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Anytime Goalscorer: Everything You Need To Know About This Bet Type

I backed Viktor Gyökeres to score anytime when Arsenal played Tottenham on 22nd February at R1000 (2.95) after getting the tip from SportsBoom. After a quiet first half, the Swede got the ball on the edge of the box in the 47th minute, took one lovely touch, and then curled it around the keeper. Just like that, I walked away with R2,950.

Last updated: 27-04-2026

Chad Nagel

Sports Betting & Casino Editor

Fact checked by:

Bruce Douglas

Sports Betting Writer

8 minread8 minutes read

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Anytime Goalscorer!

Table of Contents

In this guide, I'll walk you through how to find similar high-value anytime goalscorer bets at online soccer bookmakers and cover the real drivers of value, a practical checklist, and the situations where it's better to walk away.

Everything You Need To Know About This Bet Type

What Is Anytime Goalscorer Betting?

The anytime goalscorer market is a bet on a player to score at any point in the match. One goal is all you need, and it can be a high-pressure penalty or tap-in; as long as it's legal, it counts.

I'm a big fan of Benjamin Sesko. At 6 ft 6 and just 22 years old, he could be the next Zlatan. I was considering betting R500 on Sesko at Betway, a trusted online betting platform to score first for Man United against Brentford (2.375) on 27th April. However, with an implied probability of 42%, that felt a little high; the Slovenian isn't on Haaland's level just yet, so I passed.

44% of Erling Haaland’s shots during the 2025/2026 EPL season have been on target, no wonder he’s scored 23 goals! (Source: FootyStats)

Drivers of Goalscorer Betting Value

Based on tips and predictions by experts, I’ve identified three anytime goalscorer betting trends that the bookies haven’t caught onto yet. Look out for these setups the next time you back a player to beat the keeper:

Driver 1: The Stoppage-Time Substitution Effect - A Record That Bookmakers Can't Yet Price

The 2025-26 Premier League season has produced more goals after the 90th minute than any season in the competition's history. According to official Premier League and Opta data, 13.2% of all goals this season have been scored after the 90th minute. A goal is now being scored in the closing stages every 2.9 games, compared to every 3.4 games two seasons ago.

This isn't random. Premier League teams are now using five substitutions more effectively. That matters enormously for goalscorer betting, because bookmakers set most anytime odds before team sheets are confirmed, which means the price on a proven impact substitute rarely reflects their true scoring probability across 100+ minutes of football.

133+ Premier League goals were scored by substitutes in 2025-26, smashing the previous record. Harvey Barnes (Newcastle) and Scott McTominay (Man United) each scored four goals off the bench earlier this season.

Players coming on after the 60th minute into a tight game, where their team needs a goal and the opposition defence is tiring, score at rates that pre-match markets simply haven't caught up with.

Driver 2: Red Card Probability in High-Stakes Fixtures - Numerical Advantage Creates a Goalscorer Edge

A large-scale study of nearly 20,000 matches across Europe's top five leagues found that in 40.72% of games where a red card was issued, the team with 11 men went on to score a goal after the dismissal. When a red card came before the 20th minute, the penalised team conceded an average of 1.67 goals in the remaining time.

Around 15-17% of Premier League matches in any given season feature at least one red card. You cannot predict them precisely, but you can identify fixtures with elevated dismissal risk: relegation battles, derbies, matches where an away side is under pressure and historically undisciplined, or games featuring players already on yellow cards.

Driver 3: The January Transfer Window Mispricing Lag - New Arrivals Underpriced for Their First Six Weeks

Bookmakers build goalscorer odds from domestic scoring history and shooting volume data. When a striker arrives mid-season from a different league, none of that Premier League data exists yet. The market defaults to cautious, elevated pricing until a local track record is established.

Viktor Gyökeres joined Arsenal and found the net six times in his first seven Premier League appearances, yet in those opening weeks he was available at odds that reflected compiler uncertainty rather than his output.

When a striker who averaged 0.6 or more goals per 90 in the Bundesliga, Eredivisie, or Primeira Liga arrives in January, track their first four to six Premier League appearances carefully. The odds on offer in that window will not yet reflect their true probability.

Case Study - Anytime Goalscorer Bet Outcome

On 15th March, I placed R400 on Mo Salah to score anytime in Liverpool vs Tottenham at odds of 2.26. The reasoning looked solid despite the 44% implied probability because Salah was averaging almost three shots per 90 at Anfield and Tottenham were in freefall, averaging 1.55 xG against away from home. Anfield was exactly the kind of high-press environment that exploits Spurs' defensive fragility.

Granted, Salah hadn't had his best season with only seven Premier League goals compared to 29 the previous campaign, but at home against a Tottenham side who had lost five of their last seven away games, he looked destined to score.

Unfortunately, the game was very scrappy. Salah only had one half-chance and failed to register a single shot on target. The match ended 1-1, and Salah again failed to score. I lost my R400 stake.

After that stinging loss I’ve stopped praying for out-of-form established strikers to suddenly regress back to their usual best and instead am paying close attention to up-and-coming youngsters who are in red-hot form.

When to Avoid Anytime Goalscorer Bets

Knowing when to step away is just as important as knowing when to bet. These are the situations where the anytime goalscorer edge disappears.

When Overall Goals Are Down But You're Still Betting Like They're Not

From what I’ve seen over the years, most South African bettors don't adjust their stakes or selection criteria as goal volumes shift across a season. The data shows this is a costly mistake. Premier League goals have dropped from 767 at this point in 2023-24 to 666 at the same stage in 2025-26, a fall of over 13%.

Average goals per game are at their lowest in more than a decade at 2.6. Yet goalscorer odds at most bookmakers are still priced against historical norms. When you're backing a player at 2.50, the implied 40% probability was calibrated for a higher-scoring era. In a lower-scoring 2025-26 season, that same player's true probability may be closer to 30%.

When the Game Has No Pressure on Either Team

Tighter games produce more late goals because both sides are pushing to win. This season's low average winning margin of 1.34 goals (the lowest in a decade) so more is at stake deep into matches, which is precisely why 14.3% of games have been decided by a 90th-minute winner, more than double any previous season.

When a Striker Is Returning From International Duty With a Congested Schedule Behind Them

This is more specific than general rotation risk. South African bettors are well placed to understand the AFCON and other continental tournament cycles. When African players return from international tournaments, they typically do so having played multiple intense matches in a short window. Historically, players returning from tournaments like AFCON in January-February face two-to-three weeks of readjustment before returning to full form and sharpness.

Mohamed Salah's 2025-26 season is a live illustration: having played in AFCON, his early-season Premier League output dropped significantly. Bookmakers often price these players at their seasonal average immediately on return, ignoring the documented post-tournament dip.

Anytime Goalscorer Betting Checklist

During this season of the EPL this checklist has helped me identify numerous mispriced anytime goalscorer betting lines:

Is the player confirmed in the starting XI? If not, make sure the odds compensate.
If a January or February arrival from abroad, are they within their first six Premier League appearances? If yes, the price may not yet reflect their true scoring rate.
Has overall Premier League scoring been low this week? If it's below 2.7, apply stricter filtering on players priced under 3.00.
Has overall Premier League scoring been low this week? If it's below 2.7, apply stricter filtering on players priced under 3.00.
Is the player returning within their first two appearances from a major international tournament (AFCON, Copa América, Asian Cup)? If yes, avoid it, as post-tournament form dips are common.
Has the player's role at their club changed in the last three matches, even subtly, like dropped deeper, moved wide, taken off early? If yes, current odds may price a version of the player that no longer exists tactically.

Conclusion

Anytime goalscorer is an easy bet to wrap your head around, but you can’t simply back a team’s number 1 striker to score week in and week out. I recommend you focus on young strikers with something to prove, especially when they’re playing at home, super subs and newly arrived players who bookies are underestimating!

FAQs

Do anytime goalscorer bets include extra time?

Most South African bookmakers settle anytime goalscorer bets on 90 minutes plus injury time only. Goals scored in extra time or a penalty shootout are typically excluded. Always check the specific house rules before placing your bet.

Do own goals count for anytime goalscorer bets?

Own goals are universally excluded from anytime goalscorer markets. A player must be credited as the scorer of a goal for the bet to settle as a winner.

Are anytime goalscorers a good bet for beginners?

They can be a reasonable starting point because the concept is simple and the market is widely available. However, beginners should focus on understanding implied probability and basic xG before betting regularly.

Chad NagelSports Betting & Casino Editor

Chad’s career in the sports betting industry began in October 2013 when he joined Hollywoodbets. During his time there, he wrote football betting content for the Hollywoodbets Sports Blog and contributed extensively to their weekly betting publication, Soccer Betting News. His work and leadership eventually led to him being appointed Editor-in-Chief of the publication in February 2016.  