specifically says otherwise.

So, usually, goals scored in extra time do not count towards goalscorer markets - and neither do goals in a penalty shootout.

If your player is quiet for 90 minutes and then buries one in the 105th, the bet is already gone.

In the Premier League this rarely bites, since league fixtures finish after 90 minutes anyway.

It matters enormously in the FA Cup and the EFL Cup, where extra time is a live possibility and punters carry their league habits across without thinking.

The EFL Cup is exactly where these habits catch punters out, so it pays to know how to bet on the Carabao Cup before extra time comes into play.

Penalties are different. A goal from the penalty spot during normal play counts as a goal like any other, so a player who converts a spot kick in the 70th minute has scored for settlement purposes.

Only shootout penalties, taken after the final whistle, are excluded. Keep that extra-time trap in mind when you weigh up the FA Cup betting odds on a goalscorer.

Abandoned matches are worth checking market by market. Sportsbet's terms void last goalscorer bets outright if a match is abandoned, for the obvious reason that the final goal can never be known.

Other goalscorer markets are generally voided as well unless the outcome had already been settled.

Own Goals Do Not Count

Back to that 78th minute deflection, because the own goal rule is the one that generates the most disputed bets in this market.

On the scoreboard, an own goal is credited to the attacking team. It counts towards the score, it counts towards both teams to score, and it counts towards total goals markets. It does not count towards any goalscorer market.

The defender who turned it into his own net has not scored for betting purposes, and neither has anyone in the attacking side.

The practical effect is worth sitting with. A centre back who forces a scrappy own goal from a corner has produced a goal for his team and nothing for anyone holding him as an anytime goalscorer.

If the official scorer initially credits a goal to your player and it is later reclassified as an own goal, or the other way around, settlement follows the official ruling rather than the first thing that flashed up on the broadcast.

That reclassification happens more often than you would think in the Premier League, particularly on deflected shots. 

A shot that takes a wicked deflection off a defender can be given either way, and the decision can change hours after full time.

What Happens If Your Player Doesn't Play

This is where anytime goalscorer differs from almost every other player market, and where the rules actually work in a punter's favour.

If your player takes no part in the match at all, the bet is voided and your stake is returned.

He was named on the bench and never got on, he was a late withdrawal in the warm up, he was not in the squad.

Whatever the reason, no participation means no bet.

If he comes on as a substitute for any amount of time, the bet stands. Two minutes of stoppage time is enough.

He is on the pitch, the bet is live, and if he scores it pays out in full at the price you took.

There is no reduced payout for a shortened appearance.

That is a meaningful distinction, because plenty of Premier League squad players start on the bench and come on around the hour mark.

Backing one of those players anytime is a live bet the moment they cross the white line. Our EPL tips and predictions are a handy place to weigh up which of those players is worth backing anytime.

Some EPL form analysis is worth a look before you settle on which bench player is worth backing anytime.

Anytime vs First, Last and 2+ Goalscorer

Anytime is the most forgiving member of a family of goalscorer markets, and knowing where the others sit alongside the rest of our EPL betting guide makes the whole board easier to read.

First goalscorer: your player must score the opening goal of the match.

An own goal opening the scoring does not settle the market, since own goals are excluded, so the market rolls on to the next legitimate goal.

Last goalscorer: your player must score the final goal. Any participation means the bet stands, so a late substitute is a live runner.

2+ goals: your player must score at least twice. Non starters are voided as with anytime.

Hat-trick: three or more goals from the same player in normal time.

Brace: the common name for two goals in a match, which is exactly what a 2+ goals bet needs.

To score or assist: a wider market that pays on either contribution, and worth checking against the anytime price when your read is that a player will be involved rather than specifically on the end of it.

For the latest Premier League odds and goalscorer markets on every fixture, check out our dedicated EPL odds page here at Sportsbet.