Former Arsenal winger Jermaine Pennant has admitted in an interview with 'FourFourTwo' that he was out partying until 6am on the day of his full 'Gunners' debut, before going on to bag a hat-trick in the game.
The immensely talented Pennant joined Arsenal from Notts County in 1999 for £2m despite being just 15, but his full first-team debut would not come until four years later
Roll the clock forward to 2003 and the winger made a cameo in Arsenal's 3-2 defeat to Leeds, a game that saw Manchester United secure the Premier League title.
Heading into a game against Southampton at Highbury at the tail end of that season, Pennant felt he had no chance of a start with some of Arsenal's biggest stars very much ahead of him in the pecking order, so much so that he went on a boozy bender, only to be named in the starting line-up the following day.
"I'd been out the night before and had a big night, because I really didn't think I would be playing, never mind starting the game," he revealed.
"I'd never started a game for Arsenal and I didn't think that'd change, especially as Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg and Ray Parlour were all in the squad. I was guaranteed to be on the bench.
"I thought, 'Sod it', went to an FHM party and got home at around 6am. I couldn't believe it when I saw my name in the starting line-up! I was still so hungover when I was playing; I just did everything in my power not to embarrass myself.
"I can't believe I scored. It was just a huge relief – I thought, 'OK, you can take me off now. Please, Arsene!' I felt so sick and I could feel the vodka still bouncing around in my stomach. You could smell it on my breath, too.
"I did OK to score a hat-trick: it shows I had talent, though it helps when you're playing with Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira. That was the first game of Arsenal's 49-game unbeaten run."