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Frank Lampard tops Premier League penalty chart, Chelsea second behind Liverpool in table
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard holds the record for most penalties scored in the Premier League since the inaugural 1992/93 season.
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Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard were in competition to be the most accomplished central midfielder in the Premier League for more than a decade. Fans have long been divided over which player was more influential for their respective clubs, while it has been a long-standing mystery as to why the two world class talents rarely performed effectively together on the international stage.
It remains as difficult as ever to call which player had the greater career, but a new study has highlighted how one certainly had more success than the other from the penalty spot.
Data collected by Spreadex highlights Chelsea legend and current Blues manager Lampard as the most prolific player from the penalty spot in Premier League history.
The all-action midfielder scored 43 penalties during his time at Stamford Bridge, easily putting him top of the goalscoring charts from 12 yards.
Great rival and Liverpool talisman Gerrard only managed 32 spot kicks during Anfield playing career, which puts him third on the individual list behind Blackburn and Newcastle frontman Alan Shearer (35).
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Manchester City hitman Sergio Aguero and West Ham captain Mark Noble are currently tied-fourth on 26 efforts while penalty specialist Matt Le Tissier scored 25 times from 12 yards – famously missing just once.
While these stats don’t tell the whole story, with Lampard potentially having enjoyed significantly more attempts than Gerrard, they still give an indication of his ice-cool temperament and flawless technique.
However, Lampard’s tally is surprisingly not enough to ensure Chelsea hold the record of the most goals from penalties in the Premier League.
The Blues are second on the overall list with 117 thanks to Eden Hazard (14), Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (12) and Frank Lebouef (10) all chipping in.
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But Liverpool take the spoils in the teams’ table, having converted 124 penalties in the modern-day top-flight.
Robbie Fowler (14), James Milner (12), Michael Owen (10) and Dirk Kuyt (8) complete the top five of most prolific Reds players.
Manchester United are third on the overall list with 113 goals as Wayne Rooney (20) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (17) head up their top marksmen from the spot while Arsenal (108) and Everton (93) complete the top five.
Newcastle and Tottenham are joint-sixth with 92 goals each while Manchester City are eight, just a solitary striker further back.
West Ham are ninth, in part thanks to Noble’s haul, while Southampton round out the top 10 in the study.
Interestingly, the introduction of VAR this season has seen the awarding of penalties reduce by 10.1 per cent compared to the previous five-year average in the Premier League.
Penalties scored as a proportion of total goals scored is also down 7.9% this season compared to the previous five year average for the English top flight, so maybe Lampard’s total will never be beaten.