Mohamed Salah remains in pole position for the 2021/22 Castrol Golden Boot award, but his pursuers have been closing the gap.
It leaves the Liverpool star defending a five-goal lead with four matches remaining.
Golden Boot contenders
Player | Goals | Fixtures |
Salah | 22 | TOT (H), AVL (A), SOU (A), WOL (H) |
---|---|---|
Ronaldo | 17 | BRE (H), BHA (A), CRY (A) |
Son | 17 | LEI (H), LIV (A), ARS (H), BUR (H), NOR (A) |
Jota | 15 | TOT (H), AVL (A), WOL (H), SOU (A) |
Mane | 14 | TOT (H), AVL (A), SOU (A), WOL (H) |
Since scoring Liverpool's 2,000th Premier League goal against Brighton & Hove Albion on 12 March, Salah has netted just twice, both coming in a 4-0 success over Manchester United.
In that same period Son Heung-min has struck six times for Tottenham Hotspur, and the South Korean has five matches left, more than his rivals for the Golden Boot.
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Son will look to close the gap further over his next three outings, starting against Leicester City on Sunday, and then finish with a flourish against two of the bottom four clubs: Burnley and Norwich City.
Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo is in the best form of the leading contenders, scoring eight times since mid-March.
He has netted seven goals in his last three home matches, including two hat-tricks, to move joint-second in the top scorers' list.
The Portuguese will aim to maintain his superb Old Trafford form when Brentford visit on Monday. But he has fewer matches remaining than both Salah and Son.
Elite company
Salah won the Golden Boot outright in 2017/18 before sharing the award the following season.
He has already matched his 22-goal total from 2018/19 and only needs one more strike to match the winning tally for the last two campaigns.
Salah could also become only the fourth player to win the Golden Boot for a third time, after Premier League Hall of Fame inductees Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry, and the current holder Harry Kane.
Last five Golden Boot winners
Season | Player | Goals |
2016/17 | Kane | 29 |
---|---|---|
2017/18 | Salah | 32 |
2018/19 | Aubameyang Mane Salah |
22 |
2019/20 | Vardy | 23 |
2020/21 | Kane | 23 |
See: All the Golden Boot winners