Photo by FMT, CC by 4.0
Scoring goals is the most difficult task in football and doing it consistently is an even bigger challenge. Yet, there are times when certain players seem unstoppable in finding the back of the net. Here are the longest goalscoring streaks the Premier League has ever witnessed.
7. Joe Willock – 7 Games (April-May 2021)
Willock had already become the youngest goalscorer to ever strike in six consecutive games before adding another to his tally on the final day of the 2021 season in Newcastle’s 2-0 win away at Fulham.
No midfielder has ever scored as many goals in consecutive games and the streak was more remarkable due to the fact Newcastle were a mid-table side, at best, rather than a free-scoring one near the top.
That run earned him a permanent £25 million move from Arsenal during the summer, but he was unable to continue his red-hot form.
6. Alan Shearer – 7 Games (September-November 1996)
Sergio Aguero, Romelu Lukaku, Emmanuel Adebayor, Thierry Henry, Ian Wright, and Mark Stein have also hit the seven-game mark but no Premier League scoring list would be complete without its record holder.
Shearer had just signed for Newcastle for a then-world record £15 million with Kevin Keegan hoping he’d make the pivotal difference in securing a title.
It proved not to be the case but the Geordie star was still a trusty marksman with the Magpies’ famous 5-0 demolition of Manchester United contained within this run.
5. Jamie Vardy – 8 Games (October-December 2019)
Jamie Vardy scored in eight consecutive matches for the Foxes in the 2018/19 Premier League season between October 2019 to December 2019. He became the first player to net in eight consecutive Premier League matches since accomplishing the same feat four years ago.
Vardy’s incredible form ignited hopes of a fairy tale repeat of Leicester’s 2016 triumph, but they couldn’t maintain their momentum and ultimately finished the season in fifth place, which was still a respectable achievement for Brendan Rodgers’ team.
The Leicester number nine ended the season with 23 goals, just one shy of the tally he achieved during Leicester’s title-winning campaign.
4. Daniel Sturridge – 8 Games (November 2013-February 2014)
While Luis Suarez was the chief headline-maker in Liverpool’s near miss of 2013-14, Daniel Sturridge was proving to be more than just a right-hand man.
It’s easy to forget how lethal the England forward was given the sorry descent of his career due to persistent injury issues.
The run of form started with a late equaliser in a 3-3 draw away at Everton and carried on until his brace at home to Swansea with another two-goal haul in the reverse fixture against the Toffees – 10 goals in eight games to be precise.
3. Ruud van Nistelrooy – 8 Games (December 2001-January 2002)
Ruud van Nistelrooy set a Premier League record by scoring in eight consecutive matches between December 2001 to January 2002. His record was short lived, however, as he would break it himself in the following campaign.
But, Nistelrooy’s stunning form couldn’t help his team to the title. Manchester United finished third that season with Arsenal taking the trophy home, and Liverpool finishing second.
That said, Van the Man didn’t have to regret for long, as he led his team to glory the very next season with an even more impressive scoring streak.
2. Ruud van Nistelrooy – 10 Games (March-August 2003)
The Dutchman was one of the most ruthless goalscorers in Premier League history and it is of little surprise to see him again in this list.
Back in the peak of Manchester United and Arsenal’s rivalry, the Red Devils were seeking to reclaim the Premier League title and needed their big players to step up.
Van Nistelrooy scored in the 2-2 draw at Highbury before his goals saw United win four in a row at the end of the season to win the Premier League for the eighth time.
Two more goals from the forward at the start of the 2003/04 season took his tally up to 10 in a row – a record which wouldn’t be broken for 12 years.
1. Jamie Vardy – 11 Games (August-November 2015)
Every fairytale needs a main protagonist and Jamie Vardy portrayed the role perfectly in Leicester’s outrageous ascent from relegation strugglers to title winners.
There were signs at the end of the previous season that he was finding his feet in the top flight and was justly rewarded with a maiden England call in the summer of 2015.
However, no one could have predicted how clinical he would become in front of goal as the run started when he netted a penalty away at Bournemouth.
When everyone thought the Foxes would run out of steam, Vardy, sometimes single-handedly, defied the naysayers and equalled Van Nistelrooy’s record in a 3-0 win at Newcastle.
Ironically, United were the opponents Vardy broke the record against and after he used his trademark blistering pace to get on the end of a through ball, there was a sense of inevitability as he tucked home with utmost confidence.
Jamie Vardy still holds the record for the longest scoring streak in the Premier League with his tally of scoring in 11 consecutive games in that incredible 2015/16 season for Leicester City.
All that from a player who was playing non-league football up until the age of 25. Without doubt one strand of the Premier League’s most remarkable tale.
