Hall of Fame

Only ONE penalty: The numbers behind Andrew Cole's career

22 Apr 2024
Andrew Cole

See the numbers that put the Hall of Fame inductee among the best strikers in Premier League history

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We look at the incredible numbers behind the career of 2024 Premier League Hall of Fame inductee Andrew Cole.

Career in numbers
Category Andrew Cole
Appearances 414
Goals 187
Assists 73
PL titles 5
Golden Boots 1
Monthly awards 1

Cole came alive in the penalty area. Deadly with both feet and his head, his eye for goal helped Manchester United to five Premier League titles and a famous 1998/99 Treble.

The striker made a name for himself at Newcastle United and also played for Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Manchester City, Portsmouth and Sunderland.

Goal and assist breakdown
Club Apps Goals Assists
Newcastle 58 43 16
Man Utd 195 93 33
Blackburn 83 27 14
Fulham 31 12 4
Man City 22 9 5
Portsmouth 18 3 1
Sunderland 7 0 0

Cole's 187 goals rank him as the fourth-highest scorer in Premier League history, behind only Alan Shearer, Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney.

Top scorers PL history
Player Apps Goals
Alan Shearer 441 260
Harry Kane 320 213
Wayne Rooney 491 208
Andrew Cole 414 187
Sergio Aguero 275 184

Cole won the Golden Boot with a tally of 34 goals in 1993/94, a total only ever beaten in a single Premier League season by Erling Haaland.

Most goals in a PL season
Player Season Goals
Erling Haaland (MCI) 2022/23 36
Andrew Cole (NEW) 1993/94 34
Alan Shearer (BLB) 1994/95 34
Mohamed Salah (LIV) 2017/18 32

Cole also ranks second only to Haaland for most goals scored in a player's first ever Premier League season.

Most goals in a debut season
Player Season Goals
Erling Haaland (MCI) 2022/23 36
Andrew Cole (NEW) 1993/94 34
Kevin Phillips (SUN) 1999/00 30
Fernando Torres (LIV) 2007/08 24
Ruud van Nistelrooy (MUN) 2001/02 23
Sergio Aguero (MCI) 2011/12 23

As well as scoring 34 goals in 1993/94, Cole also set up a further 13 goals. With 47 goal involvements, he jointly holds the record for most combined goals and assists in a single season. 

Most goal involvements in a season
Player Season Goals Assists G+A
Andrew Cole (NEW) 1993/94 34 13 47
Alan Shearer (BLB) 1994/95 34 13 47
Thierry Henry (ARS) 2002/03 24 20 44
Erling Haaland (MCI) 2022/23 36 8 44
Luis Suarez (LIV) 2013/14 31 12 43

Only one of Cole's 187 goals came from the penalty spot. If you exclude penalties, he would rank as the second-highest scorer in Premier League history. 

Most goals PL history exc. pens
Player Goals exc. pens
Alan Shearer 204
Andrew Cole 186
Wayne Rooney 185
Harry Kane 180
Sergio Aguero 157

Indeed, not a single one of Cole's 34 goals in 1993/94 came from the penalty spot, meaning he holds the record for most non-penalty goals in a single season.

Most goals in a season excluding pens 
Player Season Goals exc. pens
Andrew Cole (NEW) 1993/94 34
Luis Suarez (LIV) 2013/14 31
Mohamed Salah (LIV) 2017/18 31

Until earlier in 2023/24, Cole held the record for fewest appearances taken to reach 50 goals, doing so in 65 appearances. 

Fewest matches to 50 goals
Player Apps to 50 goals
Erling Haaland 48
Andrew Cole 65
Alan Shearer 66
Ruud van Nistelrooy 68
Fernando Torres 72
Mohamed Salah 72

Cole was the first player to score five times in a Premier League match, when he starred in a 9-0 victory over Ipswich Town in March 1995. Only four players since have matched Cole's five goals in a match.

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Most goals in a PL match
Player Match Season Goals
Andrew Cole MUN 9-0 IPS 1994/95 5
Alan Shearer NEW 8-0 SHW 1999/00 5
Jermain Defoe TOT 9-1 WIG 2009/10 5
Dimitar Berbatov MUN 7-1 BLB 2010/11 5
Sergio Aguero MCI 6-1 NEW 2015/16 5

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SO COLD! Watch the best of Cole Palmer this season

Enjoy the Chelsea star's six goals and four assists in the 2024/25 Premier League

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