Defoe, Solskjaer and Giroud: Ranking the Premier League’s greatest super subs

The ranking’s measures

The list focuses on players who delivered consistently over their careers, contributing goals and assists as substitutes. Adam Le Fondre receives an honorary mention: five of his eight Premier League goals came off the bench during a three-game spell in January 2013, setting the single-season record.

Theo Walcott leads the league for substitute assists, with 14. Ryan Giggs and Marc Albrighton are level behind him, while Walcott also scored 10 times as a replacement for Arsenal, Everton and Southampton.

Goals from the bench

Victor Anichebe scored 13 substitute goals and added five assists. Half of his 26 Premier League goals came off the bench, a joint-high proportion among players with at least 20 goals.

Danny Welbeck scored 12 substitute goals during six years at Brighton, after also appearing as a scoring substitute for Manchester United and Arsenal. Daniel Sturridge scored 17 of his 76 league goals from the bench and supplied seven assists; his 24 total contributions came at a better rate than any substitute except Dzeko and Solskjaer.

The article says Giroud scored 21 of his 90 top-flight goals as a substitute, placing him second on the all-time substitute scoring list. It also says only Dzeko, Solskjaer and Javier Hernandez had a better minutes-per-goal record as substitutes.

Dzeko and Solskjaer’s impact

Edin Dzeko scored 50 Premier League goals for Manchester City, with more than a quarter coming as a substitute. Across 56 appearances as a replacement, he made 17 goal contributions, averaging one every 63 minutes.

Solskjaer scored 17 Premier League goals as a substitute, equal to 19% of his 91 top-flight goals. The article also recalls his stoppage-time winner in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich, after Teddy Sheringham had equalised.

Defoe’s substitute record

Jermain Defoe scored 17 goals off the bench across spells that included West Brom and Portsmouth, accounting for 31% of his top-flight strikes. That total places him joint-fifth on the all-time substitute scoring list.

The article says Defoe scored 24 goals as a substitute in separate fixtures, more than any other player. Five were match-winners, the highest tally in the league.