Lyle Foster becomes first South African to score against Manchester United in the EPL

• Bafana Bafana striker Lyle Foster made history in the English Premier League on Saturday afternoon, 30 August
• The former Orlando Pirates forward played a starring role for Burnley against Manchester United
• South African fans flooded social media with messages celebrating Foster’s performance ahead of the upcoming international break

Bafana Bafana striker Lyle Foster, recently named by coach Hugo Broos in the squad for the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria, made history on Saturday afternoon, 30 August, in the English Premier League.

The former Orlando Pirates forward scored Burnley’s equaliser against Manchester United after his side had fallen behind early.

Foster later had another effort ruled out for offside. Despite his breakthrough, Burnley’s fightback was undone in stoppage time when Bruno Fernandes converted a 97th-minute penalty, handing United a dramatic 3-2 victory.

Watch the goal scored by Foster below:

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Which other South African has scored against Manchester United?

The only other South African footballer to score against Manchester United was Benni McCarthy, now a Kenyan head coach. He found the net in the UEFA Champions League while playing for José Mourinho’s FC Porto.

South Africans celebrated Foster's moment with proud messages

@More_Kerr :

" He was hustling for the team today. ManU's third goal courtesy of VAR and the referee."

@BrunoMan21

Perfect time to score before international duty

@thulani_njapa:

"Super Eagles in trouble"

@ekinimathopo:

"Much needed confidence right, already bagged 3 goals, two of them overruled by VAR 👏👏👏👏"

@TS_Mbongwa:

"Bafana Bafana coach will like what he sees, we are going to need him sharp for the upcoming international break."

@LavaLava100:

"My boy Lyle 💪 💪 💪"

@Sa_Dee2X:

"This is why he got called up"

@peacenationone:

"Soon incoming … "Lyle is having a mental breakdown again. It’s very sensitive.”

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@LewisNtombela

"It's his second goal of the season; he scored last week"

@SonOfShakes

"2nd goal actually, he scored on match day 1"

@GoodmanNomafusi:

"Nearly but 2nd OFFSIDE 😳⚽⚽ WHAT A GAME?"

@Juniour1422907:

"Man U is my team, but Lyle is my fellow South African, so this is the best outcome🤷‍♂️"

See the tweet below:

Foster was Burnley’s second-best performer in the defeat, behind goalkeeper M. Dubravka. He scored his first goal of the 2025/26 season in just his third Premier League match.

Last season in the Championship, he played 28 games, scoring two goals and providing five assists. Foster will be hoping to be more clinical this season and help his side remain in the Premier League.

His call-up for national duty comes at the perfect time, as he has found his scoring boots. Coach Hugo Broos will be relying on him in the upcoming crucial international fixtures.

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Burnley FC secured promotion

Briefly News previously reported that Burnley FC officially secured their immediate return to the English Premier League following a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Sheffield United.

The win, which took place on Easter Monday, confirmed the Clarets' promotion with two games to spare, sealing their place back in the top flight after being relegated at the end of the 2023/24 season.

Source: Briefly News