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It has been a thrilling season of Premier League football so far. In the last few years we have seen the big issues decided with weeks of the season left, but that isn’t the case this time around.
As far as the title is concerned, it looks like it’s going to the wire. After such a dominant season last time out, Manchester City remain in the driving seat, but Liverpool aren’t far behind. The Reds are currently two points clear at the top of the table, but have played a game more than City, and have a worse goal difference.
Both teams are still in the Champions League, so have to be sure to balance their squads in the latter stages of the season. Having won the Carabao Cup and also made the FA Cup Final, City are also aiming for an unprecedented quadruple.
The race is also on for Champions League football. Tottenham’s slip up in recent weeks means they have been dragged into the battle, while Manchester United have come back into contention since Christmas under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Despite constant criticism of Maurizio Sarri, Chelsea sit third, while Arsenal still have a chance of a top four finish.
At the bottom, both Fulham and Huddersfield Town’s relegations to the Championship have been confirmed following disappointing campaigns. Cardiff City look like being the third team through the trap door, though Southampton and Brighton could still be dragged into danger.
But at this stage of the season, it could so easily come down to the performance of individuals, and in particular, those who put the ball in the net. Here are the five men in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.
#5 Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
There may be five games remaining in the league before this campaign comes to an end, but Sadio Mane is having his best goal scoring season. The Senegalese international has 17 Premier League goals to his name so far this season, as well as one assist. Added to his goals in all competitions, he has already reached 20 strikes, the same as he managed in the whole of last season.
In recent weeks, Mane has really stepped up to the plate with Mo Salah struggling. The 26-year-old has been brilliant since the turn of the year, and he has netted nine times in his last 11 league appearances, prompting rumours of a move to Real Madrid. Liverpool will hope that he can keep this form going if they are to win their first Premier League title.
#4 Harry Kane (Tottenham)
Yet again, Kane finds himself in the race for the Golden Boot. The Englishman won the award in both the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons, as well as winning the Golden Boot at the World Cup in Russia last summer. His overall goalscoring record in the Premier League is sensational, having scored 125 goals in 178 games.
This is the form that he has continued this season. He has 17 goals to his name, as well as providing four assists. It has certainly looked like he was on his way to scoring 20 Premier League goals for the fifth season in a row. This looks in doubt now however after he picked up what looked like a serious ankle injury against Manchester City in midweek. If he is out for an extended period of time, it could be a big loss for Tottenham.
#3 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
In the last few years, Aubameyang has been one of Europe’s top marksmen, and he has continued that record in the Premier League this season. He scored goals consistently in France and Germany with Saint-Etienne and Borussia Dortmund respectively, and this is form that has continued since his move to England in January 2018.
He has scored 17 goals in the Premier League so far this season, as well as providing five assists, which put him above Kane and Mane on this list. He has however been out of the team a little bit in the last few weeks, with Unai Emery choosing to go with Alexandre Lacazette as his lone striker. Because of this, Aubameyang has scored just once in the league since the start of March.
#2 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Salah was without a doubt the standout player in the Premier League last season. The Egyptian was sensational for Liverpool, scoring 32 Premier League goals, the most by anyone in a 38-game season, as well as scoring 11 goals as the Reds reached the Champions League Final, where unfortunately he was forced off with a shoulder injury.
In the opening half of the season, Salah continued that form, and he has now scored 18 league goals this season, as well as popping up with seven assists. Things have looked different in recent months however, and the 26-year-old hasn’t looked like his usual self, and he has scored just once in the last seven league games. That goal was the late strike at Southampton last week and he may just be hitting form at the right time.
#1 Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
We have almost begun to take Sergio Aguero for granted in England. The Argentine forward is without a doubt one of the world’s best strikers and is now Manchester City’s all-time top scorer. There were questions over whether Aguero would fit into Pep Guardiola's playing style, but those concerns seem almost laughable now.
Much like Kane, Aguero is aiming to make it to 20 league goals in five consecutive seasons, and that looks likely, with the 30-year-old already on 19 goals for the campaign. His scoring record is excellent, and he has scored a goal once every 105 minutes he has been on the pitch this season. City will hope he can keep this form up, and if he does, they may just win their second consecutive title.
