PREMIER LEAGUE STRIKERS: TOP FIVE STRIKE PAIRINGS
One potent striker can make the world of difference to any football team, but having two who play well together can be worth their weight in gold.
Here are five of the greatest strike partnerships we have seen in the Premier League since it was formed in 1992.
Premier League Strikers: Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton (Blackburn)
Blackburn spent big in the early years of the Premier League and the British record signing of Chris Sutton was massive as he combined with Alan Shearer to bring the title to Ewood Park in 1995.
The SAS as they became known scored 49 Premier League goals between them that season under Kenny Dalglish with Shearer winning the Golden Boot with 34 while Sutton shipped in with 15 as the pair binged on great service from wide areas from Stuart Ripley and Jason Wilcox.
They were broken up when Shearer made a world record move to Newcastle in 1996, but the pairing had already gone down in Premier League legend.
Premier League Strikers: Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips (Sunderland)
There is probably no better example of the big-man-small-man partnership in Premier League history than the Sunderland duo of Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips.
The Black Cats had to punch above their weight upon their return to the top flight in 1999, but they finished seventh in two consecutive seasons , narrowly missing out on European qualification.
Quinn was the archetypal target man and Phillips, who was playing non-league football only a few seasons before, rose to the occasion, winning the Golden Boot in 2000 with 30 goals.
Premier League Strikers: Andrew Cole and Dwight Yorke (Man Utd)
Sir Alex Ferguson had the luxury of having four great strikers in his treble-winning squad, but while Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored the key goals to win the Champions League, Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke are perhaps better remembered as a partnership.
The pair interacted almost instinctively and were a nightmare for any Premier League defence to face.
They combined for 35 Premier League goals in the 1998-99 season and proved to be a dream pairing who were key to all the success United enjoyed.
Premier League Strikers: Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal)
It is hard to think of two classier players in the Premier League era than Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp and the fact they played for the same Arsenal team meant they formed a formidable pairing.
Bergkamp was already at the club when Henry joined in 1999 having previously figured more as a winger who was converted to being a central striker under Arsene Wenger and he was able to flourish with Bergkamp’s playmaking skills producing a host of opportunities.
They won three league titles together, including a season when they went undefeated in 2003-04 and Henry won the league’s Golden Boot a record four times.
Premier League Strikers: Harry Kane & Heung-Min Son (Tottenham)
Across north London, the Tottenham pair of Harry Kane and Heung min-Son eventually clicked after the South Korean had been signed from Bayer Leverkusen by Mauricio Pochettino in 2015.
The partnership allowed Kane to become provider as well as a great goalscorer as Tottenham utilised Son’s electric pace with the pair developing what seemed a telepathic understanding.
Although they were unable to bring any trophies to Tottenham, the quality of their play means both will go down as Spurs legends and no partnership in the league’s history has combined for more goals.
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