Premier League Week 18 Top Scorers: Aubameyang, Salah, Kane Top Charts

Rory Marsden @@roomarsdenFeatured ColumnistDecember 23, 2018

Arsenal's Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates after scoring their second goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Burnley at the Emirates Stadium in London on December 22, 2018. (Photo by Ian KINGTON / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo credit should read IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images)

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Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will spend Christmas as the Premier League's top scorer after he moved on to 12 for the season with his double in a 3-1 win over Burnley on Saturday.

Not to be outdone, Harry Kane also netted twice in Tottenham Hotspur's 6-2 drubbing of Everton on Sunday.

He is now tied for second with Mohamed Salah on 11 goals after the Egyptian scored in Liverpool's 2-0 defeat of Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday.

The top 10 marksmen after 18 games of the 2018-19 season also includes Chelsea's Eden Hazard, Manchester City's Raheem Sterling and Manchester United's Anthony Martial:

B/R Football @brfootball
The race to be top scorer in the EPL is hotting up 🔥 https://t.co/IWGOiuqMyT

Aubameyang has been a superb signing for Arsenal. He is approaching a year at the club having moved from Borussia Dortmund for a club record £56 million fee back in January, and he now has 22 goals in 31 Premier League appearances:

FourFourTweet @FourFourTweet
Since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Arsenal: • Fastest player to reach 10 goals • Second fastest player to reach 20 goals • Most goals for the club after 31 Premier League games (22) • Averages a goal contribution every 92 mins • Games: 37 • Goals: 24 • Assists: 7 https://t.co/l8dqXXvQZ2

The two he scored against Burnley at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday were superb.

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He opened the scoring with the outside of his right boot after superb build-up play from Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac:

Arsenal FC @Arsenal
There were 1️⃣8️⃣ passes in the build-up to @Aubameyang7's opener EmeryBall. In. Action. 🔥 #ARSBUR https://t.co/4jNuh44Bfo

Three minutes into the second half he then finished off a blistering break by firing high into the net past Clarets goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Kane's double in a brilliant game against Everton was less spectacular but no less important as Spurs earned an emphatic victory on a weekend when City and Chelsea both suffered surprise defeats.

Both goals were from close range and were effectively unmissable for a striker of the Englishman's quality.

He turned home his first at Goodison Park just before half time after Kieran Trippier's fine free-kick rebounded into the middle of the box after striking the post.

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And an inch-perfect delivery from the left by Heung-min Son in the 74th minute allowed Kane to sweep home his second to complete the rout.

Kane was only stopped from topping the Premier League scoring charts for a third year running last season by Salah's remarkable return of 32—the Spurs frontman got 30.

Both are well set to be in the running for the Golden Boot again this season, but Aubameyang is just keeping his nose in front.

Sterling and Hazard both drew blanks as their sides lost in Week 18.

But Martial was back on the scoresheet as United thrashed Cardiff City 5-1 in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first game as caretaker manager.

The Frenchman has the best goals-per-minute ratio of any player in the top 10:

Scott Patterson @R_o_M
Martial is now the fifth highest scorer in the league with a goal every 111 minutes. Comparison with the other scorers in the top 10: Aubameyang has 1 every 116 minutes, Aguero 126, Sterling 134, Salah 136, Muarry 142, Kane 161, Richarlison 161, Hazard 165 and Wilson 181. https://t.co/8XikkwMw9f

And if he is unleashed by Solskjaer in a new attacking style for United he could be a threat to the likes of Aubameyang, Kane and Salah.

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