Most Goals in a Premier League Season
The most goals in a Premier League season is 36, scored by Erling Haaland for Manchester City in 2022-23. It is the record for the 38-game era — and it finally settled a debate that had run for nearly thirty years, because the only higher tallies anyone could point to came from the competition’s early 42-game seasons. This page lists every 30-goal Premier League season in full, splits the 38-game and 42-game eras honestly, ranks them by goals per game, and tracks whether anyone is on pace to challenge Haaland this season.
Most Goals in a Premier League Season: The Full List
Thirteen times a player has reached 30 league goals in a Premier League season. Click any column header to sort the table — by goals, by appearances, or by goals per game.
| # | Player | Goals | Season | Club | Apps | Season length | Goals per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erling Haaland | 36 | 2022–23 | Man City | 35 | 38 games | 1.03 |
| 2 | Alan Shearer | 34 | 1994–95 | Blackburn | 42 | 42 games | 0.81 |
| = | Andy Cole | 34 | 1993–94 | Newcastle | 40 | 42 games | 0.85 |
| 4 | Mohamed Salah | 32 | 2017–18 | Liverpool | 36 | 38 games | 0.89 |
| 5 | Luis Suárez | 31 | 2013–14 | Liverpool | 33 | 38 games | 0.94 |
| = | Cristiano Ronaldo | 31 | 2007–08 | Man Utd | 34 | 38 games | 0.91 |
| = | Alan Shearer | 31 | 1995–96 | Blackburn | 35 | 38 games | 0.89 |
| = | Alan Shearer | 31 | 1993–94 | Blackburn | 40 | 42 games | 0.78 |
| 9 | Harry Kane | 30 | 2022–23 | Tottenham | 38 | 38 games | 0.79 |
| = | Harry Kane | 30 | 2017–18 | Tottenham | 37 | 38 games | 0.81 |
| = | Robin van Persie | 30 | 2011–12 | Arsenal | 38 | 38 games | 0.79 |
| = | Thierry Henry | 30 | 2003–04 | Arsenal | 37 | 38 games | 0.81 |
| = | Kevin Phillips | 30 | 1999–2000 | Sunderland | 36 | 38 games | 0.83 |
The 38-Game vs 42-Game Split
This is the context the raw numbers hide. The Premier League began with 22 teams, so the seasons from 1992-93 to 1994-95 each had 42 games. The league was cut to 20 teams from 1995-96, and every season since has had 38 games. That means three entries in the most goals in a Premier League season table above — Shearer's 34 in 1994-95, Cole's 34 in 1993-94 and Shearer's 31 in 1993-94 — were scored with four extra matches in hand.
Sort the table by goals per game and the picture sharpens: Haaland's 36 in 35 games (1.03 per game) stands alone at the top, ahead of Suárez's 31 in 33 (0.94) and Ronaldo's 31 in 34 (0.91). Nobody in the 42-game era ever scored at better than 0.85 per game across a season. The 36 is not just the biggest total — it is the most ruthless rate anyone has ever sustained.
Haaland's 36: How the Record Fell
Haaland broke the record in his very first Premier League season. He reached 36 goals in only 35 appearances, beating a mark that had stood since the 1990s — and he did it while Manchester City were rotating heavily through a treble-winning run-in. The previous 38-game record had been Salah's 32 in 2017-18, itself a landmark at the time: a winger scoring 32 in 36 games. Haaland cleared it with three games to spare.
What makes 36 so hard to reach is the consistency it demands. Scoring 30 in a season — Kane did it twice, Henry, van Persie and Phillips once each — usually wins or nearly wins the Golden Boot. Getting from 30 to 36 means finding six more goals in a league where the best defences in Europe are waiting every week, without an injury, a suspension or a barren month. In the three seasons since, nobody has come within six of it.
The 30-Goal Club
Five players share the 30-goal line, and each entry tells its own story. Harry Kane's two 30s — 2017-18 and 2022-23 — are the only ones scored in losing causes for the Golden Boot: in 2017-18 Salah's 32 beat him, and in 2022-23 Haaland's 36 did. Thierry Henry's 30 came in Arsenal's unbeaten 2003-04 season, the only Invincibles-era entry on the list. Robin van Persie's 30 powered Arsenal's 2011-12 run-in almost single-handedly. And Kevin Phillips's 30 in 1999-2000 remains the great outlier — a Sunderland striker winning the European Golden Shoe, the first Englishman ever to do so, from a club that finished seventh.
This Season's Pace: Who Could Challenge 36?
Eight or so games into 2026-27, one name is on the required pace and nobody else is close. Erling Haaland has 8 goals — a goal a game, which over 38 games projects to the high thirties. Behind him, João Pedro and Alexander Isak sit on 5 each, with Cherki and Morgan Rogers on 4. The gap already tells the story: Haaland would need to cool significantly, or someone behind him to explode, for this to become a race. The honest read on most goals in a Premier League season this year is that 36 is in play for exactly one player — the man who set it.
The Premier League hub carries this season's fixtures, results and table, and our Premier League records hub gathers every all-time list in one place.
Watching the Golden Boot Race in Australia
Every Premier League match is live and exclusive on Stan Sport in Australia (rights held through 2033-34). From October to April, Sydney and Melbourne run on AEDT (UTC+11); Queensland stays on AEST an hour behind, South Australia on ACDT half an hour behind AEDT, with Western Australia and the Northern Territory further back. Full details are in our where-to-watch guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most goals scored in a single Premier League season?
The record for most goals in a Premier League season is 36, scored by Erling Haaland for Manchester City in 2022-23 in just 35 appearances — the mark for the 38-game era.
Did anyone score more in the 42-game seasons?
No. The highest totals from the 42-game era (1992-93 to 1994-95) were 34 — Alan Shearer in 1994-95 and Andy Cole in 1993-94 — both fewer than Haaland's 36 despite four extra matches.
Who held the 38-game record before Haaland?
Mohamed Salah, with 32 goals for Liverpool in 2017-18. He held it for five seasons until Haaland's 36 in 2022-23.
Who has scored 30 goals in a Premier League season?
Thirteen 30-plus seasons are on record: Haaland (36), Shearer and Cole (34), Salah (32), Suárez, Ronaldo and Shearer again (31), and five 30s — Kane twice, plus van Persie, Henry and Kevin Phillips.
Figures on this page are Premier League goals only, cross-checked on 24 October 2026 against ESPN, Sports Mole and StatMuse. This season's tallies move as 2026-27 is played.
