Premier League top scorers 2023/24: Foden continues late charge for glory

Carlo Garganese

• 26 Apr 2024 07:23 BST
• 16 min read

Erling Haaland is the man to beat among the Premier League top scorers for the 2023/24 season.

Manchester City striker Haaland made a stunning start to EPL life last season, scoring a record-breaking 36 top-flight goals to claim the Golden Boot in his first campaign.

His goals helped to secure a historic treble for Man City and Pep Guardiola.

Man City came into the new season as favourites to win a sixth EPL title in the space of seven seasons, and similarly Haaland was well backed to win the Golden Boot again.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is the last Premier League attacker to have won the Golden Boot in back-to-back seasons, and he started the campaign as the biggest likely threat to stop Haaland achieving the same feat.

READ MORE: Premier League table - check out the latest standings

Salah and Liverpool were short of their best last season, but he still managed to score 19 times in the Premier League and net 30 goals in all competitions.

Coming into the 2023/24 campaign, Egypt forward Salah had scored at least 19 goals in all six of the Premier League seasons he had played with Liverpool.

MORE: Saudi Pro League top scorers - how are ex-EPL stars performing?

The Reds' fellow attacker Darwin Nunez was another strong candidate, according to pre-season betting odds. Nunez only scored nine goals last year but proved capable of getting into good goalscoring positions.

Harry Kane had an uncertain status going into 2023/24. The striker would have been a key rival to Haaland, having impressively scored 30 goals as part of a poor Tottenham team last season. But his transfer to Bayern Munich boosted the chances of the EPL's other top strikers.

Marcus Rashford was the top Man Utd goalscorer in the Premier League last time out, scoring 17 times, and he was hoping to reach the 20-goal mark for the first time.

Manchester United: Top scorers in 2023/24 and past Golden Boot winners

Former Golden Boot winner Son Heung-min, Newcastle duo Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson, Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus and Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins were also seen as candidates.

And Chelsea's forwards hoped to fare better than last season after Kai Havertz was their top EPL scorer with only seven goals. The Germany forward has now joined Arsenal.

Who has the most Premier League assists?

The Premier League top scorers will be displayed on this page throughout the season. We will take an in-depth look at the latest standings for the players with the most EPL goals, with updates after every matchday.

2023/24 Premier League top scorers

Erling Haaland is joint-first in the list of Premier League top scorers for the 2023/24 season, although his main rivals Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins have also impressed and are among his closest challengers at the top.

Manchester City forward Haaland has 20 EPL goals from 26 matches, meaning he is one of two players who leads the Premier League Golden Boot race.

Haaland is in front despite having a difficult mid-season spell that included an injury absence and a slight dip in form, at least when compared to his own usual high standards. He remains the man to beat and became the first player this season to reach 20 goals on April 13, when he netted a penalty in Man City's win over Luton Town.

But he is no longer the sole leader after Palmer, who is making a shock bid for Golden Boot glory, scored a staggering four goals in Chelsea's 6-0 win over Everton. That moved him level with Haaland in the scoring standings ahead of their two teams' FA Cup semi-final battle, but Palmer then missed his team's 5-0 loss at Arsenal, where Kai Havertz scored twice. Haaland was also then ruled out of a match, missing Man City's 4-0 win over Brighton.

The other Premier League top scorer contenders include Haaland's team mate Phil Foden, Tottenham's Son Heung-min, Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke, West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen, Newcastle's Alexander Isak and Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, who all feature prominently in the standings after producing some impressive Premier League performances.

Haaland and Palmer are just one goal clear of Watkins at the top of the scoring standings, with the Man City striker having scored much-needed goals as his team won 4-2 away against Crystal Palace and 5-1 at home against Luton.

Watkins is still breathing down Haaland's neck after his late goal capped a superb 2-0 away win for Aston Villa over title contenders Arsenal.

Solanke comes next, just two goals behind Haaland and Palmer. Salah is three back after scoring in Liverpool's 2-2 draw at Man Utd before having a poor performance in the loss to Crystal Palace and only appearing as a late substitute against Fulham. He is tied with in-form Isak on 17 goals.

Foden is up to 16 after his double for Man City against Brighton, as he continues a late charge for glory. Son and Bowen, meanwhile, are five goals behind Haaland and Palmer, so time is starting to run out for their hopes.

The Golden Boot battle remains incredibly close. There are now 24 players in the rankings who have reached double figures for Premier League goals this season and just six goals separate the top 10 players in the scoring standings.

Premier League top scorer Haaland made his intentions clear with a magnificent start to his bid to repeat as the Golden Boot winner, netting twice in the first half as his team beat Burnley 3-0 on the opening night of the new season.

Haaland also scored against Sheffield United and West Ham, with Man City initially making a fantastic start to their Premier League title defence.

He netted a hat-trick against Fulham as Man City won 5-1 on September 2 to help give him the most goals so far in the 2023/24 season.

And Haaland's goal in the MD6 win against Nottingham Forest capped a fast start to the season as Pep Guardiola’s men won each of their first six matches.

But consecutive EPL defeats against Wolves and Arsenal dramatically halted that run, with the striker not scoring in either game.

He responded by netting against Brighton and adding to his total with a Manchester derby double as Man City cruised to a 3-0 win over Man Utd at Old Trafford.

In that game he became the first Premier League player to reach double figures this season and, after scoring twice more in a dramatic 4-4 away draw over Chelsea, Haaland’s strike in the 1-1 draw at home to Liverpool on November 25 saw him become the fastest player in Premier League history to reach 50 goals, doing so in just 48 matches.

Haaland did not score in the dramatic 3-3 draw against Tottenham or the frustrating 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa, where he was twice denied by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and also suffered a foot injury, stalling his progress for almost two months.

He missed his first league games of the season against Luton Town and Crystal Palace before Man City's participation in the FIFA Club World Cup and also sat out the clashes against Everton, Sheffield United and Newcastle.

Haaland returned after almost two months out in a substitute appearance as Man City beat Burnley 3-1 on January 31, but it was Julian Alvarez who did the damage for Pep Guardiola's side with a key double.

His first start since the injury came away against Brentford, but it was Foden who scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 comeback win.

Haaland was not to be kept down for long, though, and he scored both goals as Man City beat Everton 2-0 on February 10 and also struck in the home win over Brentford.

But Haaland has also had periods of the season with mixed form. He failed to score in the 1-1 draw for Man City against Chelsea but then did get back on track with a late winning goal as Pep Guardiola's men defeated Brentford 1-0 at home.

But it was Foden who netted the winner as Man City won 1-0 at Bournemouth and the England international took centre stage again in the home derby against Man Utd, scoring twice including a thunderbolt to level the match. Haaland had missed a huge chance in the first half, but did redeem himself by scoring late on to wrap up a 3-1 win.

Haaland was unable to extend his advantage in two crucial EPL matches against title rivals Liverpool and Arsenal in March.

The game at Anfield finished 1-1 before he was kept quiet in a 0-0 home draw against Arsenal as a close title race continued. Haaland was then rested as Man City thumped Aston Villa 4-1, as Foden scored a second hat-trick of the campaign.

But, just as his Golden Boot rivals were closing in on him, a key goal as Man City won 4-2 away to Crystal Palace on April 6 kept Haaland in the outright lead. He then scored a penalty in the 5-1 home win over Luton to become the first player this season to reach 20 top-flight goals.

After his heroics last season, the other Golden Boot contenders did not need a reminder about how hard it would be to stop Haaland coming out on top once more.

But they have got one nonetheless in the first two-thirds of the Premier League season and the Norway star still looks strong at the top of the standings.

There are multiple prominent rivals challenging Halaand in the battle to score most goals in the 2023/24 season, with 12 players who have joined the Man City striker in scoring a hat-trick so far this season.

His team-mate Foden has scored two hat-tricks, while Spurs' former Golden Boot winner Son, in-form Chelsea midfielder Palmer, rising Brighton star Evan Ferguson, Aston Villa attacker Watkins, Bournemouth frontman Solanke, Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah, Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, West Ham's Bowen, Luton's Elijah Adebayo, Wolves attacker Matheus Cunha and Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson have all struck trebles.

Son scored his hat-trick against Burnley and also netted a deadly double in the dramatic 2-2 derby draw against rivals Arsenal to help him to become one of Haaland's closest challengers.

Despite missing some time for Tottenham by playing at the Asian Cup this season, the South Korea star is near the top of the goalscoring charts in England after scoring in the draw with Man City at the Etihad and adding to his total in the recent wins over Newcastle, Everton, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Luton.

Watkins' treble came as Aston Villa stunned Brighton with a 6-1 win on Matchday 7. He did not net in the first five matches he played this season but has displayed superb consistency since then, scoring doubles in clashes with Fulham, Luton and Brentford.

Solanke has made a big move up the standings as the season has progressed. He scored twice as Bournemouth earned an impressive 2-0 home win over Newcastle but his treble came in a dramatic 3-2 away win over Nottingham Forest on December 23.

He recently moved up the goal rankings as Bournemouth won an incredible match against Luton 4-3, before striking again in the recent matches with Everton and Man Utd. He now has 18 EPL goals.

Liverpool forward Salah is also in the running and has 17 goals, 11 of which came in a lethal 13-match run from October 8 until January 1.

He scored a double in the 2-0 Merseyside derby win over Everton at Anfield, one game after he had also netted twice in his side's 2-2 draw with Brighton at the start of that fine run.

Salah also scored doubles in the 3-0 win over Brentford and the entertaining 4-2 triumph over Newcastle before heading to the Africa Cup of Nations, where he suffered an injury that briefly derailed his campaign.

Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez rose up the standings in Salah's absence, as they impressed in the 4-0 win for Liverpool at Bournemouth on MD21. Both forwards scored twice and MD22 saw Jota score again as Liverpool took on Chelsea.

Jota and Nunez then closed in on double figures with strikes the 3-1 home win over Burnley on MD24. Nunez then scored against Brentford and Nottingham Forest too.

Bowen has helped West Ham to an impressive campaign so far and shown consistent form, meaning he also features prominently in the scoring standings with 15 goals. One of his recent goals helped to earn a 2-1 London derby win over rivals Tottenham, while he also struck to cap a 3-0 victory over Wolves and netted to secure a 2-0 win over Man Utd. His hat-trick came in the 4-2 home win over Brentford on February 26, before he scored in the dramatic defeat to Newcastle.

Isak has enjoyed a prolific year. He scored twice in Newcastle's impressive 5-1 win over Villa on MD1 and, after suffering a brief dip in form early in the campaign, he has since rapidly improved his goal tally to 17 with some superb outings in the second half of the season.

Some of his most recent strikes came in the entertaining 3-2 loss against Man City, the home win over Wolves, the defeat at Chelsea, the 4-3 win over West Ham and a home draw against Everton. His last goals came on April 13, when he netted a double as Newcastle thumped Tottenham 4-0.

The club's other Golden Boot contender is Anthony Gordon, who recently hit double figures for the campaign having usurped team-mate Callum Wilson in the standings.

Saka is the top scorer for Arsenal with 14 strikes. Some of his recent goals came in the 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest on January 30 and the 3-1 triumph over title rivals Liverpool on February 4.

Saka also scored in the loss at Fulham, before netting a double in the emphatic 6-0 win at West Ham on February 11, and another two goals a week later in the 5-0 win at Burnley. A sensational solo goal against Newcastle on February 24 made it seven goals in five games as Saka continued to launch a shock Golden Boot bid.

Saka has moved well clear of Nketiah, who moved up to five goals with his hat-trick against Sheffield United on October 28 but has not netted in the top flight since.

Instead it is Kai Havertz who has risen recently in the scoring standings. His late header saved Arsenal from dropping costly points at home as the Gunners defeated Brentford 2-1 to keep their Premier League title push on track and the Germany forward had netted in four straight EPL matches before the goalless draw with Man City. He then scored in the victory over Brighton and netted a double as Arsenal thrashed Chelsea 5-0.

Palmer is the Chelsea top scorer after he raced up to 20 goals over recent weeks.

The former Man City attacking midfielder produced a standout performance against Everton on April 15, becoming the first player this season to score four times in a game as Chelsea stormed to a 6-0 home victory.

Palmer had previously scored a double in the 3-2 win at Luton Town, before netting a penalty against Fulham and scoring in the 4-2 defeat at home to Wolves on February 4.

Some of his other strikes came in the 3-2 win over Newcastle on March 11 and against Burnley, when he scored twice in a 2-2 draw on March 30. But the most memorable match prior to his Everton heroics was a hat-trick performance in a staggering 4-3 win over Man Utd at Stamford Bridge on April 4.

His team-mate Jackson, meanwhile, scored three times in Chelsea’s win over nine-man rivals Tottenham early in the season.

Richarlison scored nine goals in eight matches between December and early February to reach 10 overall in 2023/24. He netted in Tottenham's entertaining 2-2 draw at Man Utd and 3-2 win over Brentford. With Son back from the Asian Cup, Spurs now have two forwards with impressive goal totals.

Cunha scored a hat-trick for Wolves in that game, becoming the 10th player to do so in the EPL this season. He is up to 11 goals, just one ahead of team-mate Hwang in the scoring standings.

Another contender is Brentford's Yoane Wissa. Bryan Mbeumo impressed in the absence of Ivan Toney in the early part of the season, but it is now Wissa who tops the team's EPL scoring rankings with 10 goals.

Bruno Fernandes is the Man Utd top scorer on 10 EPL goals.

Scott McTominay has seven goals after netting doubles in home wins over Brentford and Chelsea this season, as well as the winning goal at Aston Villa.

Rasmus Hojlund joined the standings for the first time this season after his double helped Man Utd to a key 2-1 win at Luton Town on February 18. The Denmark striker became the youngest player in Premier League history to score in six straight EPL games. A period of poor form followed, but he reached eight goals in the recent win over Sheffield United.

Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho are on seven strikes each.

Haaland's impressive record means there is a familiar face at the top of the goal rankings, but a repeat Golden Boot win is not yet a foregone conclusion, with his rivals in the scoring standings like Salah, Palmer, Son, Solanke and Bowen not far behind.

Premier League Golden Boot: Previous Winners

There are only four players who have scored the most goals in the EPL on three or more occasions.

Alan Shearer won the Golden Boot three times, once with Newcastle and twice with Blackburn Rovers, while Harry Kane’s win in 2020/21 was also his third.

Mohamed Salah's success in the 2021/22 season meant he joined that list of three-time winners.

Thierry Henry holds the record, though, having been named the top scorer in the Premier League on four occasions for Arsenal.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez are two of the biggest names to have won the award, scoring 31 goals in 2007/08 and 2013/14 respectively.

Champions League: Current top scorers and past Golden Boot winners

Liverpool have had the most Premier League Golden Boot winners with seven.

Arsenal are just behind on six, while Man Utd and Tottenham have had five winners, with Chelsea on four. Haaland gave Man City a third win.

The Premier League began from the 1992/93 season.

Prior to that, Ian Wright was the last highest goalscorer in England when it was the old First Division. Gary Lineker and Alan Smith were also winners in the 1990s before the league was rebranded.

Most goals in a Premier League season

Erling Haaland has the record for the most goals in a single Premier League season, having scored 36 times in just 35 matches during the 2022/23 campaign.

European Golden Shoe: Can Haaland defend his title?

Previously, the record for most goals in an EPL campaign was shared by Alan Shearer (1994/95) and Andy Cole (1993/94). Both players scored an astonishing 34 goals, though the season schedule was longer then – Shearer did it in 42 matches and Cole in 40.

Mohamed Salah came close to that record in 2017/18, scoring 32 times in 36 outings, producing what had been the best Premier League goalscoring season in this century until Haaland's spectacular arrival.

Which player has the most assists in Europe?

The Golden Boot winner with the best goals per game ratio in a season is also Haaland after his exploits last season (1.03 goals per game). Previously it was Kane after England’s captain netted 29 times in just 30 games to win the 2016/17 title, averaging 0.97 GPG.

Who are the Premier League top scorers of all time?

Alan Shearer is the highest goalscorer in Premier League history, having ended his career in 2006 with a magnificent 260 goals to his name in England’s top division.

Former Tottenham star Harry Kane (213) and Man Utd legend Wayne Rooney (208) are the only other players who have scored more than 200 EPL goals.

Andy Cole (187), Sergio Aguero (184), Frank Lampard (177) and Thierry Henry (175) are former Premier League players who sit near the top of the all-time list.

Before 2023/24 began, Robbie Fowler (163), Jermain Defoe (162) and Michael Owen (150) rounded out the 10 players in EPL history who have scored 150 goals or more.

Prior to his transfer, Kane was the highest-scoring active player and he has long been cited as one of the rare contenders who has a chance to rival Shearer’s record total.

Mohamed Salah is also rising fast in the rankings. He was 14th overall on 139 goals when the season began.