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The Premier League has had its share of renowned dead-ball specialists down the years, with the likes of David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Leighton Baines among them.

However, none of that trio are in the top three most clinical players in the last 14 years when it comes to scoring direct from free-kicks.

Instead, top of the pile is Manchester United's Juan Mata who, based on official Premier League data analysed by Press Association Sport, has been the deadliest set-piece exponent during that period.

The Spain international has scored five of his 28 attempts, giving him a conversion rate of 17.9 per cent - almost treble the success rate of Everton ace Baines, who is ninth on our list with 6.6 per cent (five goals from 76 shots).

Second on the list - compiled from players who have scored five or more free-kicks since the start of the 2001/02 season - is Sunderland's Sebastian Larsson, who showed his prowess with a brilliant set-piece strike against Tottenham at the weekend.

That was the 11th time the Sweden international has scored direct from 90 free-kick attempts in the Premier League, giving him a conversion rate of 12.2 per cent.

The highest number of free-kick goals scored in the last 14 years goes to former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry with 12 (8.3 per cent), but it must be noted that he, along with the likes of third-placed Beckham (five goals at 9.3 per cent), were also playing top-flight football before the 2001/02 season.

Top 10 Premier League players, based on conversion rate, with 5+ goals scored directly from free-kicks since start of 2001/02 season:

Juan Mata : Shots 28, Goals 5, Conversion 17.9 (per cent)

Sebastian Larsson : Shots 90, Goals 11, Conversion 12.2.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink : Shots 62, Goals 6, Conversion 9.7.

David Beckham : Shots 54, Goals 5, Conversion 9.3.

Nolberto Solano : Shots 78, Goals 7, Conversion 9.0.

Thierry Henry : Shots 144, Goals 12, Conversion 8.3.

Danny Murphy : Shots 67, Goals 5, Conversion 7.5.

Ryan Giggs : Shots 73, Goals 5, Conversion 6.8.

Leighton Baines : Shots 76, Goals 5, Conversion 6.6.

Laurent Robert : Shots 154, Goals 10, Conversion 6.5.

Selected others

Cristiano Ronaldo : Shots 164, Goals 10, Conversion 6.1.

Steven Gerrard : Shots 102, Goals 6, Conversion 5.9.

Frank Lampard : Shots 175, Goals 7, Conversion 4.0.