Give him a chance and he’ll put it away.
He doesn’t need to get the eye in, he doesn’t care about testing the goalkeeper because if Shane Duffy gets even the slightest sniff of a chance at goal, the back of the net is more than likely about to be rattled.
In actual fact, there’s a one in three chance that the big, burly Brighton centre back is going to score.
Because the Derry native has had 13 attempts on goal in the Premier League this season, 12 of those efforts arising from set piece situations where he’s hustled and bustled himself into scoring positions, and he knows what to do when he gets in those positions too.
He’s put the ball in the back of the net on four of those occasions, leading to a conversion rate not to be sniffed at for any player and certainly not for a centre half.
You always hear about defenders making a nuisance of themselves well the 27-year-old must be a full on nightmare for the opposition backline with his movement and strength.
Because not only is Duffy Ireland’s top scorer in the Premier League this season (admittedly a slightly concerning stat for Irish football), he’s also scored more goals than every other defender plying their trade in England’s top tier.
Prior to Wednesday night’s clash against West Ham, Duffy was joint-top on the defender’s scoring charts along with Crystal Palace’s Jeffrey Schlupp, Everton’s Lucas Digne and another Irish man in Wolves’ Matt Doherty on three but with his stylish chest and volley putting Brighton 2-0 up against the Hammers, he soared into the lead all by himself.
Unsurprisingly, the Republic of Ireland centre half came in for some praise on Match of the Day with Matthew Upson impressed by his coolness in front of goal.
“He does brilliantly to finish it, Duffy in the end but Diop takes his eye off him and focuses on the ball…It’s a key mistake for a defender,” said Matthew Upson on MOTD.
Brighton went onto throw away their two goal lead, the explosive Marko Arnautovic outmuscling Duffy for one and finding himself in too much space to complete a brace within two minutes, but Brighton held on to secure a draw and they remain in 13th in the table.
Afterwards, Duffy tweeted his delight to score his fourth of the season.
Gutted how that match has ended a draw 2 points dropped felt we were the better team for most off the game. Happy to get my 4th ⚽️ off the season. Get travelling support once again 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/35VqYGfCcm
— Shane Duffy (@shaneduffy) January 2, 2019
He’s now scored more goals than the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Willian, Gabriel Jesus and Mesut Ozil. Not bad going at all.
