Ranking every Premier League club by their aerial prowess this season
The 2019/20 Premier League season has seen an abundance of goals scored so far, via a variety of means.
Tap-ins, long-range strikes, aesthetically pleasing team goals and headers have all been seen by the millions of fans watching the Premier League this season.
While fans will like to watch the rockets and team goals again and again on social media, not enough love is given to headers.
There can be different kinds of headers too, a powerful effort, a neat looping header and a smart header designed to beat the goalkeeper – to name a few.
It took a while, but all 20 Premier League teams have scored a header this season, with Aston Villa the last to do so at the start of February. But where do they rank, and who sits on top?
Teams tied on headed goals are separated by percentage of total goal tally.
20. West Ham United
Headed goals: 1
Top scorer (headers): Issa Diop (1)
Percentage of total tally: 3.33%
One of three teams to manage just a single headed goal, West Ham’s sole effort came in their 1-1 draw with Everton via Issa Diop in January. This a big drop from their headed goal tally last season which stood at 10 goals and their lack of aerial prowess has been known to hurt them in certain games.
19. Watford
Headed goals: 1
Top scorer (headers): Troy Deeney (1)
Percentage of total tally: 4.17%
Another team fighting relegation with just one headed goal, Watford’s also came recently, in their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in January. Troy Deeney was the man to get the header, and may be closer to his tally of last season (three) if injury hadn’t hampered his start of the current campaign.
18. Norwich City
Headed goals: 1
Top scorer (headers): Kenny McLean (1)
Percentage of total tally: 4.17%
Completing the hat-trick of teams in the relegation zone with just one headed goal, Norwich’s sole effort came way back in September when Kenny McLean put them ahead against Manchester City in their 3-2 win. The Canaries will be hoping for similar moments between now and the end of the season as they fight for safety.
17. Aston Villa
Headed goals: 2
Top scorer (headers): Bjorn Engels, Mbwana Samatta (1)
Percentage of total tally: 5.88%
Aston Villa were the final Premier League team to score a headed goal this season, doing so on February 1 via Mbwana Samatta. However, they quickly added another in their next game against Tottenham Hotspur with Bjorn Engels the scorer, initially making up for conceding a penalty.
16. Sheffield United
Headed goals: 2
Top scorer (headers): Oliver McBurnie, Enda Stevens (1)
Percentage of total tally: 7.14%
Sheffield United have been the surprise package of the season and their push for a European spot is a feel-good story. The Blades haven’t been the most lethal in front of goal despite their standing and just two of their 28 efforts have been headed, with both Oliver McBurnie and Enda Stevens getting involved.
15. Southampton
Headed goals: 3
Top scorer (headers): Three players (1)
Percentage of total tally: 9.38%
Although Danny Ings has been banging the goals in for Southampton this season, scoring just under half of their efforts (15/32), none have been with his head. Of the remaining 17 goals, three have come from headers with Shane Long helping to pick up Ings’ slack alongside two centre-backs Jannick Vestergaard and Jack Stephens.
14. Bournemouth
Headed goals: 3
Top scorer (headers): Three players (1)
Percentage of total tally: 11.54%
In their fight against relegation, Bournemouth really haven’t been good in front of goal, missing the form of Callum Wilson. The English striker has managed to score one of their three headed goals this season, but his total tally of seven is still some way off his 14 from 2018/19.
13. Crystal Palace
Headed goals: 3
Top scorer (headers): Three players (1)
Percentage of total tally: 13.04%
Crystal Palace have scored fewer Premier League goals than any other team this season and there hasn’t been too much variation with just three headed efforts. Two of their headers have come from forwards including Cenk Tosun, who only joined in January on loan from Everton.
12. Arsenal
Headed goals: 4
Top scorer (headers): Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2)
Percentage of total tally: 11.11%
Only two players have scored more Premier League goals this season than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but only two of his 15 strike have come via his head. As a whole, Arsenal have only added two more to that tally, with David Luiz and Alexandre Lacazette also finding themselves on the scoresheet.
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11. Tottenham Hotspur
Headed goals: 5
Top scorer (headers): Harry Kane (2)
Percentage of total tally: 11.63%
Just ahead of their North London rival, Tottenham have managed five headed goals this season, two of which have come from leading man Harry Kane. But with Kane injured, they will be relying on other members of their squad if they wish to get close to last season’s tally of 14 – which was the second-highest in the league.
10. Manchester United
Headed goals: 5
Top scorer (headers): Anthony Martial (2)
Percentage of total tally: 13.16%
Prior to their win over Chelsea on Monday night, Manchester United had managed just three headed goals. But Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire took their tally up to five with very different headers. The Red Devils may still want to improve further in the air, however.
9. Wolverhampton Wanderers
Headed goals: 5
Top scorer (headers): Raul Jimenez (3)
Percentage of total tally: 14.29%
Playing fast-paced, counter-attacking football, Wolves aren’t really going to be in positions to score headed goals – preferring to drill their crosses along the floor. However, they have still managed to score five this season, with Raul Jimenez grabbing three.
8. Brighton and Hove Albion
Headed goals: 6
Top scorer (headers): Neal Maupay, Adam Webster (2)
Percentage of total tally: 19.35%
Over the past few seasons in the Premier League, Brighton looked to be making a name for themselves as heading specialists with the likes of Lewis Dunk at their disposal. However, so far this season they have managed six headed goals with Neal Maupay and Adam Webster both getting two each. Dunk has one.
7. Burnley
Headed goals: 6
Top scorer (headers): Chris Wood (5)
Percentage of total tally: 20%
Chris Wood has scored more headed goals in the Premier League this season than any other player, with five. However, given the beliefs about their style of play, it may come as a surprise that the rest of Burnley‘s squad have only managed to add one with Jay Rodriguez grabbing that.
6. Leicester City
Headed goals: 7
Top scorer (headers): Jamie Vardy (3)
Percentage of total tally: 12.96%
Leicester are well on their way to securing a Champions League spot next season and will fully deserve it when it is confirmed. The Foxes have been pretty ruthless in front of goal scoring 54 goals so far, seven of which have been headers – including three from Premier League top scorer Jamie Vardy.
5. Chelsea
Headed goals: 7
Top scorer (headers): Tammy Abraham (3)
Percentage of total tally: 16.28%
Chelsea have been struggling for goals at times this season but that hasn’t stopped them from scoring seven Premier League headers. Just three players have shared those headed goals with Tammy Abraham leading the way ahead of Christian Pulisic and Antonio Rudiger, the latter of whom got both of his in Chelsea’s recent 2-2 draw with Leicester.
4. Newcastle United
Headed goals: 7
Top scorer (headers): Seven players (1)
Percentage of total tally: 29.17%
Although Newcastle have had seven headed goals, remarkably none of their players have managed more than one. The Magpies have made a name for themselves this season as being a nuisance from set pieces, with four of their defenders scoring headers. Though, perhaps surprisingly, Andy Carroll is not one of their seven headed goalscorers.
3. Manchester City
Headed goals: 8
Top scorer (headers): Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus (2)
Percentage of total tally: 11.94%
Manchester City are the Premier League‘s top scorers this season but only eight of those have come from set-pieces, perhaps unsurprisingly given Pep Guardiola‘s style of play. Their two centre-forward options, Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, are leading the way and only Nicolas Otamendi has scored a header among their defenders.
2. Everton
Headed goals: 11
Top scorer (headers): Dominic Calvert-Lewin (4)
Percentage of total tally: 32.35%
One of just two teams to reach double figures with headed goals, Everton have been fairly reliant on their aerial efforts – more than any other Premier League. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the man doing the aerial damage for the Toffees with four of his 11 Premier League goals coming via his head.
1. Liverpool
Headed goals: 13
Top scorer (headers): Virgil van Dijk (4)
Percentage of total tally: 21.31%
Top of the league and top of the heading charts, Liverpool have proven they can do it all this season. With players like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson delivering crosses it’s hardly a surprise, but when you also add Virgil van Dijk into the mix there will be headed goals galore.
