Van Persie Joins United's Top 50 Scorers

Robin van Persie's dramatic stoppage-time equaliser against Chelsea on Sunday saw the striker move into Manchester United’s top 50 all-time goalscorer charts.

While the striker has regularly scored important goals for the Reds since his £24million move from Arsenal in 2012, he's reached this landmark in double-quick time – so quickly, in fact, that the Dutchman’s strike-rate reveals him to be one of the most prolific goal-getters in the club's history.

Following the landmark strike, we've picked out five of the most lethal marksmen to have pulled on the famous red shirt, and below you can view the entire top 50 scorers...

Tommy Taylor, 0.69 goals per game (14th top goalscorer)
Regarded by those who saw him play as the one of the finest goalscorers ever to represent the club, he was labelled by the great Alfredo Di Stefano of Real Madrid as simply 'Magnifico'. A £29,999 signing from Barnsley in 1953, his life was tragically cut short by the Munich air disaster. His record of 131 goals in 191 is astonishing.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, 0.68 goals per game (11)
Sir Alex Ferguson's long-term transfer target was an instant hit upon his eventual signing from PSV Eindhoven in 2001, netting 36 goals in his debut season. The Dutchman remarkably bettered the feat the following year, scoring 44 goals to help United to the league title. He racked up 150 goals in just 219 games.

Dennis Viollet, 0.61 goals per game (6)
The Manchester-born striker partnered Tommy Taylor in one of the club's most memorable strike-forces, as the Reds won back-to-back titles in 1956 and 1957. Viollet's eye for goal saw him score an unmatched 32 league goals during the 1959/60 season.

Robin van Persie, 0.60 goals per game (48)
The Dutchman's goals in his two years at Old Trafford have already seen him join the list of the club's most prolific strikers. In his first term, United's no.20 fittingly helped the club to a historic 20th league title. His last-minute winner at Manchester City in 2012 will live long in the memory.

Denis Law, 0.58 goals per game (2)
The 'Holy Trinity' statue which graces the grounds at Old Trafford serves as a constant reminder of Law's impact on the club (he's also immortalised in bronze inside the Stretford End). If that wasn't enough of an indication as to his status, his 13-year spell with the Reds saw him earn the nickname 'The King'. A debut goal against West Brom in August 1962 was to be the start of a special career.

United all-time top goalscorers 1-25
1. Bobby Charlton (249), 2. Denis Law (237), 3. Wayne Rooney (219), 4. Jack Rowley (211), 5. Dennis Viollet (179), 6. George Best (179), 7. Joe Spence (168), Ryan Giggs (168), 9. Mark Hughes (163), 10. Paul Scholes (155), 11. Ruud van Nistelrooy (150), 12. Stan Pearson (148), 13. David Herd (145), 14. Tommy Taylor (131), 15. Brian McClair (127), 16. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (126), 17. Andy Cole (121), 18. Cristiano Ronaldo (118), 19. Sandy Turnbull (101), 20. Joe Cassidy (100), George Wall (100), 22. Bryan Robson (99), 23. Lou Macari (97), 24. David Beckham (85), 25. Eric Cantona (82).

United all-time top goalscorers 26-50
26. Enoch West (80), 27. Frank Stapleton (78), 28. Sammy McIlroy (71), 29. Brian Kidd (70), Steve Coppell (70), 31. Thomas Reid (67), Norman Whiteside (67), 33. Dwight Yorke (66), Bob Donaldson (66), Stuart Pearson (66), 36. Charlie Mitten (61), 37. Javier Hernandez (59), Jack Peddie (58), 39. Thomas Bamford (57), 40. Harold Halse (56), Dimitar Berbatov (56), Albert Quixall (56), 43. Harry Rowley (55), 44. Alex Dawson (54), 45. William Whelan (52), James Hanson (52), Frank McPherson (52), 48. Robin van Persie (51), Steve Bruce (51) Gordon Hill (51), Roy Keane (51).