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One-man teams
It’s an oft-repeated putdown in the Premier League and beyond: you’re just a one-man team. But which of the sides in the English top flight are most reliant on a single player?
We’ve crunched the numbers to reveal the percentage of goals netted by each club’s top scorer in the 2017-18 campaign. Who comes out on top? (Figures correct to Fri 27 Apr.)
20. Dwight Gayle/Ayoze Perez, Newcastle (14.29%)
Here's how not to become a one-man team: don't have any one man who scores a lot. Gayle's 23 goals in 32 Championship games helped fire Newcastle to promotion last season, but he's had to remain patient for game time in the top tier. Rafael Benitez initially favoured Joselu up front, but the former Crystal Palace sharp-shooter has played himself into contention in recent months.
Gayle is now Newcastle's joint-top scorer alongside Perez with a relatively low total of five. The Magpies have spread the goals around the side throughout the season, and therefore cannot be described as a one-man team – as the stats show.
19. Abdoulaye Doucoure, Watford (16.67%)
Despite never really being threatened by relegation, Watford have endured another turbulent campaign. Doucoure has been consistently brilliant in the heart of the Hornets' midfield, however, breaking up play and creating chances for his team-mates.
He's also contributed a fair share of goals to the Watford cause, with his seven strikes representing almost 17% of his team's tally of 42. It's yet another reason why Javi Gracia will be desperate to keep hold of him this summer.
18. Callum Wilson, Bournemouth (17.07%)
With their chief goal-getter having contributed just over 17% of their overall tally, Bournemouth can justifiably claim to be far from a one-man team. Eddie Howe's men have certainly spread the goals around this term, with 14 players having put the ball in the back of the net so far.
Wilson is the Cherries' top scorer with seven goals, but over 80% of their efforts have come from elsewhere. While presumably content that his team are not overly reliant on one individual, Howe would probably have liked his side's place in this ranking to be a little higher.
17. Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal (19.7%)
Arsenal essentially sold 11 goals in the January transfer window, when Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud joined Premier League rivals. Arsene Wenger captured Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in place of the pair and duly made the Gabonese his first-choice No.9, but Lacazette remains the Gunners’ top scorer with 13 having fought his way back into the side in recent weeks.
That’s still a rather low return for a team who have scored more goals than all but Liverpool and Manchester City this season, which explains Arsenal’s position in this list.
16. Eden Hazard, Chelsea (20.34%)
It will come as no surprise to regular Chelsea-watchers that Hazard is the man they depend on most in the final third. Alvaro Morata has encountered numerous difficulties in his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge, which has only added further pressure on Hazard's creative output.
The Belgian has responded reasonably well to such a situation, firing past goalkeepers 12 times in the Premier League. That means he's provided 20.34% of the 59 goals the defending champions have scored in 2017-18.
15. Charlie Austin, Southampton (21.21%)
In 2012/13, Reading's top scorer was Adam Le Fondre, who scored 12 goals despite only starting 11 games. This season, Charlie Austin has started six league games for Southampton and scored seven. His 728 minutes on the pitch have allowed the ex-QPR frontman to outscore Manolo Gabbiadini, Nathan Redmond, Dusan Tadic, Shane Long and Guido Carrillo.
Over a fifth of the south coasters' strikes have come from Austin, who's recently returned to full fitness ahead of the run-in. They'll need him to avoid a repeat of history: Le Fondre's goals didn't save Reading from being relegated – just as QPR were in 2014/15 despite Austin's 18 strikes.
14. Sergio Aguero, Man City (21.43%)
Aguero was in brilliant form at the start of 2018, finding the net 15 times in as many outings in all competitions before getting injured. Nine of those strikes came in the Premier League, taking the Argentinian's tally for the campaign to 21 goals.
That's enough for Aguero to be third in the division's top-scorer standings, but it represents less than a quarter of the goals City have scored in total. Having made the net ripple on 98 occasions, Pep Guardiola's side are on course to break Chelsea's record of 103 from 2009-10.
13. Xherdan Shaqiri, Stoke (21.88%)
A 1-1 draw with Burnley last weekend harmed Stoke’s chances of avoiding relegation, and the Potters will need Shaqiri to step up in the next few games if they’re to clamber out of trouble.
The Switzerland international has been their chief threat in the attacking third throughout 2017-18, scoring seven goals – equivalent to 21.88% of the Potters’ total – in 33 appearances. Paul Lambert wouldn’t mind his percentage climbing higher if that proved to be the difference between safety and demotion.
12. Marko Arnautovic, West Ham (23.81%)
Arnautovic, who has thrived since being re-deployed as a centre-forward in David Moyes' starting XI, is West Ham's top scorer this season having found the net 10 times in the top flight.
The Austria international was criticised for a perceived poor attitude and questionable work ethic earlier in the campaign, but there's no denying his influence at the London Stadium. If the Hammers avoid relegation as expected, Arnautovic will deserve plenty of credit.
10. Romelu Lukaku, Man United (24.62%)
Lukaku may not be competing with Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah and Sergio Aguero for the Golden Boot, but he’s comfortably been Manchester United’s most prolific player this season.
The Belgium international has scored 16 times in the Premier League, which means he’s responsible for around a quarter of the 65 goals Jose Mourinho’s men have managed in 2017-18. United fans will hope to see both Lukaku’s and the team’s numbers rise further next term, though.
9. Wayne Rooney, Everton (25%)
Many wondered whether Everton were making an emotionally-based expensive mistake by re-signing Rooney last summer, but contrary to expectations it’s been the player who’s provided the club with more than he’s got in return.
Rooney’s return of 10 Premier League goals in 30 games means he’s contributed over a quarter of Everton’s overall total, despite spending much of the season in a midfield role. He's not been quite as prolific in 2018, though, with his last effort coming in December.
8. Chris Wood/Ashley Barnes, Burnley (25.71%)
Despite their lofty seventh-place standing in the Premier League, Burnley are among the division's lowest scorers with just 35 goals in 35 games - a record which is bettered by all but six of their top-flight rivals.
Wood and Barnes have provided a large chunk of those strikes, with their nine efforts each representing more than a quarter of the Clarets' total. It's no coincidence that Sean Dyche's side have experienced an upturn in form since Wood returned from injury.
6= Jordan Ayew, Swansea (25.93%)
The Ayew brothers have been reunited at Swansea after Andre swapped West Ham for the Liberty Stadium in January, but Jordan still leads the way in the scoring stakes. The younger sibling has made the net bulge seven times in the Premier League this term, which means he’s notched 25.93% of the Swans’ 27 goals.
Relegation is by no means out of the question despite Swansea’s improvements under Carlos Carvalhal, so Ayew will need to continue the producing the goods in the final few games of the campaign.
6= Steve Mounie, Huddersfield (25.93%)
Huddersfield have found goals hard to come by since earning promotion last term, with no team in the Premier League having found the net fewer times than their 27.
Manager David Wagner has rotated between Mounie and Laurent Depoitre up front throughout the campaign, with the former contributing seven goals to the latter's five - meaning he's provided almost 26% of Town's goals.
5. Luka Milivojevic, Crystal Palace (27.78%)
Crystal Palace suffered a nightmare start to the season under both Frank de Boer and Roy Hodgson, losing their first seven matches without even scoring a goal. They've picked up since then, but Christian Benteke has continued to falter and goals have therefore had to be sourced from elsewhere.
Midfielder Milivojevic is top of the pile at present, with seven of his 10 strikes having come from the penalty spot. That means the Serb's spot-kicks alone have accounted for almost a fifth of Palace's goals in 2017-18.
4. Jamie Vardy, Leicester (34.69%)
Vardy may now be 31 years old, but he's shown no signs of slowing down this season. The Leicester striker has started all but one of his side's Premier League games in 2017-18, scoring 17 goals to sit behind just four men in the division's list of top scorers.
Riyad Mahrez is the Foxes' second-most prolific player with 10 strikes, but it's Vardy who provides the lion's share of goals - 34.69% to be exact - for the 2016 champions.
3. Glenn Murray, Brighton (37.5%)
When Brighton failed to bolster their squad with a new centre-forward last summer, many believed Premier League survival would be a step too far. The Seagulls did belatedly capture Jurgen Locadia from PSV in the January window, but they have hitherto not needed to use him due to the form of one man.
Murray, now 34, has exceeded everyone’s expectations this season, scoring 12 top-flight goals – which works out as 37.5% of his team’s total – to help move Brighton seven points clear of the drop zone with four games remaining. No wonder the fans forgive him his Palace dalliance.
2. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool (38.75%)
With 31 goals to his name, Salah is the Premier League’s top scorer and odds-on favourite to scoop the Golden Boot ahead of Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero. It’s been a phenomenal campaign for the Egypt international, and the statistics prove Liverpool are hugely dependent on the ex-Roma man to convert the chances they create.
Salah has been responsible for 38.75% of the Reds’ 80 goals this term, but even four efforts against Watford last month weren't enough for him to take top spot in this ranking.
1. Harry Kane, Tottenham (39.9%)
Local lad Kane has notched 39.9% of Tottenham's 66 goals in 2017-18, further underlining his importance to the north Londoners' cause. His 26 strikes in the Premier League leave him second in the race for the Golden Boot, although the England international is still five behind Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.
Son Heung-min has found the net 12 times this term, while Christian Eriksen has contributed 10 goals, but there's no doubt Kane is the key man in Tottenham's attack.
