Stats: Jamie Vardy moves one step closer to setting Premier League record
When Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy stepped up to take a penalty against Watford and blasted it straight down the middle to beat Heurelho Gomes, he broke a record of sorts. In doing so, he became the first Englishman to score a goal in nine consecutive games in the Premier League.
It was a record he shared with Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge till last week when he scored the decisive goal in the Foxes’ 3-2 win over West Bromwich Albion. Now, after the 2-1 win over Watford, he has moved past him with only one player in his sight.
Former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is the only player in Premier League history to score in 10 consecutive games. The Dutch legend achieved this feat in the 2002/03 season when the Red Devils won the title beating Arsenal by five points. Nistelrooy also won the Golden Boot for his endeavours that season after scoring 25 goals in the league, pipping Gunners legend Thierry Henry to the line by a solitary goal.
Nistelrooy was no stranger to goal scoring streaks. A season prior to setting the current record, he scored in eight consecutive games. In that season, it was Arsenal who won the title and Thierry Henry who won the Golden Boot with 24 goals to Nistelrooy’s 23.
Vardy may soon equal the record when Claudio Ranieri’s squad travel to St. James’ Park to take on a struggling Newcastle United who sit just two points above the relegation zone. The Magpies have conceded 22 goals in 12 games so far and one would be hard pressed to bet against Vardy getting on the score sheet again, considering he has already scored against the likes of Arsenal, Stoke City and Crystal Palace – some of the meanest defences in the English top flight this season.
He had already moved past some other well-known names such as former Arsenal strikers Thierry Henry, Ian Wright and Emmanuel Adebayor – all of whom scored in seven consecutive games for the north London club. Ex-Chelsea striker Mark Stein had also scored in 7 consecutive games back in the 1993/94 season while EPL record goalscorer Alan Shearer accomplished the same with Newcastle United in 1996/97.
| MATCHES | PLAYER | CLUB | SEASON |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Ruud van Nistelrooy | Manchester United | 2002/03 |
| 9* | Jamie Vardy | Leicester City | 2015/16 |
| 8 | Ruud van Nistelrooy | Manchester United | 2001/02 |
| Daniel Sturridge | Liverpool | 2013/14 | |
| 7 | Mark Stein | Chelsea | 1993/94 |
| Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 1999/2000 | |
| Ian Wright | Arsenal | 1994/95 | |
| Emmanuel Adebayor | Arsenal | 2007/08 | |
| Alan Shearer | Newcastle United | 1996/97 |
Stats via MisterChiping