Who is the Premier League's best penalty-taker ever?

Bryan Mbeumo added another entry to his perfect penalty record when he slotted home his ninth Premier League spot-kick, in Brentford's 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.

The forward's impressive run without missing seemed to have ended when his initial kick hit a post, but a VAR check found that Palace defender Marc Guehi had encroached into the penalty area before clearing the ball, so a retake was ordered and Mbeumo scored at the second attempt.

After the match, Brentford head coach Thomas Frank didn’t hold back in his praise, declaring the Cameroon international to be the Premier League's best penalty-taker.

"We had the [best] before [in Ivan Toney] and now we have a second one," Frank said. "Mbeumo has very, very good mentality, composure and focus."

Mbeumo’s clinical consistency puts him among the top flight's elite penalty-takers but it raises the question: who deserves the title of best penalty-taker in Premier League history?

Penalty perfection

If perfection is the measuring stick, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer currently leads the pack. The 22-year-old has taken 12 spot-kicks in the Premier League and converted every single one, with Mbeumo now just three behind him.

Earlier this season, Palmer surpassed Manchester City icon Yaya Toure, who also boasted a perfect record, having scored all 11 of his penalties during his time in England.

Fulham's Raul Jimenez is also flawless from the spot, netting all 10 of his attempts.

Most Premier League penalties taken without missing*

*Minimum nine attempts

For some players, a single miss is all that separates them from a perfect spot-kick record. 

Southampton legend Matthew Le Tissier's name is synonymous with penalty-taking excellence, having scored 25 of his 26 Premier League penalties - a 96.2 per cent success rate.

Le Tissier's lone miss, with only the third spot-kick of his Premier League career, came against Nottingham Forest in 1993, and he would never make the same mistake again. He netted his next 23 penalties, an incredible run.

Danny Murphy was similarly clinical, scoring 18 of his 19 spot-kicks and thwarted only by Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart when taking a penalty for Fulham in 2008.

As for current Premier League players, Newcastle United’s Callum Wilson leads the way in almost-perfect records, having scored 16 of his 17 penalties. His only miss came when Cardiff City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge saved his penalty for AFC Bournemouth in August 2018.

Most Premier League penalties taken with only one miss

The kings of quantity

Although a perfect or near-perfect record is undeniably impressive, others argue that the true mark of a great penalty-taker lies in consistency over a large sample size.

Alan Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer, has also taken and netted more penalties than any other player. He converted 56 of his 67 spot-kicks - a success rate of 83.6 per cent, which represents admirable reliability over 15 seasons.

Chelsea legend Frank Lampard ranks second for the number of penalties scored, with 43 from 50 attempts (86 per cent).

Lampard, the league's top-scoring midfielder, showed his composure when he was forced to take a penalty three times at West Ham United in 2009/10 due to infringements. He beat the goalkeeper, Rob Green, with every attempt.

Other prominent penalty-scorers include former Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, who netted 33 out of 37, and Steven Gerrard, who converted 32 out of 39 for Liverpool.

Most Premier League penalties scored

While their conversion rates may be slightly lower, the number of successful penalties taken by these players demonstrates their mastery from the spot.  

Differences in style

There are other nuances in penalty-taking prolificacy, both in style and substance.

Thierry Henry, for example, never had any of his 25 Premier League penalties saved. The only obstacle that was able to stop him scoring a spot-kick was the woodwork, which denied him twice. 

Then there are the modern specialists, like Bruno Fernandes and Jorginho, who employ a hop-and-skip run-up technique that buys them a split-second to read the goalkeeper's movements.

This high-risk, high-reward approach has resulted in Fernandes converting 22 of 26 attempts for Manchester United, while Jorginho has netted 19 of 22 for Arsenal and Chelsea.

Honourable mentions

Other players who have shown coolness from the spot include Leighton Baines (20/22) who seldom missed over a sizeable number of attempts.

And though their tallies don’t quite match the precision and/or volume of some of the other top performers, Erling Haaland (15/17), Bukayo Saka (11/12), James Milner (17/19), Eden Hazard (17/19), and Mikel Arteta (17/19) have also demonstrated remarkable composure and consistency when called upon. 

What defines the best penalty-taker?

The debate over who is the best penalty-taker in Premier League history ultimately boils down to perspective.

Perfectionists might lean toward the flawless records of Toure and Palmer, while others may value the volume and consistency of players like Shearer and Lampard who delivered under pressure over a much greater timespan.

Players like Le Tissier and Murphy perhaps bridge the gap, boasting near-perfect records over a significant number of attempts.

Have YOUR say

If you had to choose ONE player to take a crucial penalty in the last minute of a match, who would you back to score?

Pick who you think is the best penalty-taker in Premier League history in our poll below.

Head to Opta Analyst for more quirky penalty stats, including which players have the WORST records.