The 9 best super subs in Premier League history

Some vital goals have been scored by substitutes over the years, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Champions League-winning goal for Manchester United perhaps being the most famous of them all.

But who is the best super sub in Premier League history? Let’s take a look at the players who have scored the most goals from the bench since the competition began:

9

Victor Anichebe

14 goals

During spells with Everton, West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland, it would be fair to say Victor Anichebe wasn’t exactly prolific in front of goal, scoring 27 goals in 204 appearances.

However, the Nigerian was more impressive as an impact player, with over half of his Premier League goals coming as a substitute. The striker bagged 14 times in 107 substitute appearances, earning himself a spot at ninth on this list.

8

Danny Welbeck

15 goals

Danny Welbeck is still going strong in the Premier League at the age of 34, currently plying his trade for Brighton & Hove Albion, and he has scored a total of 73 goals in the competition across spells with five different clubs.

The former Manchester United man is the top-scoring substitute of any player currently playing in the English top flight, with perhaps his most famous goal coming in Arsenal’s dramatic late turnaround against Leicester City in 2016.

The last-gasp winner gave the Gunners a huge boost in the title race, and although Leicester ultimately went on to win the Premier League title against all the odds, Welbeck’s goal will live long in the memory.

In 132 games as a substitute, the Englishman has scored 15 goals, making him one of the best impact players in Premier League history.

7

Peter Crouch

16 goals

Given his 6 foot 7 frame, Peter Crouch is certainly one of the most recognisable Premier League players, but the former Tottenham Hotspur star was more than just a target man, proving himself as a top striker at both club and international level.

After an impressive 12-goal 2004/05 campaign with Southampton, the striker earned himself a move to reigning Champions League winners Liverpool, but he struggled to adapt to life at Anfield.

However, after scoring his first goal for the Reds in bizarre fashion, the goals kept on coming, and he went on to have a fantastic career in the Premier League.

Crouch found the back of the net 16 times in 158 appearances as a substitute, earning himself cult-hero status in the process.

6

Nwankwo Kanu

17 goals

Although most prolific during his time with Arsenal, Nwankwo Kanu is probably best known for his time on the south coast, with Harry Redknapp signing him for Portsmouth in 2006, once hilariously explaining how the move came about:

Despite initial doubts over his ability and fitness, Kanu proved to be a hugely important signing in Portsmouth’s history, scoring the only goal of the game to win the FA Cup final in 2008.

None were as important as his strike at Wembley, though the Nigerian scored 17 goals in 116 Premier League games as a substitute, across spells with Pompey, Arsenal and West Bromwich Albion.

5

Daniel Sturridge

17 goals

Although injuries held him back throughout his career, Daniel Sturridge had some extraordinary seasons in the Premier League, linking up with Luis Suarez to form the formidable ‘SAS’ partnership for Liverpool in the 2013/14 campaign.

The Birmingham-born forward is the Reds’ third-highest-scoring substitute of all time with 13 goals in all competitions, and perhaps the most impressive of all was his long-range strike against former club Chelsea in 2018.

Although Sturridge is best-known for his time on Merseyside, he also had top-flight spells with Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion, netting 77 league goals.

17 of those efforts came from 98 appearances off the bench, giving him the edge on Kanu due to his goals-per-game record.

4

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

17 goals

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gained a reputation as one of the game’s greatest-ever substitutes during his trophy-laden time with Manchester United, with his most famous goal coming after being brought off the bench to win the Champions League in 1999.

The baby-faced assassin was not Sir Alex Ferguson’s first-choice signing when he signed from Molde in 1996, and he faced huge competition for a place in the starting XI throughout his time in Manchester.

With the likes of Dwight Yorke, Teddy Sheringham and Andy Cole also vying for a starting spot, the Norwegian often had to settle for a place on the bench, but he made the most of his opportunities more often than not.

Solskjaer scored 17 goals in 84 Premier League appearances as a substitute, placing him fourth on the all-time list.

3

Javier Hernandez

19 goals

Although he did not have the same impact at Old Trafford as Solskjaer, Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez holds a special place in fans’ hearts.

The Mexican was part of two Premier League-winning teams during his time in Manchester, reaching double figures in front of goal for three consecutive seasons from 2010/11 to 2012/13.

He became known as a poacher due to the number of close-range goals he scored during spells with the Red Devils and West Ham United, and one of his most iconic goals was an ingenious backwards header against Stoke City in 2011.

During his time with United, Hernandez would often have to settle for a place on the bench, but he made a fantastic impact whenever he was brought on to change the game, scoring 19 goals in 78 substitute appearances.

2

Olivier Giroud

21 goals

France’s record goalscorer first made his mark at Montpellier before earning himself a £12m move to Arsenal ahead of the 2012/13 season, and it would be fair to say that he wrote his name into English football folklore.

Across spells with the Gunners and London rivals Chelsea, Olivier Giroud scored 90 Premier League goals, with nearly a quarter coming from the bench, bagging 21 times in 103 cameo appearances.

One of the Frenchman’s finest strikes in an Arsenal shirt came as a substitute against Manchester United in November 2014, beating David de Gea at his near post with a remarkable strike from outside the box.

1

Jermain Defoe

24 goals

A list of super subs wouldn’t be complete without one of the Premier League’s most prolific players in history, and Jermain Defoe is exactly that, sitting 10th in the all-time list with 162 goals.

After first scoring in the top flight for West Ham in the 2001/02 season, the striker went on to play for four more Premier League clubs: namely Spurs, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Bournemouth.

The Englishman scored some invaluable goals, but perhaps his most important came in the 2015/16 season as he almost single-handedly led Sunderland to survival, scoring 15 times as the Black Cats stayed up by the barest of margins.

Although Defoe’s esteemed career means he will be remembered as far more than just an impact player, a record of 24 goals in 149 games from the bench means he is the greatest super sub in Premier League history.