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30 Players with Most Match-Winning Goals in Premier League History
REUTERS/Molly Darlington

Oct 4, 2026, 4:18 PM GMT+1

Robin Mumford is a journalist for GiveMeSport, covering mainly Champions League and Premier League football.

He joined in April 2024, having previously worked at VAVEL as Deputy Editor-in-Chief, where he produced a variety of content, including pieces from press conferences and games. He also won an award for his role as lead editor for the Women's Football section of the online newspaper.

Covering football all across Europe, he has worked at stadiums such as Anfield, Old Trafford, and Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park, as well as having reported at both the 2023 men's and women's Champions League finals in Eindhoven and Istanbul.

He is infatuated with every aspect of football, but likes other sports as well, being an avid coffee-desperate Buffalo Bills supporter from across the pond and a darts' newbie.

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It is well known which Premier League players have scored the most goals. Alan Shearer's record of 260 looks safe for a long time to come, now that second-highest goalscorer Harry Kane plies his trade outside of England.

Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney, Mohamed Salah, and Thierry Henry also feature high on that list, meaning their reputation as some of the greatest players in the competition's history looks set to remain untouchable for years to come.

But what about those players who not only score a lot, but also seem to do it when it matters most - the players whose goals so often prove to be the difference between one point and three? These are the men who step up when the chips are down and consistently deliver when their team needs them most.

30th-21st

Erling Haaland smiling
Action images via Reuters/ Lee Smith
man utd marcus rashford
Steven Gerrard in action for Liverpool.
  • Erling Haaland smiling
  • man utd marcus rashford
  • Steven Gerrard in action for Liverpool.
  • Erling Haaland smiling
  • man utd marcus rashford
  • Steven Gerrard in action for Liverpool.

Marcus Rashford, Ian Wright, and Didier Drogba kickstart the list, with each striker on 33 match-winning goals. As for the latter, it may be something of a surprise that he doesn't feature higher, given that he's known as one of the greatest big-game players in football history.

Despite that reputation, Heung-Min Son ranks above the Chelsea man, with 35 of his 127 league goals for Tottenham going down as a match-winning moment. Ruud van Nistelrooy's ratio is even better, with just less than 38 per cent of his 95 Manchester United league goals winning them the game.

Elsewhere in this section, Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland is the highest current-serving player. He's only in his fourth Premier League season, but his remarkable goalscoring record has already landed him 25th on this list, as he's been crucial to two title-winning sides. He needs just one more to beat Liverpool trio Sadio Mane, Steven Gerrard, and Robbie Keane, as well as Paul Scholes.

Players with most match-winning goals in PL history

Rank

Player

Match Winners

30.

Marcus Rashford

33

29.

Ian Wright

33

28.

Didier Drogba

33

27.

Heung-Min Son

35

26.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

36

25.

Erling Haaland

37

24.

Sadio Mane

37

23.

Paul Scholes

37

22.

Robbie Keane

37

21.

Steven Gerrard

37

20th-11th

Cristiano Ronaldo
Tottenham Hotspur v Reading - Barclays Premier League - White Hart Lane - 12/13 - 1/1/13 Jermain Defoe - Tottenham Hotspur Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Peter Cziborra
Michael Owen
Jermain Defoe - Tottenham Hotspur
  • Cristiano Ronaldo
  • Michael Owen
  • Jermain Defoe - Tottenham Hotspur
  • Cristiano Ronaldo
  • Michael Owen
  • Jermain Defoe - Tottenham Hotspur

In 20th, also with 37 goals, is 2001 Ballon d'Or winner Michael Owen. Today's kids may know the former Liverpool mercenary as an outspoken pundit, but he remains among the most talented forwards in the English game's modern history. He only tasted two fewer Premier League winning moments than a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.

Also on Ronaldo's tally of 39 is Jamie Vardy and Raheem Sterling, whose lives have taken them in opposite directions since calling time on their Premier League careers. Robbie Fowler's path also looked a lot different after leaving the competition behind, as he's now one of Britain's richest sportsmen.

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Closing out this section is Jermain Defoe and Robin van Persie, who retired on 41 and 42 match-winning goals respectively. The latter played for both Arsenal and Man United, being a huge goal threat for both, as he proved as talented and mercurial as anyone else during the Barclays golden era.

Players with most match-winning goals in PL history

Rank

Player

Match Winners

20.

Michael Owen

37

19.

Jamie Vardy

39

18.

Raheem Sterling

39

17.

Cristiano Ronaldo

39

16.

Les Ferdinand

39

15.

Robbie Fowler

39

14.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

39

13.

Emile Heskey

39

12.

Jermain Defoe

41

11.

Robin van Persie

42

10th-1st

Newcastle's Alan Shearer following his 1st minute goal vs Man City
MixCollage-21-Aug-2024-09-41-PM-820
Thierry Henry celebrates his Golden Boot and POTY awards with Arsenal
  • Newcastle's Alan Shearer following his 1st minute goal vs Man City
  • MixCollage-21-Aug-2024-09-41-PM-820
  • Thierry Henry celebrates his Golden Boot and POTY awards with Arsenal
  • Newcastle's Alan Shearer following his 1st minute goal vs Man City
  • MixCollage-21-Aug-2024-09-41-PM-820
  • Thierry Henry celebrates his Golden Boot and POTY awards with Arsenal

With the incredible amount of goals that Alan Shearer scored throughout his career, it turns out a lot of them were also very crucial, despite only ever winning one Premier League title. He won 68 matches for Blackburn Rovers and his beloved Newcastle, but he isn't lonely at the top of the charts in the same way he is in the all-time goalscorers one.

That's because Wayne Rooney (66) is only narrowly behind him, while Frank Lampard and Harry Kane are level in third. In fifth, Thierry Henry - regarded the very best in Premier League history - won 59 games for Arsenal, while Mohamed Salah's goals amounted to 57 match-winning moments.

Sergio Aguero winning goal against QPR at the end of the 2011/12 season remains the most iconic of them all. But his tally of 48 ranks him seventh on this list, only within six goals more than Man United trio Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, and Ryan Giggs.

Players with most match-winning goals in PL history

Rank

Player

Match Winners

10.

Ryan Giggs

42

9.

Dwight Yorke

45

8.

Andy Cole

46

7.

Sergio Aguero

48

6.

Mohamed Salah

57

5.

Thierry Henry

59

Harry Kane

61

Frank Lampard

61

Wayne Rooney

66

Alan Shearer

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