Leon Bailey admitted he injured himself while scoring during his match-winning cameo for Aston Villa.
The forward was on the pitch for just 21 minutes but grabbed a goal and an assist as Villa scored three times in nine minutes to beat Everton 3-0.
Bailey netted his first goal since his £25million summer move from Bayer Leverkusen but was forced off soon after on Saturday.
“The injury was actually from the shot – I think I hit it too hard so I started feeling a little stiff in my quad. But I don’t think it should be anything serious,” he told the club’s official site.
“Instead of risking it I decided to come out – because we have a lot games coming up. So no worries.
“It’s my second time at Villa Park, the first time I was injured watching from the stands. But to actually be on the pitch, hearing the fans, it’s such an amazing feeling.
“I’m happy to be here, just grateful I was able to do what I did in the 21 minutes that I was on the pitch.
“For us, it’s the perfect night – good three points, team played great, we’re excited.”
Villa opened the scoring after 65 minutes when Matty Cash cut inside and fired beyond Asmir Begovic.
Three minutes later it was 2-0 when Lucas Digne glanced Bailey’s corner into his own net before Bailey raced onto Danny Ings’ pass to net his first goal for Villa.
Victory lifted Villa to 10th in the Premier League while Everton suffered their first defeat under Rafael Benitez.
“The result is a big disappointment for us because we were in a good moment,” Toffees midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure told the club’s official site.
“The team was doing well. We missed some key players, so it was hard for us. It is a small setback and next week we want to come back and win at home.
“I think we played quite well for 60 minutes.
“We had a great chance just before they scored, and I think the game could have been different but we know in the Premier League every game is tough. They scored one goal and kept the momentum, and it was hard for us to come back.
“We need to work hard and change this defeat into a win in the next game.”
