Friday Pressure Briefing: Can anyone catch Kane & Salah in Golden Boot race?

Last week, Harry Kane made yet more Premier League history when he became Tottenham Hotspur’s all-time leading goalscorer in the competition.

Having outscored even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017, his 39 Premier League goals in 36 games in the calendar year included no less than six hat-tricks.

And now the England international is eyeing what would be the most impressive hat-trick of all – a third consecutive Golden Boot.

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Kane’s two goals in his side’s 4-0 drubbing of Everton took the England international to 20 for the season and he looks set to add to his tally this weekend when his side visit Southampton.

He has hit five goals in his last four league games versus the Saints, including a hat-trick in the reverse fixture at Wembley; he has also scored twice and assisted once in three matches at St. Mary’s.

Two more would see him join the Premier League’s 100 club, becoming the 27th player to hit a century of PL goals.

“He can do everything,” said Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino. “He can achieve anything he wants.”

Next up is ensuring he becomes only the second player since Thierry Henry to end thee successive seasons as the Premier League’s top scorer. Or can someone catch him?

Liverpool’s Mo Salah is hot on his tail and far from ready to give up the race. 

The Egyptian sits just two goals behind Kane in what has been a remarkable first campaign at Anfield, having become the first Liverpool player to reach 20 goals in all competitions before Christmas since Ian Rush in 1986.

With 18 goals and six assists in his first 22 PL appearances for the club, Salah is also ahead of Kane in the Goal Pressure Index, presented by Sure and powered by Opta data.

Ahead of Monday's meeting with Swansea, the Liverpool man has a seasonal Pressure Index score of 84/100 in comparison with Kane's mark of 76/100 – an indication that Salah has grabbed more of the season's defining moments thus far. 

But leading them both in that regard is Raheem Sterling, who is in the goalscoring form of his life.

With 14 strikes for free-scoring runaway league-leaders Manchester City, the England international currently sits at a seasonal Pressure Index score of 85/100 – a figure behind only David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and N'Golo Kante this season. 

Sterling won't be giving up the chase just yet, and neither will his City colleague Sergio Aguero, who has 13 goals this season and is the last man to beat Kane to the top of the scoring charts, having taken the golden boot in 2014-15.

The race is on.

The Goal Pressure Index is presented by Sure, Official Partner of Chelsea FC, Everton FC and Southampton FC. Join the conversation on Twitter @Sure.