With his goal against Swansea City on Saturday Diego Costa confirmed his place above Premier League legends such as Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer and Ruud van Nistelrooy in one measurement of prolific strikers.
No established striker has a lower ratio of matches where they have failed to get a goal than Costa.
The Chelsea striker’s finish to round off the 3-1 victory at Stamford Bidge was the 42nd match out of 78 in the competition in which he has scored.
This rate of at least one goal in 54% of his Premier League matches puts Costa above Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was on the scoresheet in exactly half of his matches for Manchester United, Thierry Henry (48.1%) and the all-time leading scorer in the competition, Alan Shearer (43.1%).
But Costa is under pressure from two in-form rivals to maintain his No 1 spot.
Man Utd striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is level with Van Nistelrooy on 50% and goals in his next two PL matches, at home to AFC Bournemouth and at Middelesbrough, would take him above Costa if the Chelsea striker scored in only one of his outings against West Ham United and Stoke City.
Sergio Aguero cannot overtake Costa imminently but, after scoring in 80 of his 169 appearances, a scoring run for Manchester City would move the Argentinian right on the heels of the Spain international.
Top highest ratio of PL matches scored in
| Player | Matches scored in | Matches | % ratio |
| Costa | 42 | 78 | 53.8 |
| Van Nistelrooy | 75 | 150 | 50 |
| Ibrahimovic | 12 | 24 | 50 |
| Henry | 124 | 258 | 48.1 |
| Aguero | 80 | 169 | 47.3 |
| Shearer | 190 | 441 | 43.1 |
| Klinsmann | 24 | 56 | 42.9 |
| Suarez | 47 | 110 | 42.7 |
| Wright | 91 | 213 | 42.7 |
| Kane | 44 | 106 | 41.5 |
