Costa Is Most Reliable EPL Scorer Of All Time- Report
With his goal against Swansea City on Saturday Diego Costa confirmed his place above Premier League legends such as Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer and Ruud van Nistelrooy in one measurement of prolific strikers.
No established striker has a lower ratio of matches where they have failed to get a goal than Costa. The Chelsea striker’s finish to round off the 3-1 victory at Stamford Bridge was the 42nd match out of 78 in the competition in which he has scored.
This rate of at least one goal in 54% of his Premier League matches puts Costa above Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was on the score sheet in exactly half of his matches for Manchester United, Thiery Henry (48.1%) and the all-time leading scorer in the competition, Alan Shearer (43.1%).
But Costa is under pressure from two in-form rivals to maintain his No 1 spot. Man Utd striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is level with Van Nistelrooy on 50% and goals in his next two PL matches, at home to AFC Bournemouth and at Middelesbrough, would take him above Costa if the Chelsea striker scored in only one of his outings against West Ham United and Stoke City.
Sergio Aguero cannot overtake Costa imminently but, after scoring in 80 of his 169 appearances, a scoring run for Manchester City would move the Argentinian right on the heels of the Spain international.
Player Matches scored in Matches % ratio
Costa 42 78 53.8
Van Nistelrooy 75 150 50
Ibrahimovic 12 24 50
Henry 124 258 48.1
Aguero 80 169 47.3
Shearer 190 441 43.1
Klinsmann 24 56 42.9
Suarez 47 110 42.7
Wright 91 213 42.7
Kane 44 106 41.5
Source: Premier League
