'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Hello and Welcome Back to our assessment of the Top Contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot at the start of the new year. Let us start by wishing you all a very happy new year ahead. December has been a busy month and the Premier League has now reached its halfway mark. The table has also begun to take shape and the month has seen a lot of interesting developments.
Also Read: Top Contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot - December 2018
Mourinho has finally lost his job and Solskjaer has taken over the reins at Old Trafford. Manchester City are no longer unbeaten and have been replaced by Liverpool at the top of the table, who are still unbeaten.
As such, the race to the Premier League Golden Boot has become a lot tighter, with 3 men tied at the top of the table on the same number of goals, separated only by minutes per goals scored. Read on to find out the top contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot at the start of the new year.
#10 Callum Wilson (England, AFC Bournemouth)
Goals Scored: 8
The English Striker had a great start to the season, which had seen him become a regular feature in this list. He had been among the goals for Bournemouth regularly, however, December has not been kind to Wilson.
In the 7 games played in the month, Wilson had 6 appearances and scored 2 goals. Since our last assessment, Wilson had 5 appearances and scored just 1 goal, a run that saw him drop from 8th at the start of December to 10th at the start of the new year.
He found the back of the net in the game against Huddersfield, where he also set up another as Bournemouth won 2-1. However, he was not in the squad for the game at home against Liverpool, which they lost 4-0 and since then, Wilson has not scored till the end of December.
The Englishman now has 8 goals from 19 appearances, averaging 0.42 goals per game. He has already missed 12 big chances, which have affected his chances at rising up the ranks in the race to the Premier League Golden Boot.
#9 Sadio Mane (Senegal, Liverpool)
Goals Scored: 8
After a barren run in the month of November that saw him miss out from the rankings, the Senegalese Striker is back among the contenders at the start of the new year. Mane scored 2 goals from 6 appearances in December and sneaked backed into the race.
He failed to score against Everton at the start of the month and was rested in the win over Burnley. He returned against Bournemouth as a substitute, but still count not find the back of the net. However, against United in the next game, Mane's barren run was over as he scored his 7th goal of the season. After failing to score again in the next two games against Wolves and Newcastle, Mane scored once more in the 5-1 demolition of Arsenal at the end of the year.
Mane now has 8 goals from 18 games, scoring at an average of 0.44 goals per game and is currently 9th among the top contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot at the start of January 2019.
#8 Anthony Martial (France, Manchester United)
Goals Scored: 8
The Frenchman had been knocking on the door for quite some time now, but at the start of the year, Anthony Martial finally makes his entry among the contenders for the first time this season. He scored 2 goals from 5 games in December and has been one of the consistent performers for Manchester United in middle of a season of turmoil.
Martial scored in the thrilling 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the start of December but was rested in the 4-1 win at home over Fulham, after picking up a slight niggle. He came off the bench against Liverpool, in Mourinho's last game in charge, to play for 11 minutes without scoring.
On Solskjaer's appointment, the Frenchman was immediately reinstated into the team against Cardiff City and Martial responded by scoring in the morale-boosting 5-1 win. He missed the game against Huddersfield due to illness, but returned against Bournemouth last weekend, picking up an assist even though he could not score himself.
Martial now has 8 goals from 15 games, averaging 0.53 goals per game. At the start of January 2019, he is 8th among the top ten contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot.
#7 Richarlison (Brazil, Everton)
Goals Scored: 9
The Brazilian has climbed up the charts from 10th at the start of December to 7th at the turn of the year, by virtue of a eventful month. He started the month with the 1-0 loss at the hands of bitter rivals Liverpool, where he failed to find the back of the net. However, Richarlison redeemed himself against Newcastle, scoring the equalizer in a 1-1 draw. He scored again in the next game, a 2-2 draw against Watford.
The games against Tottenham Hotspurs and Manchester City saw him fail to find the back of the net, as Everton slumped to two back to back defeats. But Richarlison's goal drought was over in the very next game, when he came off the bench to score against Burnley. Last weekend, the Brazilian could not add to his tally as Everton lost 1-0 away to Brighton.
Richarlison has now scored 9 goals from 18 games in the Premier League this season, at an average of 0.47 goals per game. At the start of the new year, he is 7th in the race to the Premier League Golden Boot.
#6 Raheem Sterling (England, Manchester City)
Goals Scored: 9
Raheem Sterling was second in the race at the start of December. However, the month had not been kind to him, as the Englishman scored just 1 goal from 5 games since our last assessment and dropped down the ranks. Incidentally, City lost 3 of those 5 games!
After watching from the bench as his team overcame Watford, Sterling was reinstated in the starting eleven ahead of the crunch tie against Chelsea. He failed to score, as City lost their first game of the season. He come off the bench in the next game against Everton and found the back of the net. Since then, Sterling has failed to score in the last 3 games, which included shocking defeats against Crystal Palace and Leicester City.
The Englishman has now scored 9 goals from 17 appearances so far this season. He is averaging 0.53 goals per game and has hit the woodwork thrice this season already. At the start of January 2019, Raheem Sterling is 6th among the top contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot.
#5 Sergio Aguero (Argentina, Manchester City)
Goals Scored: 9
The Argentinean had a month to forget in December, where he missed 3 games due to a groin injury. It means that Aguero has dropped down from 3rd at the start of December to 5th at the start of January. However, with half of the league still to play, he still has time to catch up with the leaders.
Aguero returned from injury to find himself on the bench against Everton, where he played no part. He come on in the second half against Crystal Palace but failed to score as City were defeated. He started the next game against Leicester, but lacked sharpness as City were defeated again. Aguero finally scored last weekend against Southampton as City got back to winning ways.
The Argentinean has now scored 9 goals from 16 appearances in the Premier League, averaging 0.56 goals per game. He has registered 63 shots, 21 of which have been on target, but has also missed 6 big chances so far. While Aguero will be wary of the pack getting ahead of him, he does have the qualities get back in the race in the new year.
#4 Eden Hazard (Belgium, Chelsea)
Goals Scored: 10
The Belgian had slowed down after a blistering start to the season, scoring just one goal in the entire of October and November. This had seen him drop down from the top of the race to 5th position at the start of December. However, Hazard ended the year on a bang and is right in the thick of things right now. Interestingly, he also has 9 assists so far in the League.
Hazard started the month still struggling in front of goal and failed to score against Fulham, Wolves and Manchester City, even though he set up goals in each of those games. Against Brighton though, the Belgian finally ended his barren run, finding the back of the net after 7 games. He missed out in the very next game, against Leicester, but scored a brace in the following game against Watford. Last weekend, he was effective as Chelsea secured a narrow win over Crystal Palace, even though he could not score.
The Belgian now has 10 goals from 19 appearances in the League, averaging 0.53 goals per game, even though he has missed 5 big chances. At the start of the new year, Eden Hazard is 4th in the race to the Premier League Golden Boot, and he will be desperate to be at the top of the pile at the end of the season. Knowing his qualities, it will be very hard to bet against him.
#3 Harry Kane (England, Tottenham Hotspurs)
Goals Scored: 13
The Englishman is never too far away from the Golden Boot race. However, the start of the season had been inauspicious for the 2018 World Cup Golden Boot winner and Harry had watched in frustration as his competitors had taken the lead in the race to the Premier League Golden Boot.
And he has mounted a fierce comeback in December, scoring 5 goals in 6 games since our last assessment and is now level with the other two players at the top of the table. Only an inferior goal per minute ratio has seen him start the month at third in this list - Harry averages a goal every 132 minutes, marginally less than the men ahead of him.
He started the month by scoring against Arsenal in the disappointing 4-2 defeat. He scored again in the very next game against Southampton, before failing to score in the next two ties against Leicester and Burnley. But Harry has since picked up the pace, scoring 4 goals in his last 3 games, including a brace against Everton.
The English Striker has attempted 64 shots so far, with 32 of them on target. However, he has also missed 8 big chances, which has hurt him in the race. Harry Kane now has 13 goals from 20 appearances and at the start of the new year, he is 3rd among the top contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot.
#2 Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool)
Goals Scored: 13
From 7th during our last assessment at the start of December to the top of the pile at the turn of the new year, Salah's rise has hardly been surprising. In fact, he was expected to ferociously defend the individual trophy he won last season and Salah has done just that. He has also proved all the doubters wrong - people who had written him off as a one season wonder - and has been in terrific form of late.
The Egyptian announced his intentions with a hattrick against AFC Bournemouth in the third game of the month. After missing out against Manchester United, Salah scored 3 goals in the last three games and is already looking like the force that shook the Premier League last season. He has now scored 13 goals in 20 games, and is joint top of the pack with 3 of his fiercest competitors right now. However, he is averaging a goal every 129 minute, which sees him start the month 2nd behind the phenomenon at the top of the pile.
Salah has already missed 11 big chances so far this season and has registered 68 shots, 33 of which have been on target. As of now, he is right where he wants to be, yet he will be looking to get ahead of the pack as the year progresses.
#1 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon, Arsenal)
Goals Scored: 13
The Gabon International was handed the iconic No. 14 Jersey at Arsenal, the number which had reached legendary status under a certain Frenchman named Thierry Henry. And Aubameyang has been on fire this season.
Since our last assessment, he has scored 3 goals from 6 appearances and is tied at the top of the pile with Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah. However, Aubameyang is averaging a goal every 120 minutes this season, which is slightly better than the two of his competitors.
The Gabon International started the month with a brace against Tottenham Hotspurs. He could not get on the scoresheet in the next three games, including the entertaining 2-2 tie against Manchester United. However, Aubameyang got back to goal scoring against Burnley, scoring a brace. He also scored in the following game against Brighton. Last weekend, he failed to find the back of the net as his team were destroyed by a rampant Liverpool side.
Aubameyang now has 13 goals from 20 games and has registered 48 shots so far, with 22 of those on target. However, he has also missed 11 big chances, something he would like to improve. At the start of the new year, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the No. 1 Contender for the Premier League Golden Boot.
Join us again next month as we analyze the development towards the race again.
