Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has scored more non-penalty goals than any other player in the division.
The 28-year-old has been in imperious form this term, having seen his performances dramatically improve after the appointment of Unai Emery in October 2022.
Villa moved ahead of Tottenham after a 2-0 win against Arsenal on Sunday, with goals from Leon Bailey and Watkins – which took his tally to 19.
The England international’s total is made all the more impressive by the fact he has not taken a penalty this season.
In fact, when spot-kicks are taken out of the equation, Watkins has the most goals in the league this term.
Next up are Erling Haaland and Dominic Solanke with 16 non-penalty goals. The Manchester City striker has converted from 12 yards four times to give him a league-high of 20, alongside his former team-mate Cole Palmer.
Indeed, it’s the 21-year-old who suffers most in the alternative list, having successfully converted all nine of his penalties. Solanke by contrast, has scored just one.
West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen ranks fourth with 15 non-penalty goals, one more than Son Heung-Min and Phil Foden. Neither of the England internationals have taken a penalty this season, while Son has had only one.
Toward the other end of the scale is Mohamed Salah, who has converted five of seven penalty attempts to give him a non-penalty tally of 12, one fewer than Newcastle’s Alexander Isak.
The Swede has been perfect from the spot, going four-for-four. Isak is among the cluster of players with realistic ambitions of winning the Golden Boot this season, with him level with Salah on 17 for the campaign.
Rounding out the top 10 are Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, Reds forward Darwin Nunez and Palmer. None of Wood’s 12 goals in the league have come from the spot, and the same is true for Nunez because he missed his only attempt in a January victory over Chelsea.
The other players with more than 10 non-penalty goals this season are Matheus Cunha, Richarlison and Nicolas Jackson.
Watkins still has his work cut out if he wants to eclipse the record for non-penalty goals in season. The 42-game mark, set by Andy Cole during the 1993-94 season, is 34.
Luis Suarez and Salah share the record in a 38-game season, with the pair each netting 31 times without the aid of a penalty.
