Andrew Robertson cemented his status as one of the Premier League's greatest-ever defenders as he made history on Boxing Day.
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In setting up Mohamed Salah's fifth-minute goal at Aston Villa, Robertson became the highest-assisting defender in the competition.
His fifth assist of the season took him to 54 in his Premier League career, one clear of former Everton left-back Leighton Baines.
What is all the more impressive is that Robertson has made 189 fewer appearances than Baines.
Most assists by a defender in Premier League history 👑
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 26, 2022
Congratulations, @andrewrobertso5! pic.twitter.com/B9pxwfWt0x
"During the break I just wanted to try to get back and beat it," Robertson told Liverpool's official website.
"I'm not really into individual things. I'm all for the team. But when you do stuff like that and you're in the Premier League against some unbelievable defenders, it's always nice to put yourself at the top."
Highest-assisting defenders
| Player | Appearances | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Robertson | 231 | 54 |
| Leighton Baines | 420 | 53 |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | 176 | 45 |
| Graeme Le Saux | 327 | 44 |
| Antonio Valencia | 241 | 39 |
| Ian Harte | 237 | 36 |
| Andy Hinchcliffe | 219 | 36 |
| Cesar Azpilicueta | 335 | 35 |
| Gary Neville | 400 | 35 |
For context, Robertson's total of 54 assists is the same as those of Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Mesut Ozil.
It moves him up to 33rd in the all-time assists charts, needing another 26 to enter the top 10.
He is also now only four behind Kevin De Bruyne in the race for this season's Castrol Playmaker award.
Castrol Playmaker race 2022/23
| Player | Assists | Next three matches |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin De Bruyne | 9 | LEE (A), EVE (H), CHE (A) |
| Bukayo Saka | 6 | WHU (H), BHA (A), NEW (H) |
| Gabriel Jesus | 5 | WHU (H), BHA (A), NEW (H) |
| Alex Iwobi | 5 | MCI (A), BHA (H), SOU (H) |
| Dejan Kulusevski | 5 | AVL (H), CRY (A), ARS (H) |
| Bernardo Silva | 5 | LEE (A), EVE (H), CHE (A) |
| Andrew Robertson | 5 | LEI (H), BRE (A), BHA (A) |
With four coming for former club Hull City, Robertson is only the fourth player to set up 50 Premier League goals for Liverpool.
Steven Gerrard (92), Steve McManaman (58) and Salah (50) are the others, with Salah remarkably reaching the same landmark as Robertson at Villa on Boxing Day.