Cole Palmer is putting up the strongest Golden Boot resistance to Erling Haaland, as everyone fully expected. Could Chelsea help their hero make history?
Palmer is level with former Manchester City teammate Haaland in the Premier League top scorer stakes, with both on 20 goals so far this season.
While Haaland could become the first player to win the Golden Boot and Premier League title in consecutive seasons – and only the second after Thierry Henry to do it at all – Chelsea’s struggles open up a more enticing possibility: the top scorer finishing in the bottom half.
It has admittedly been made a little harder by Chelsea’s sudden competence and their abundant games in hand. They are ninth but within three points of Newcastle, Manchester United and West Ham, each of whom have played at least a game more.
Chelsea could even be looking at that ten-point gap to Spurs, who a) they have a game in hand on, b) they play at home on May 2 and c) still have to play all three of the title contenders. Mauricio Pochettino has the chance to do the funniest thing.
But Palmer being clearly quite brilliant for a team who still necessitate a scroll on some Premier League tables has us thinking: who are the lowest-finishing Golden Boot winners ever? And can the 21-year-old properly challenge them for what is undoubtedly such an incredible honour?
1st – ten players
(Alan Shearer with Blackburn in 1994/95; Dwight Yorke with Manchester United in 1998/99; Thierry Henry with Arsenal in 2001/02; Ruud van Nistelrooy with Manchester United in 2002/03; Thierry Henry with Arsenal in 2003/04; Cristiano Ronaldo with Manchester United in 2007/08; Didier Drogba with Chelsea in 2009/10; Dimitar Berbatov with Manchester United in 2010/11; Robin van Persie with Manchester United in 2012/13; Erling Haaland with Manchester City in 2022/23)
2nd – nine players
(Alan Shearer with Newcastle in 1996/97; Thierry Henry with Arsenal in 2004/05; Didier Drogba with Chelsea in 2006/07; Luis Suarez with Liverpool in 2013/14; Sergio Aguero with Manchester City in 2014/15; Harry Kane with Spurs in 2016/17; Mo Salah and Sadio Mane with Liverpool in 2018/19; Mo Salah with Liverpool in 2021/22)
3rd – six players
(Andy Cole with Newcastle in 1993/94; Michael Owen with Liverpool in 1997/98; Nicolas Anelka with Chelsea in 2008/09; Carlos Tevez with Manchester City in 2010/11; Robin van Persie with Arsenal in 2011/12; Harry Kane with Spurs in 2015/16)
4th – four players
(Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink with Leeds in 1998/99; Thierry Henry with Arsenal in 2005/06; Mo Salah with Liverpool in 2017/18; Heung-min Son with Spurs in 2021/22)
5th – two players
(Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with Arsenal in 2018/19; Jamie Vardy with Leicester in 2019/20)
6th – two players
(Chris Sutton with Blackburn in 1997/98; Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink with Chelsea in 2000/01)
7th – four players
Two ridiculous campaigns are hidden in the list of those who finished seventh while winning the Golden Boot: Shearer’s 31 goals in 35 games for deposed reigning champions Blackburn; and Kevin Phillips slipping a European Golden Shoe on his other foot for Peter Reid’s Sunderland.
(Alan Shearer with Blackburn in 1995/96; Michael Owen with Liverpool in 1998/99; Kevin Phillips with Sunderland in 1999/2000; Harry Kane with Spurs in 2020/21)
8th – one player
(Teddy Sheringham with Spurs in 1992/93)
11th – one player
(Dion Dublin with Coventry in 1997/98)
Manchester City’s remaining Premier League fixtures: Brighton (10th, a), Nottingham Forest (17th, a), Wolves (11th, h), Fulham (12th, a), Spurs (5th, a), West Ham (8th, h). Haaland scored six goals in the corresponding games this season.
Chelsea’s remaining Premier League fixtures: Arsenal (2nd, a), Aston Villa (4th, a), Spurs (5th, h), West Ham (8th, h), Nottingham Forest (17th, a), Brighton (10th, a), Bournemouth (13th, h). Palmer scored two goals in the corresponding games this season.
2024-04-16T10:24:59Z dg43tfdfdgfd