Bruno Fernandes leads the way for Man Utd this season but Mohamed Salah is the Premier League's biggest game-changer - Between the Lines
Between the Lines returns with a data-led look at the Premier League's game-changing players; Mohamed Salah's numbers are unmatched since 2010/11
Monday 15 December 2025 15:46, UK
Morgan Rogers was Aston Villa's match-winner against West Ham on Sunday. Erling Haaland scored another two goals for Manchester City in their victory over Crystal Palace.
But who is the Premier League's biggest game-changer?
Between the Lines reveals which players' goals and assists have won their clubs the most points, both this season and historically.
Bruno just ahead of Rogers
Bruno Fernandes comes out top for this season as he continues to show his value even in another tough season for Manchester United.
His four goals and six assists have won Ruben Amorim's side a whopping 13 points heading into their game against Bournemouth, live on Sky Sports on Monday Night Football.
Fernandes's three goal involvements in Manchester United's last game against Wolves were the difference between a draw and a victory, winning the side two points. Before that, he won them three points by assisting both goals in the 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace.
Rogers sits second in the list with goal involvements worth 12 points to third-placed Aston Villa, a total which includes the three points won by his double against West Ham on Sunday.
The England international has only contributed a combined eight goals and assists for Unai Emery's side in the Premier League but, with the exception of his assist in the 3-1 win over Fulham in September, all of them have been game-altering.
His total puts him two points ahead of Haaland. The Manchester City striker has nearly twice as many goal involvements as any other Premier League player this season, with 17 goals and three assists, but only seven of them have directly changed results.
Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo hasn't registered a goal involvement since scoring two goals and setting up another against Fulham in October but he still ranks third for points won, level with Everton's Jack Grealish and Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike on nine.
Bruno's unmatched importance to Man Utd
Another way to measure player influence is to look at whose goal involvements have earned the highest proportion of their team's points. Again, it's Fernandes who sits top of the pile this season.
The 31-year-old's goals and assists have won more than half of Manchester United's 25 points after 15 games.
Semenyo is second despite his recent goal involvement drought, while Brentford striker Igor Thiago ranks third, his 11 goals having won 40 per cent of the side's 20 points.
Grealish is just behind him on 38 per cent, with all of his six goal involvements this season having directly impacted Everton's results.
Rogers, Ekitike, Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes, Sunderland's Granit Xhaka, West Ham's Callum Wilson and Brighton striker Danny Welbeck make up the rest of the top 10.
Salah the ultimate game-changer
Fernandes leads the way this season, but when factoring previous seasons, going back as far as 2010/11, it's Mohamed Salah who comes out on top as the Premier League's biggest game-changer, despite his much-discussed dip in form this season.
Salah's 280 Premier League goal involvements have been worth 177 points, putting him just ahead of Harry Kane on 173 points and highlighting the size of his contribution to Liverpool.
Former Leicester striker Jamie Vardy has the third-highest total for points won by goal involvements, with 127, while Kane's former Spurs team-mate Heung-Min Son is fourth on 106 and Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero is fifth on 104.
Salah, in addition to having the highest total, has boasts the highest percentage of a team's points won by goal involvements in a single season since 2010/11, with his 45.2 per cent last term just ahead of Robin van Persie's 42.7 per cent for Manchester United in 2012/13.
Salah's output has of course dipped this season. He only has four goals and three assists in 14 Premier League appearances so far.
But it is worth noting, as shown below, that those goal involvements have still won 23 per cent of Liverpool's points total, a higher proportion than in three of his previous campaigns at the club.
So was he right to suggest he has been unfairly singled out during a difficult campaign for everyone at the club? The numbers suggest he has still made a useful contribution.
And while Fernandes leads the way this term, Salah is undoubtedly the Premier League's biggest game-changer of the last 15 years.
Read last week's Between the Lines
Ninety-three injuries in 18 months? We dissected Arsenal's continued injury issues in last week's edition and the knock-on effects of losing players in the same positions.
