Bent’s stats match the top strikers

DARREN BENT made a telling contribution in a high-profile Premier League match on Saturday but, not for the first time in his career, the most gushing plaudits were lavished elsewhere. The story of his life, one could say.

Dimitar Berbatov, Robin van Persie and Fernando Torres shared eight goals and a host of glowing reviews between them. Rightly so, but while Bent continues to operate in the shadows of his more illustrious contemporaries, the hard facts suggest that Aston Villa's new £24m man deserves a generous helping of the accolades too.

Only Didier Drogba (37) and Carlos Tevez (37) have scored more Premier League goals than Bent (33) since the beginning of last season. And since the start of 2005-06 not a single player has outgunned a centre-forward whose debut strike against Manchester City on Saturday was his 82nd top-flight goal in that period (the same tally that Drogba and Wayne Rooney have each amassed during that same timeframe).