After Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure netted his 20th goal of the Premier League campaign against Aston Villa at Eastlands on Wednesday night, we take a look at the top five goalscorers in his position in the 22-year history of the competition …
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5) Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal): 15 goals in 2009/10
The cultured Spain playmaker enjoyed a particularly productive season four years ago at the heart of the north London club’s midfield, with Fabregas’s 15 goals from midfield at one point sending the Gunners to the top of the table and dreaming of the title.
However, as soon often is the case with Arsenal, the campaign drizzled out and soon the Catalan was on his way back to his boyhood club Barcelona.
4) Andrei Kanchelskis (Everton): 16 goals in 1995/96
The flying Russian wide man used to tear up opposition defences for fun during his time at Old Trafford in the early to mid Nineties, but it was when the winger moved to Everton though for the 1995/96 campaign that he recorded his best-ever goals return while in English football with an impressive 16 strikes by the right winger.
3) Steven Gerrard (Liverpool): 16 goals in 2008/09
The Reds skipper enjoyed an eye-catching campaign playing in a newly created role in the ‘hole’ just behind red-hot striker Fernando Torres five years ago as the Merseyside giants once again came within touching distance of a first-ever Premier League title under boss Rafa Benitez.
And as well as supplying the inch-perfect passes for the Spaniard to run on to score from, Gerrard also found the back of the net on 16 occasions too as Liverpool finished second behind arch-rivals Manchester United in the league.
2) Yaya Tore (Manchester City): 20 goals in 2013/14
The giant Ivorian has been a beast for City throughout the season, scoring some truly breathtaking strikes along the way, including his memorable solo effort to help beat Villa on Thursday and now put one hand on the Premier League trophy for Manuel Pellegrini’s team.
And what is more the midfielder, who can operate either in a holding role or further forward if needs be, is capable of scoring all kinds of different strikes, as he has ably demonstrated during this campaign.
1) Frank Lampard (Chelsea): 22 goals in 2009-10
The ever-reliable Blues goalscoring midfielder reached double figures in the Premier League in a remarkable 10 successive seasons for the west London club between 2003 and 2013.
However, the England international’s highest-ever return came under boss Carlo Ancelotti when the club won the Double four years ago, with Lampard hitting 22 goals from midfield in the league.