With Manchester City pair Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne setting a new milestone in their 6-2 FA Cup win over Luton Town on Tuesday, KickOff's Lukhanyo Mtuta takes a look at five iconic Premier League duos since 2014!
Erling Haaland Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City
FA Cup defending champions City ran riot on Tuesday night, in a Haaland and De Bruyne-inspired mauling of Luton at Kenilworth Road. The pair have been in devastating form since becoming teammates in July 2023, having combined for a whopping 20 goals after joining forces. During the recent FA Cup tie, the Belgian assisted four of the Norwegian's five goals on the night, becoming the first player to assist his teammates four times in one game since Harry Kane laid on a quadruple of assists for Heung-min SOn in 2020, as per mancity.com. During a post-match presser, a pleased Pep Guardiola remarked that the two players need it each other.
"I think Erling needs a guy with the vision, the quality and generosity," the Spaniard said. "Kevin is a less selfish player in front of the goal, and if he could have helped him score another one, he would do it. And Kevin needs the movement from Erling but, of course, we know how aggressive they are."
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Diego Costa Cesc Fabregas – Chelsea
The Spanish duo combined for a goal 16 times during their trophy-laden stint together at Chelsea. Costa and Fabregas joined the Blues in the same window ahead of the 2014/15 campaign and would go on to inspire the team to a Premier League and Carabao Cup double that season, before going on to win another EPL title in 2016/17. The playmaker registered 19 Premier League assists in his first season with the Blues, while Costa scored 20 times in 26 English top-flight outings that term, according to Transfermarkt.
Mesut Ozil Alexis Sanchez – Arsenal
Ozil and Sanchez looked a well-oiled machine in their pomp, and are widely considered the best duo at Arsenal in the final years of Arsene Wenger's tenure in charge of the club. The combination lit up the English top flight for a couple of seasons, boasting a joint-goal participation of 16, with only Lionel Messi having combined for goal more times with Sanchez than Ozil. The duo have two FA Cup titles and three FA Community Shield trophies to show for their efforts together.
Harry Kane Heung-min Son – Tottenham Hotspur
The only non-title winning pair on this list, Kane and Son are said to hold the record for the most prolific duo in the Premier League era, according to the BBC. Per Transfermarkt, this duo combined for 60 goals as colleagues during their eight seasons playing together. During their time in the same dressing room, Kane won three EPL Golden Boot awards, while Son has claimed it once.
Riyad Mahrez Jamie Vardy – Leicester City
Mahrez Vardy were the two main men during Leicester's historic Premier League title win in 2015/16. The pair teamed up for 24 goals during their time as teammates. In that title-winning campaign, the Algerian was named the Premier League Player of the Season after registering 17 goals and 10 assists, while the former England striker finished the season with 24 goals, only trailing that term's Golden Boot winner Kane. Mahrez and Vardy have since etched their names in the history books, and will be remembered as one of the deadliest duos of the modern Premier League era.
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