da dobrowin： From Kenny Dalglish to Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool have always been synonymous with top-class centre-forwards.
da bet sport： Indeed, even during the more underwhelming troughs of recent Anfield history, the Reds have often been privy to a free-scoring front-man, such as Fernando Torres or Luis Suarez.
Likewise, academy products Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen went on the establish themselves amongst the Premier League’s all-time elite with consistently emphatic hauls for the Merseyside outfit.
But FootballFanCast are more interested in the flip-side of the coin – namely, the strikers who’ve caused Liverpool fans the most misery, anguish and pain throughout the years with devastating performances against their beloved club.
With that in mind and courtesy of the stat enthusiasts at Transfermarkt, here’s a rundown of the ten strikers with the best scoring (and creating) records against the Reds.
Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal favourites all feature, but there are a few surprises along the way too!
10.Wayne Rooney – 26 Apps, Six Goals, Four Assists
Wazza Roo has been a common enemy of Liverpool throughout the years, first rising through the ranks at local rivals Everton before making the big-money move to the Reds’ old northwest enemies Manchester United in 2004.
With that in mind, however, the England captain’s return against the Merseysiders is notably on the slim side, netting six and setting up just four more in 26 outings.
Interestingly, none of those strikes or set-ups came during his spell at Goodison and the veteran forward has scored more than one goal against the Reds on just a single occasion – a brace back in 2012.
9. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink – 18 Apps, Seven Goals
A phenomenal scoring threat in his early years, Liverpool certainly felt Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s wrath, with a strike-rate just short of one-in-two.
The Dutch assassin, famed for his high-power strikes from long range, opened his account against the Reds with a brace for Leeds United back during the 1998/99 campaign.
He added a further five goals to his tally in eight outings for Chelsea but couldn’t produce the goods in following spells with Middlesbrough and Cardiff City.
8. Teddy Sheringham – 26 Apps, Seven Goals, One Assist
A Premier League strike veteran of the highest order, the sheer longevity of Teddy Sheringham’s career has earned him a place in this top ten – making the joint-third most appearances of any player alongside the aforementioned Wayne Rooney.
That’s not to discredit the retired England international, who scored past Liverpool for Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United – three of the Reds’ biggest competitors at the top of the English game during Sheringham’s era – with his final strike coming in 2003.
7. Les Ferdinand – 19 Apps, Seven Goals, Two Assists
From one golden oldie to another, Les Ferdinand produced the same amount of goals as Sheringham against Liverpool but in seven fewer appearances – and also threw in two assists for good measure.
A lengthy career saw the former Three Lions target man face Liverpool on behalf of six different clubs, yet all but two of his seven goals came before the end of the 1995/96 season.
6. Robin van Persie – 16 Apps, Seven Goals, Two Assists
A more modern name in comparison to those previously mentioned, Liverpool fans will be disappointed to learn Robin van Persie nabbed three goals in five appearances against their club for Manchester United.
Whilst at Arsenal, however, the Dutchman wasn’t quite as prolific. In fact, he didn’t net past the Reds until 2007 – three years after moving to north London from Feyenoord – and managed just four goals in nine outings against them whilst donning the Gunners jersey.
5. Kerry Dixon – 11 Apps, Seven Goals, Two Assists
Club icon Kerry Dixon stopped plying his trade with Chelsea in 1992 but not before piling on the misery for Reds fans.
Despite the Blues being some way down the top-flight pecking order and Liverpool regularly challenging for silverware at home and in Europe during Dixon’s era, the now-55-year-old played a part in nine goals from eleven outings versus the Merseysiders.
That includes one goal during first Premier League season but not for the west Londoners – rather, Liverpool recruitment pool Southampton.
4. Alan Shearer – 27 Apps, Eight Goals, Two Assists
A byproduct of being the Premier League’s all-time record goalscorer, Alan Shearer always features on lists of this variety.
He opened his account against the Merseysiders way back during the 1991/92 season for Southampton and continued to find the net for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, bringing his total to eight goals in 27 appearances.
Interestingly, Shearer never scored more than one goal against Liverpool on a single occasion and never netted against them in the cup competitions.
3. Thierry Henry – 18 Apps, Nine Goals, Two Assists
A true Premier League great with a goal tally to match, Thierry Henry’s strike-rate against Liverpool stands at an incredibly impressive one-in-two – alongside two set-ups for his team-mates.
Reds fans might remember his hat-trick for the Gunners during the 2003/04 campaign as ‘The Invincibles’ famously claimed the Premier League title undefeated.
From his eight seasons in north London, barring his short-lived second spell, there were only two in which the Frenchman failed to find the onion bag versus Liverpool.
2. Andy Cole – 22 Apps, 11 Goals, One Assist
A supremely natural goalscorer, Andy Cole is another member of the one-in-two strike-rate club.
Unlike Henry, however, the former England man produced the goods against Liverpool for four different clubs – namely Newcastle, Manchester United, Blackburn and Fulham – the most of any player in our top ten.
Cole kicked it all off with a phenomenal 1993/94 campaign for the Magpies, which saw him bag a hat-trick in their first Liverpool encounter of the season.
1. Didier Drogba – 30 Apps, 11 Goals, Seven Assists
So there you have it, no striker has wreaked more attacking havoc against Liverpool than Chelsea legend Didier Drogba – epitomising the two clubs’ rather bizarre and unique rivalry that first emerged in the early 2000s.
Incredibly, the Ivory Coast icon only scored past Liverpool twice in the Premier League, with six coming in Europe, two in the FA Cup and one in the League Cup.
And contrary to popular belief, Drogba actually opened his account against the Reds before moving to west London – netting twice for Marseille during the 2003/04 edition of the UEFA Cup.