Soccer: Beachball joker Bent scores again

"Morning peeps I might go to the beach today lol ha ha."

With those quick words dashed into the electronic ether, Darren Bent, English soccer's premier twitterer, gave Liverpool fans one more cheery reminder of the goal that may have put their season into terminal decline.

As if their memories needed refreshing. The Sunderland striker's shot was headed for the hands of goalie Pepe Reina when a rogue beachball provided the crucial deflection.

Bent has serious form as a user of Twitter. When at Tottenham, he agitated to be transferred north to Sunderland and was criticised for demanding, via Twitter, that his transfer to the Black Cats be hurried along.

The England centre forward was frustrated about the slow pace of the transfer as the two clubs haggled over a fee.

In a series of Twitter outbursts he blamed Spurs chairman Daniel Levy for the stalled move.

"Sunderland are not the problem in the slightest," insisted Bent. In another tweet he declared: "Do I wanna go Hull City NO. Do I wanna go stoke NO do I wanna go sunderland YES so stop f***ing around levy [sic]."

Was he out of order? Definitely.

Did he look like a petulant prat? Certainly.

Did he get his way? Naturally.

The medium's power can go both ways.

After Bent was left off Tottenham's pre-season tour to China, a Wearside newspaper urged Sunderland supporters to sign up to Twitter to persuade the striker to join their team.

But he who scores more, laughs longest.

One Liverpool fan responded to Bent's wind up online, noting the disparity between Liverpool's record and that of lowly Sunderland: "whats BENTY doing during the week - he can head to the beach or watch champs league i suppose".