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Golden Shoe 2017-18: Top Goalscorers in Europe, Updated Points on February 5
February 5, 2018
Harry Kane struck out on his own atop the standings in the race for the European Golden Shoe on Sunday as he netted in Tottenham Hotspur's 2-2 draw with Liverpool, but Mohamed Salah is just two points behind him after he netted both of the Reds' goals.
Kane took his tally to 22 Premier League goals for the campaign with his penalty, while Salah hit 21 thanks to an excellent brace, having also found the net against Huddersfield Town in his previous match.
Here are the standings:
1. Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur: 22 goals x 2.0 difficulty factor = 44.0 points
T2. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool: 21 x 2.0 = 42.0 points
T2. Edinson Cavani, Paris Saint-Germain: 21 x 2.0 = 42.0 points
T4. Lionel Messi, Barcelona: 20 x 2.0 = 40.0 points
T4. Ciro Immobile, Lazio: 20 x 2.0 = 40.0 points
6. Jonas, Benfica: 25 x 1.5 = 37.5 points
T7. Mauro Icardi, Inter Milan: 18 x 2.0 = 36.0 points
T7. Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich: 18 x 2.0 = 36.0 points
T7. Neymar, Paris Saint-Germain: 18 x 2.0 = 36.0 points
T10. Sergio Aguero, Manchester City: 17 x 2.0 = 34.0 points
Rules: UEFA has assigned all European leagues a difficulty rating between one and two, which is multiplied by a player's goals to calculate his points tally.
Europe's top five leagues have a rating of two, and so goals scored in them are worth two points each, whereas in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, for example, goals are worth just 1.5 points.
Kane and Salah Advance at Anfield
Although controversial refereeing decisions—which saw Spurs handed two late penalties at Anfield—have dominated much of the attention from Liverpool's electric clash with the Lilywhites, Kane and Salah deserve plenty, too.
The former took both spot-kicks. After firing his first straight toward Loris Karius at a comfortable height, he confidently dispatched the second by sending the German the wrong way.
In doing so, he sealed a point for his side and netted his 100th Premier League goal. The 24-year-old has come a long way in a short space of time:
He also earned congratulations from the Premier League's all-time top scorer, Alan Shearer—the only man to reach a century in the competition in fewer games:
The goal gave him the sole lead in the race for the Golden Shoe, but Salah is close behind after three goals in two matches.
He netted a penalty to wrap up Liverpool's 3-0 win over Huddersfield last Tuesday, and he opened the scoring on Sunday after he capitalised on a mistake by Eric Dier.
The Reds marked the milestone goal on their official Twitter account:
His stunning second—which came between Kane's two penalties in the 91st minute—saw him pick up the ball on the right and escape the attention of three Spurs players before rifling home from close range.
Football journalist Leanne Prescott put his goalscoring achievements in context:
The Egyptian has lit up the Premier League this season like no other, with the possible exception of Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne.
Salah looked to be an excellent acquisition from Roma in the summer, though few could have predicted just how good he would be. He is already enjoying the most prolific campaign of his career, and he seems certain to push Kane right to the wire for the Golden Shoe.