A closer look at the most effective partnerships of the Premier League era
Son Heung-mins injury leaves Tottenham facing a long period without either member of arguably the Premier Leagues most effective ever strike partnership.Already deprived of Harry Kane by a long-term hamstring injury, Spurs announced on Tuesday that Son faces a number of weeks out after surgery on a fracture to his right arm.The pair have combined for over 100 Premier League goals when on the field together and average almost 1.3 goals per game a better rate than any other pair of players who have played more than 5,000 minutes together.Here, the PA news agency looks at the most reliable duos of the Premier League era.Harry Kane and Son Heung-minSon Heung-min (left) and Harry Kane will be missed by Tottenham (John Walton/PA)Tottenham, 102 goalsKane has scored 67 goals to Sons 35 when they have shared the pitch in the league. Having played 7,113 minutes together, that equates to 1.29 goals every 90 minutes.Midfielders Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen have also thrived when on the field with Kane, scoring 37 and 36 respectively and each combining with the England captain for a record of more than a goal a game. Son, though, is his most-successful partner and has also stepped up his game when Kane has been absent, improving his scoring record from a goal every other game to two goals every three games.Mohamed Salah and Sadio ManeMohamed Salah (left) and Sadio Mane have fired Liverpool to glory (Peter Byrne/PA)Liverpool, 89 goalsNot far behind, with a combined record of 1.26 goals per 90 minutes, are Liverpools free-wheeling inverted wingers Salah has a half-century of goals when on the field alongside Mane, who has added 39.Roberto Firmino, the third member of Jurgen Klopps feared front three, has also dovetailed effectively with Salah for 91 goals in partnership at 1.17 per 90 minutes, while he and Mane average 0.89 together.Sergio Aguero and Raheem SterlingSergio Aguero (left) and Raheem Sterling have combined for 100 goals (Martin Rickett/PA)Manchester City, 100 goalsAguero is Citys all-time record scorer, as well as the Premier Leagues top-scoring overseas player, and has found a perfect foil in Sterling the pair have combined for 100 goals at 1.22 per 90 minutes, with the Argentinian scoring 65 to Sterlings 35.Aguero also enjoys goal-a-game combinations with midfielders Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva, but has dominated the scoring to such an extent that they cannot be viewed as goalscoring partnerships in the traditional sense.Thierry Henry and Robert PiresThierry Henry (left) and Robert Pires played over 12,000 minutes together (Sean Dempsey/PA)Arsenal, 162 goalsThe longest-serving and overall highest-scoring partnership on the list, Henry and Pires played over 12,000 minutes together and shared 162 goals, with Henrys 108 exactly doubling the wingers tally.Another fellow Frenchman, Sylvain Wiltord, was also an effective partner for Henry in a shorter period, sharing 67 goals at better than one per 90 minutes, while Dennis Bergkamp was a long-standing creative foil to him but was left in the shade in terms of goalscoring.Fernando Torres and Steven GerrardFernando Torres (top) and Steven Gerrard weigh in with an impressive share of goals (Dave Thompson/PA)Liverpool, 81 goalsLike Henry and Pires, the Liverpool duo were not a traditional strike pairing with Gerrard playing in midfield but weighing in with an impressive share of goals including 29 with Torres on the pitch, adding to the Spaniards 52 at a combined 1.13 per game.After Torres departure, Gerrard enjoyed an almost-identically successful partnership with Luis Suarez 26 goals to the Uruguayans 55 in 6,497 minutes, just 35 more than he played with Torres.(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
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