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Hello and welcome back to our assessment of the race for the Premier League Golden Boot. The month of April was bustling with entertainment in the Premier League. While both Manchester City and Liverpool stretched each other to the limit in their quest to become Premier League Champions, the third and fourth place saw a lot of drama unfold. None of the four teams vying for the two spots have been able to seal their places as of now, however, they have all added to the twists and turns in the Golden Boot race this season.
Also Read: Top Contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot - April 2019
With just 2 games to go in the league, the competition for the coveted prize is still quite intense. But who is the No. 1 contender for the award at the start of May? Read on to find out.
#10 Paul Pogba (France, Manchester United) 🢁
Goals Scored - 13
The Frenchman started life under Solskjaer with a bang and looked every bit the world class player that he has been billed to be. Unfortunately, Pogba failed to hold on to that form and has been quite inconsistent of late. Manchester United have suffered as a result of his dip and are now under serious danger of missing out on a top 4 finish. United suffered 3 defeats in April, as they won just 1 of their 5 games last month.
Pogba started the month with a 2-1 defeat away to Wolves. However, in the very next game, he scored twice from the spot to earn United a hard fought 2-1 win at home. Since then, though, Pogba has failed to find the back of the net and United have been winless in the last 3 games in the Premier League. This has put them at a disadvantage in the top 4 race so far and securing Champions League football next season looks pretty tough.
Despite the rough patches of late, the Frenchman still is the highest scoring midfielder in the league and the only midfielder to be a part of this list right now. Pogba has now scored 13 goals from 33 appearances in the league. Interestingly, 7 of those have been from the spot! He also has 9 assists to his name so far. At the start of May, Paul Pogba is 10th among the top contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot, but he makes this list only due to a better goals per game ratio.
#9 Callum Wilson (England, Bournemouth)🢁🢁
Goals Scored - 14
The Englishman had been among the contenders throughout the season, only to miss out in recent months due to a knee injury picked up at the end of January. Wilson was out of action for almost 2 months and only returned to action in the middle of March. However, he picked up the pace in April and has re-entered this list after scoring 3 goals from 4 games in the month.
Wilson started the month with a disappointing 3-1 defeat at the hands of Burnley at home, a game where he failed to score. However, he scored one and set up 2 others in the following game, a 5-0 rout of Brighton in their backyard! Wilson failed to score in the 1-0 defeat to Fulham at home, but last weekend, he scored a brace against Southampton and helped his side earn a 3-3 draw.
The Englishman has now scored 14 goals from 28 appearances this season and has also registered 9 assists. He is currently averaging a goal every 168 minutes played.
#8 Eden Hazard (Belgium, Chelsea) 🡻🡻
Goals Scored - 16
The Belgian has seen a turn in fortunes in the month of April, but it has not been enough to secure him a higher finish in this list. Hazard scored 3 goals from 5 games in the month, as he helped Chelsea stay well within contention for a top 4 finish. However, the Belgian is still lagging behind in the Golden Boot race and it is now next to impossible for him to get his hands on the coveted trophy by the end of the season.
Hazard started the month with a goal against Brighton in a 3-0 win. He followed that up with a brilliant brace against West Ham, as Chelsea won 2-0. Since then though, Hazard has failed to find the back of the net in the last 3 games. Chelsea have lost one and drawn 2 during that period and are still 5th in the Premier League Table.
The Belgian has 16 goals from 35 games this season, equalling his best return in the league. He has also registered 13 assists so far. Hazard is averaging a goal every 176 minutes played.
#7 Raheem Sterling (England, Manchester City) 🢀 🢂
Goals Scored - 17
The Englishman has been fantastic for Manchester City this season and has, quite deservedly, won both the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year and the Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year Award so far. He had a decent month of April and is still among the contenders for the Golden Boot this season.
Sterling started the month on the bench, as an unused substitute in the 2-0 win over Cardiff City at home. He returned to the first team for the next game, against Crystal Palace and scored a brace to help his team win 3-1. Since then, Sterling has started in all of City’s last three games in the Premier League, but has failed to score.
The English has found the back of the net 17 times from 32 games this season and has even registered 10 assists so far. He is currently averaging a goal every 153 minutes played and is 7th among the top contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot.
#6 Harry Kane (England, Tottenham Hotspurs) 🡻🡻🡻
Goals Scored - 17
The England Skipper picked up a ligament injury during the 1-0 first leg win over Manchester City in the Champions League Quarter Finals and has been out of action ever since. It is highly unlikely that Kane will return to action again this season, and his absence has cost his team dearly in the race for a top 4 finish. Tottenham are still third in the table, but need a strong finish to ensure they stay there, especially since they had a mixed month of April.
Kane played just one game in the month, the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace where he failed to score. Since then, Tottenham have won 2 and lost 2 in the league and have clearly missed their talismanic skipper. Kane has scored 17 goals from 28 games this season, but the injuries have damaged his chances of winning the Golden Boot this time.
As of now, Kane is 6th among the top contenders, and is averaging a goal every 143 minutes per game. He is ahead of Sterling in this list only due to a better goals per game ratio.
#5 Jamie Vardy (England, Leicester City) 🢁🢁🢁
Goals Scored - 18
Jamie Vardy continues to be among the contenders thanks to his consistency in front of goal. The Englishman enjoyed a spectacular month of April, where he scored 5 goals from 4 games. As a result, Vardy has climbed up to 5th place and is only 3 goals behind the man leading this list.
The Englishman started the month with a brace against Huddersfield, as Leicester won 4-1. However, Vardy failed to score in the following game as his team were defeated by Newcastle United. The Englishman returned to goal scoring form against West Ham, earning a 2-2 away draw next. Last weekend, he was on song yet again, scoring a brace as Leicester City stunned Arsenal 3-0 at home.
Vardy has scored 18 goals from 32 games so far and also has 4 assists to his name. He is currently averaging a goal every 142 minutes played. With just 2 more games to go in the season, Vardy still has an outside chance of getting his hands on the Golden Boot.
#4 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon, Arsenal) 🢀 🢂
Goals Scored - 19
The Arsenal Striker continues to go steady on the 4th position, even though his team has shown signs of cracks at the tail end of the season. Aubameyang scored 2 goals from 3 games in April, while Arsenal lost 3 of the 4 games in the month!
The Gabon International started the month by scoring the only goal in a hard fought 1-0 win over Watford. In the following game against Crystal Palace, Aubameyang scored again, but Arsenal lost the game 3-2. He was rested for the 3-1 loss against Wolves, but returned to the team last weekend. Unfortunately, he could not score and Arsenal lost 3-0 to Leicester City.
Aubameyang has 19 goals and 5 assists from 34 games this season and is averaging a goal every 134 minutes played. With just 2 goals separating him and the man at the top, Aubameyang will be hoping to mount a late challenge for the coveted Golden Boot now.
#3 Sadio Mane (Senegal, Liverpool) 🢁🢁
Goals Scored - 20
The Senegalese is the player who truly signifies the rise of Liverpool in recent years. Like his club, Mane has been exceptional this season and at times, has been carrying Liverpool on his own. The Senegalese enjoyed a fruitful month of April and has climbed up to third place, within touching distance of the top of the pile now.
Mane started the month with a 3-1 win over Southampton, a game where he impressed but failed to score. However, he was back among the goals in the following game against Chelsea, helping his club secure a 2-0 win at home. He could not score in the next game, a 2-0 win over Cardiff City, but responded with a brace last weekend against Huddersfield.
As of now, the Senegalese has 20 goals from 34 games this season. Only an inferior goals per game ratio has stopped him from finishing second at the start of May, but Mane still has a shot at winning the award if he keeps up his goal scoring form in the next 2 games.
#2 Sergio Aguero (Argentina, Manchester City)🡻
Goals Scored - 20
The Argentinean drops down to second place at the start of May because of a slight dip in form in April. Aguero could only manage one goal from 4 games in the month. As such, the competition has caught up with him. The Argentinean has the same number of goals as Sadio Mane but has a better goals per game ratio which sees him finish higher in this list.
Aguero missed the first game of the month against Cardiff City with a thigh injury. He returned to action against Crystal Palace, but failed to score in three consecutive games. He finally found the back of the net against Burnley last weekend, scoring the only goal in a narrow 1-0 win. It was a goal that kept his side firmly in the title race and showed the pedigree of the Manchester City striker.
The Argentinean has scored 20 goals from 31 games so far and has also picked up 8 assists this season. He is currently averaging a goal every 115 minutes played. Since he’s just a goal behind the man at the top, Aguero still has a good chance of securing his second Premier League Golden Boot at the end of this season.
#1 Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool)🢁
Goals Scored - 21
Despite the talk of the second season syndrome, Mohamed Salah has been in the race for the Golden Boot all the time and might very well win the trophy again this year. Salah has taken advantage of the slip of his competitors and finally managed to reach the top of the pile thanks to a return to form in April. He finished with 4 goals from 4 games in the month.
The Egyptian started April with a goal against Southampton in a 3-1 win. He followed that up with another goal against Chelsea in the very next game. After failing to score against Cardiff, Salah scored a brace last weekend against Huddersfield, as Liverpool won 5-0 at home.
Salah now has 21 goals from 36 appearances in the Premier League. He also has 8 assists to his name and is averaging a goal every 147 minutes played. The Egyptian has found back his form at just the right time, because Liverpool are still trailing City by a point at the top of the table. Salah will be looking to finish the season on a high and help his team win their first Premier League title. There's also every possibility that he will also finish the season as the Golden Boot winner.
