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Substitutes are a key part of football, as they help bring a fresh pair of legs on the pitch, and often go on to make an instant impact on the outcome of the game. The Premier League has witnessed quite a few 'super-subs' in its three decades of existence, who have often scored dramatic goals in the final moments of a game.
As scoring goals is the most important aspect of the game, most substitutes that come on from the bench are attackers.
Although no player wants to be left on the bench, some are more effective coming on late rather than playing the whole 90 minutes. Let's take a look at the players who've notched up the most goals as substitutes in the history of the English top-flight.
10 Top goal-scoring substitutes in Premier League history:
#10 Darren Bent - 13 goals
57 appearances, 107.8 mins-per-goal (as a substitute)
Traditionally, we may never consider a player who had travelled to nine different clubs in his career a successful one. But Darren Bent might be an exception to that, having scored 106 goals in his Premier League career, though he had more losses with the clubs than wins.
He made 57 appearances in the English top-flight as a substitute, scoring 13 times, the same number of goals Andy Cole, Tore Andre-Flo, and Michael Owen scored coming on from the bench. It is his superior ratio of a goal every 107.8 minutes that earned him a place in our list.
#9 Edin Dzeko - 13 goals
56 appearances, 89.1 mins-per-goal (as a substitute)
Manchester City have one of the best strikers in the world in Sergio Aguero in their ranks, but they have struggled to find a reliable backup for the Argentine since the departure of Edin Dzeko in 2015.
Dzeko, who now plays for Serie A side AS Roma, had a productive spell with the Cityzens and scored as many as 50 goals in the Premier League. He scored 13 goals as a substitute in 56 appearances, and averaged a goal per appearance from the bench.
#8 Victor Anichebe - 14 goals
107 appearances, 147.4 mins-per-goal (as a substitute)
Nigerian striker Victor Anichebe made over 200 appearances in the Premier League, mostly with Everton, and more than half were from the bench. As a result, most of the goals that he scored were also as a substitute.
Although he only scored 26 goals in the league, 14 of them from the bench, his ratio of 147.4 minutes-per-goal earns him a place on this list.
#7 Peter Crouch - 16 goals
156 appearances, 178.1 min-per-goal
Another centurion to feature in this list is one of the Premier League's cult heroes, the 6'7'' Peter Crouch. The former England international made a name for himself in the league for his penchant for scoring headers during his time with Southampton, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Stoke City.
Though he made as many as 156 appearances from the bench, his 178.1 min-per-goal ratio is not quite 'super-sub' worthy. Before hanging up his boots, he ended up scoring 108 goals in the league, of which he scored 16 coming off the bench.
Also See: 5 Premier League stars and their unique Guinness World Records that you didn't know about
#6 Nwankwo Kanu - 17 goals
111 appearances, 159.1 mins-per-goal
Though Nwankwo Kanu does not rank in the upper echelons of top-scorers at Arsenal, his contributions to the star-studded team, with the likes of peak Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp in its ranks, were quite impressive.
The Nigerian striker's persistence and unpredictability acted as a trump card for Arsene Wenger, who utilized the player's skills to cause chaos in the opposition half in the final quarter of the game. Kanu would establish a reputation as something of a super-sub, regularly netting from the bench, and has 17 goals to his name as a substitute.
#5 Daniel Sturridge - 17 goals
98 appearances, 106.7 mins-per-goal
When talking about players whose careers were ruined by injuries, former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge is one of the first names that comes to mind. The player had failed to make a name for himself at clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea, but enjoyed the best spell of his career in the 2013-14 season with Liverpool, scoring 21 goals.
His fitness levels kept him out of action for the better part of his career. Even when he was included in the squad, managers didn't risk playing him for the full 90 minutes. He was called from the bench a lot, and scored 17 times as a substitute to ensure that he made the most of his limited playtime.
#4 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - 17 goals
80 appearances, 106.7 mins-per-goal
Current Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's injury-time goal in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich after coming off the bench helps him rank as one of the best substitutes ever.
He personified the definitive super-sub during his spell with Manchester United and made a habit of scoring in the final stages of the game. In his decade long career at Manchester United, Solksjaer scored 17 goals off the bench at a rate of 106.7 minutes per goal. Interestingly, Solskjaer’s first and final appearances for the club were marked with a him scoring a goal coming off the bench.
Ole Gunnar Solkskjaer took over from Jose Mourinho as manager of Manchester United in December 2018.
Also See: Top 5 Premier League players with most assists in a single season
#3 Javier Hernandez - 19 goals
78 appearances, 93.4 mins-per-goal
Players like Javier Hernandez, who are the top scorers for their national teams, are expected to be leading the line for their clubs. But a starting role never really worked out for Chicharito in the Premier League. He had to be content with a super sub role for Manchester United and West Ham United.
His goal-scoring exploits off the bench drew comparisons with current Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and he managed to grab 19 goals in his cameos, two more than the Norweigian forward.
#2 Olivier Giroud - 20 goals
97 appearances, 88.6 mins-per-goal
From being a guaranteed starter at Arsenal under Arsene Wenger to being dropped to the bench and a subsequent move to Chelsea, where he honed his skills as a super-sub, Olivier Giroud has had an interesting career.
The 2017 Puskas Award winner is now only behind Thierry Henry in his country’s list of all-time leading marksmen with 42 goals. It seems the lack of playtime at the club level has not affected his prospects with the national team, where he continues to impress.
He has averaged a goal every 88 minutes in his appearances from the bench, and scored 20 goals as a substitute. The Frenchman is yet to make a start for Chelsea in the Premier League this season.
#1 Jermain Defoe - 24 goals
149 appearances, 128.8 mins-per-goal
Jermain Defoe is one of the strikers who is often overlooked by all despite the former Three Lions star netting 162 times in his long Premier League career. Defoe had been the first choice striker for most of his career at clubs like Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland and Bournemouth but proved himself equally competent as a substitute and scored a league-record 24 goals off the bench.
He not only deserves the title of the ultimate super-sub in the English top-flight, but also deserves recognition as a super-striker as well.
