Nwankwo Kanu: Chelsea and 7 other favourite Premier League opponents of Super Eagles legend

Nwankwo Kanu established a significant presence in the Premier League during his time with Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion and Portsmouth.

His career in England’s top division lasted from February 1999 to May 2010, spanning over a decade of his distinctive contributions to the sport. 

Across these three clubs, Kanu made a total of 273 Premier League appearances, scoring 54 goals. 

Kanu’s scoring record was distributed as follows: 30 goals in 119 appearances for Arsenal, seven goals in 53 matches for West Bromwich Albion and 17 goals in 101 games for Portsmouth. 

Having previously discussed the top-scoring Nigerians in the history of the English top flight, Pulse Sports aims to provide a detailed statistical breakdown of Kanu’s 54 Premier League goals, categorising them by the number of goals scored against each opposing team.

Throughout his Premier League career, Kanu scored five goals against Middlesbrough, his favourite opponents, four goals against three teams, three goals against five clubs, two goals against seven teams and one goal against eight clubs.

Middlesbrough were Kanu's most frequently scored against opponent in the Premier League, with a total of five goals. 

His goals against Boro were distributed across all three of his Premier League clubs, highlighting a remarkable consistency against this particular adversary, regardless of his team's overall standing.   

For Arsenal, he scored two goals against Middlesbrough on May 1, 1999, contributing to a dominant 6-1 away victory. 

Later, while playing for West Bromwich Albion, he added one goal against Middlesbrough on December 10, 2005, in a 2-2 draw, a goal that was crucial in securing a point for his team. 

Kanu’s effectiveness against Middlesbrough continued into his Portsmouth career, where he netted two more goals on August 28, 2006, in a resounding 4-0 away win.

Tottenham Hotspur 

Kanu scored four Premier League goals against Arsenal's North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. 

These goals were scored for both Arsenal and West Bromwich Albion, further demonstrating his ability to perform against significant opponents.   

Chelsea

Kanu netted four Premier League goals against Chelsea. These goals were scored for both Arsenal and West Bromwich Albion.   

His most celebrated performance against Chelsea was a remarkable hat-trick scored in just 15 minutes on December 4, 1999. 

Kanu’s extraordinary feat turned a 2-0 deficit into a dramatic 3-2 victory for Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. 

This remains one of the Premier League's most iconic individual displays of attacking prowess. 

He later scored one goal for West Bromwich Albion against Chelsea on March 11, 2006, in a 2-1 home defeat.   

Bolton Wanderers

Kanu scored four Premier League goals against Bolton Wanderers. His goals against Bolton were distributed across all three of his Premier League clubs (two came when he was at Portsmouth), highlighting his consistent threat against this opponent.

Wimbledon FC 

Kanu scored three goals against Wimbledon, all while representing Arsenal. He scored one goal on April 24, 1999, in a dominant 5-1 home win, and later added a brace on April 9, 2000, in a 3-1 road victory.   

Leeds United

Kanu netted three goals against Leeds United, all during his time at Arsenal. He scored one on April 22, 2000, in a convincing 4-0 away win, and followed this with a brace on October 5, 2002, in a 4-1 road victory.   

Sunderland

Kanu scored three goals against Sunderland, all while playing for Arsenal. 

He found the net once on November 4, 2001, in a 1-1 away draw, and then scored twice on October 19, 2002, in a 3-1 home win.   

Blackburn Rovers 

Kanu scored three goals against Blackburn Rovers, all while playing for Portsmouth. 

Notably, he scored a brace on his Portsmouth debut against Blackburn on August 19, 2006, in a 3-0 triumph, immediately making a strong statement about his arrival. 

He added another goal on September 29, 2007, in a 1-0 away victory.

Everton 

Kanu also scored three times against Everton. Two of those goals came while he was at Arsenal — in the 1999-2000 season and a 1-1 draw during the Gunners' "Invincible" season, and his third and final strike came when he was at Portsmouth in the 2006-07 campaign.

Aston Villa

Kanu scored two goals against Aston Villa, both for Arsenal. He scored on May 16, 1999, in a 1-0 home win, and again on September 25, 1999, in a 3-1 home victory. 

He was recognised for scoring important goals against Aston Villa as a substitute.   

Newcastle United 

Kanu scored two goals against Newcastle United, both for Arsenal. He netted one on May 14, 2000, in a 4-2 away win, and another on December 9, 2000, in a 5-0 home win.   

Birmingham City

Kanu scored two goals against Birmingham City, both for Portsmouth. He netted one on March 29, 2008, in a 4-2 home win, and another on January 27, 2010, in a 1-2 home defeat. Both of these goals were headers.   

Watford

Kanu scored two goals against Watford, one for Arsenal and one for Portsmouth. 

For Arsenal, he scored on October 23, 1999, in a 1-0 home win. For Portsmouth, he scored on November 25, 2006, in a 2-1 home win.  

West Ham United

Kanu scored two goals against West Ham United, one for Arsenal and one for Portsmouth. 

For Arsenal, he scored on April 13, 2002, in a 2-0 home win. For Portsmouth, he scored on October 14, 2006, in a 2-0 home win.   

Arsenal

Notably, Kanu scored two goals against his former club, Arsenal, while playing for West Bromwich Albion and Portsmouth. 

He scored one for West Brom on October 22, 2005, in a 2-1 home win, an equaliser shortly before half-time. 

He scored another for Portsmouth on September 15, 2007, in a 3-1 away defeat.   

Manchester City

Kanu scored two goals against Manchester City, one for Arsenal and one for Portsmouth. 

For Arsenal, he scored on April 21, 2001, in a 4-0 away win. For Portsmouth, he scored on February 24, 2007, in a 2-1 home win.

Bradford City 

Kanu scored for Arsenal on September 11, 1999, in a 2-0 home win. This goal was a penalty.   

Coventry City

Scored for Arsenal on April 1, 2000, in a 3-0 home win.   

Derby County

Scored for Arsenal on April 28, 2001, in a 2-1 away win. 

Leicester City

Kanu scored for Arsenal on September 1, 2001, in a 4-0 home win.   

Fulham

Kanu scored for West Brom on September 25, 2004, in a 1-1 home draw against Fulham. 

This was an 88th-minute equaliser and marked his first goal for West Brom, signalling his immediate contribution to the team.   

Reading

Kanu scored for Portsmouth on October 28, 2006, in a 3-1 home win.   

Hull City

He scored for Portsmouth on March 27, 2010, in a 3-2 home win. 

Sheffield Wednesday 

Kanu's only goal against Sheffield Wednesday was scored while he was at Arsenal. Kanu's strike came in a 3-0 victory at Highbury during the 1998-99 season.

The statistics in this article were obtained from Transfermarkt.