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The Premier League’s late-goal specialists have been revealed, with multiple Arsenal players topping the list.
The Gunners needed a 97th-minute winner to see off Luton on Tuesday night in a 4-3 thriller, and they have become accustomed to leaving things late this season.
Mikel Arteta’s men have now scored winning goals in the final 10 minutes against Manchester United, Manchester City, Brentford and Luton this term.
Stats Perform has collected data since the start of the 2021-22 season, and found that Arsenal’s Kai Havertz has netted three winning goals in the 86th minute or later in this period.
Arsenal’s Declan Rice scored a 97th-minute winner against Luton on Tuesday night
Rice has scored two late winners this season, while Kai Havertz (pictured) is the only player to score three winners in the final five minutes since the start of the 2021-22 season
Two of those came during his time at Chelsea, but he proved his still has the Midas touch when he scored the only goal of the game for the Gunners against Brentford last month.
Havertz is the only star to have scored three late winners in the final five minutes of games since 2021-22, but there are six other players who have achieved the feat twice.
Two of those are his current Arsenal team-mates Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard, while Tomas Soucek, Alexander Isak, Rodri and Wolves forward Sasa Kalajdzic also make the list.
Rodri could be considered a surprise name given he plays predominantly as a holding midfielder, but the Man City lynchpin has chipped in with vital goals over the years, and famously scored the only goal of the game when Pep Guardiola’s men beat Inter Milan in last season’s Champions League final.
When looking only at this season, Rice, Soucek and Kalajdzic are the only players to have scored more than one winner inside the last five minutes (two each).
Man City star Rodri (right) has come up with multiple late match-winning moments over the last three seasons
Wolves striker Sasa Kalajdzic has not started regularly, but has still scored two late winners this term
| Player and club | Number of 86th minute or later winners since the start of 2021-22 season |
|---|---|
| Kai Havertz (Chelsea, Arsenal) | 3 |
| Declan Rice (Arsenal) | 2 (both this season) |
| Leandro Trossard (Brighton, Arsenal) | 2 |
| Tomas Soucek (West Ham) | 2 (both this season) |
| Alexander Isak (Newcastle) | 2 |
| Rodri (Man City) | 2 |
| Sasa Kalajdzic (Wolves) | 2 (both this season) |
Rice popped up to score against United and Luton, while West Ham’s Soucek proved the difference-maker in their wins against Nottingham Forest and Burnley last month.
Arguably, the most unlikely player to make the cut is Kalajdzic given his lack of game time this season.
The giant Austrian striker missed the majority of last term with a serious knee injury and has been used predominantly as a substitute in 2023-24, with Gary O’Neil preferring to start with Hee-chan Hwang instead.
But Kalajdzic has still made vital contributions off the bench, scoring late winners at Everton and Bournemouth to lift the Midlands outfit away from the relegation zone and towards mid-table.
