In the event of a tie, the player to have made a higher proportion of their overall key passes in open play is ranked higher. Sorry to Ryan Fraser, Felipe Anderson and Jean Michael Seri (28 each)…

 

10) Paul Pogba (28)
No wonder Paul Pogba wanted to “attack, attack, attack”; he really is rather good at all that lark. If you listen to Graeme Souness, he needs to stop playing like Andrea Pirlo. If you watch him play, you wonder why he is derided “as someone who wants to sit deep and play Hollywood balls”. There is no need to teach the old Pog new tricks.

 

9) Anthony Martial (28)
Twenty-eight chances created in the Premier League this season, none of which have come from a set-piece. That Anthony Martial has just one assist says much more about those he is supplying than the supply line itself. If only he could set himself up.

 

8) Nathan Redmond (31)
Mark Hughes will be aghast; Pep Guardiola will be delighted. And Ralph Hasenhuttl will be more than happy to benefit from the renewed productivity and impetus of a 24-year-old winger whose career was threatening to peter out after a series of unsuitable managers.

 

7) Willian (35)
The Brazilian will never completely convince Chelsea fans of his worth, but Willian shows no signs of slowing down even in his 30s. Callum Hudson-Odoi has quite the shoes to fill if he is to make a success of himself at Stamford Bridge.

 

6) Bernardo Silva (35)
He runs bloody far, he works bloody hard and creates bloody loads. Oh and Bernardo Silva is a magician, too.

 

5) David Silva (37)
His older, more Spanish brother is not about to be displaced so easily, mind. David Silva has still created more chances in open play in the Premier League this season than he has lived years on earth, so that’s something. Just imagine if he was one of the all-time greats.

 

4) Andros Townsend (38)
Had some preconceptions as to who would appear on this list, did you? Didn’t f***ing well see that coming. Andros Townsend is keeping esteemed company by putting chance after chance on a plate for Crystal Palace’s forwards. Shame they’ve been on hunger strike for about 427 years.

 

3) Raheem Sterling (38)
The creator of the most chances without any of them coming from a set-piece in Europe’s top five leagues, because you can’t tap it straight across the six-yard box to leave an open net for a teammate if you’re too busy faffing about with free-kicks or corners.

 

2) Mohamed Salah (41)
That goalscoring crisis feels so long ago for a player who not only leads those charts, but is also second in terms of chance creation from open play. The last few games have showed that when he is not on it, Liverpool are a much less daunting beast.

 

1) Eden Hazard (45)
Only Lionel Messi (46) has created more chances from open play in Europe’s top five leagues this season. Chelsea really had better hope his big decision does not involve joining the Argentine in La Liga.

Matt Stead