As the old saying goes, ‘Goals win games’. Its one of the old clichés but when it comes to football, there’s not a truer word spoken.
Goal scoring is an art form and has been demonstrated no better than Mohamed Salah this season. It’s the deciding factor to winning big games and titles. The sheer adulation amongst the crowd when seeing your favourite team or player can’t be put into words. It’s the epitome of the glorious game. Missing a big chance, however, is agony.
‘How’d he miss that?’ echoes around the ground as well as the moans and groans. It’s a player’s nightmare, knowing that that shot could have won your team the game and the constant regrets of what could have been. Its part and parcel of the game and every player endures this feeling. Here are the top ten players with the most missed opportunities in the Premier League this season.
10- Cole Palmer (Chelsea) 12
Cole Palmer is an extraordinary player, there’s simply no doubting that. He has registered fourteen goals and six assists this season and is the central figure in this Chelsea side. His latest form has taken a dip however. With no goals or assists in his last few games, the Blues have had to look elsewhere for an attacking return. Last nights game saw Palmer shoot seven times to no avail as Chelsea beat Southampton 4-0 at Stamford Bridge. Manager, Enzo Maresca, has backed the English star to regain his form by simply asking him to “to continue to work, continue to be happy, continue to laugh”.
9- Raúl Jiménez (Fulham) 12
It has been a welcomed return to action for Raúl Jiménez after his serious head injury picked up at the latter end of 2020. Absent for a long period, Jiménez has returned to form this season with Fulham but still is yet to find his goal scoring ability that was prominent at Wolves. This season has been a lot better with nine goals so far, but he will rue the chances that he has left behind him.
8- Alejandro Garnacho (Man United) 12
Under Erik ten Hag, Alejandro Garnacho looked to have found his feet in the Premier League and was even nominated for the 2024 Golden Boy award. Since ten Hag’s departure, Garnacho has not been the same player and has become out of favour at times under new boss Ruben Amorim. Despite rumours of a January transfer, Garnacho remains at the club, and he will be hoping that he and his side can turn their goal scoring fortunes around and begin climbing back up the league table.
7- Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton) 13
The English forward has struggled for the Toffees of late and has been absent from the side under David Moyes. Beto has been a revelation under the new head coach and has helped Everton to a five-game unbeaten run. Calvert-Lewin has been guilty of missing several big chances this season, much to the frustration of Everton fans. His performances haven’t been at the level that fans expect, and his lack of goals may look to have cost him his place in the starting eleven.
6- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) 14
What more can we say about Mohamed Salah. Without a doubt the player of the season and he has guided the Reds to what looks like a certain Premier League title. He has been tremendous this season and leads the way with the most goals and assists. While he still has missed the sixth most amount of chances in the league, it’s surely forgiven with the form he is in right now.
5- Jean-Phillippe Mateta (Crystal Palace) 15
Another player in top form is Crystal Palace’s Jean-Phillippe Mateta. The French striker has been an ever present in Oliver Glasner’s side and is the club’s top scorer with eleven goals so far this season. With more chances comes more responsibility for the Eagles top striker and he will need to convert more of these opportunities to maintain Palace’s drive for a top ten finish.
4- Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea) 15
The Chelsea striker looked to have blossomed into a real threat at the beginning of the season. His first season highlighted his raw talent and there were signs of development early on. However, as the season progressed, the Senegalese forward regressed and began to fluff his lines in front of goal. Former Chelsea midfielder, John-Obi Mikel questioned the striker’s ability and said that the club need a “top striker”.
“You need a striker who knows how to hit a ball back in the back of the net and that’s what we don’t have. I know I talk so much about him and sometimes I sound like I disrespect him. I don’t disrespect him. I think at Chelsea Football Club we need a top striker who can get us a goal. A bit like (Haaland), 91 goals (for City) that’s absolutely unbelievable.”
3- Kai Havertz (Arsenal) 15
Kai Havertz has struggled to settle at Arsenal. At Chelsea, he looked as if he was beginning to become accustomed to life in the Premier League during the 2020/21 season, but the uncertain future of the club forced him to move up the road to rivals Arsenal. Since, he has been one of Mikel Arteta’s go-to men and has featured in almost every team the Spaniard has put out. It is clear however that he is not a centre forward and Arsenal fans will agree. There have been too many missed opportunities to classify him as a striker and the lack of foresight by the club’s hierarchy have now left themselves without a recognised striker.
2- Erling Haaland (Man City) 18
The Erling Haaland of 2024 was a sight to behold but he has not quite hit the same heights this season. Man City’s woes continue but Haaland has still had an impressive return during this mediocre season. With nineteen goals, the Norwegian has still a pretty decent return (for Haaland’s standards) but has nearly as many big opportunities missed. Pep Guardiola will be hoping that Haaland can push them into a Champions League spot but will need his main man firing on all cylinders.
1- Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) 22
At the top of the list is none other than Aston Villa’s top scorer, Ollie Watkins. Having briefly lost his starting place to Jhon Durán, Watkins soon resumed his position when the Columbian left to join Al Nassr last month. Villa have been impressive of late and have added the attacking threats of Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford to their lineup. Watkins still leads the way and will be hopeful that he can convert some of these big chances to remain as the club’s central striker and guide them back to the Champions League.