Ivan Toney might just be the world's best penalty taker right now.The Brentford striker has taken to life in the Premier League like a duck to water and his match-winning performance against Brighton & Hove Albion on Friday night was a perfect example of that.In what proved to be a vitally important result in the context of Brentford's season, Toney scored twice on the banks of the Thames to wrap up a 2-0 victory over Roberto De Zerbi's visitors.
Toney shines in Brentford 2-0 Brighton
The opening strike saw Toney channel his inner Nwankwo Kanu with a smart back-heeled finish, whereas the sophomore effort underlined his remarkable calmness from the penalty spot.
Having won the spot-kick himself by forcing a foul from Joël Veltman, the England striker was coolness personified from 12 yards as he sent Robert Sánchez the wrong way and found the back of the net.
All in all, it made for a stunningly relaxed execution with Toney going through his usual routine of a short run-up, nonchalant approach and impetus on reading the body language of the goalkeeper.
And it's a procedure which has worked an absolute treat for the 26-year-old because his penalty record for Brentford now reads as a barely believable 20 conversions from 20 attempts.
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How many penalties has ever Toney missed?
Overall, according to Transfermarkt, Toney's career statistics stand at 26 penalties scored and just a single effort missed, which came during a Peterborough United vs Barnsley clash in the 2018/19 season.
Pretty crazy, right? So although the likes of Neymar, Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski and perhaps even Lyle Taylor might argue their case for the title, there's good reason to believe that Toney is the premier penalty taker in the men's game right now.
And in case you don't believe us, be sure to check out Toney's latest conversion from the Brighton win as well as a selection of other examples that sum up his icy veins from 12 yards out.
Video: Toney's latest ice-cold penalty for Brentford
Video: Toney scores a penalty vs Everton
Video: Toney finds the top corner with a penalty
Toney breaks down his penalty technique
Plus, the fascination with Toney's penalties doesn't end there because Sky Sports were keen to take a closer look at his technique while Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville were on hand after the game.
The two Premier League legends were keen to ask Toney how he's become so effective from the spot and the insight that he provided into his method, particularly in regards to not even looking at the ball, was truly engrossing.
Video: Toney explains his method to Carragher and Neville
Video: How Toney doesn't even look at the ball
However, believe it or not, Toney isn't always faultless when it comes to penalties with manager Thomas Frank telling the amusing story of how he actually missed five(!!!) on the bounce during a training session last season.
Video: Frank's funny story of Toney missing 5 penalties
Competing for a World Cup call-up
But as long as those misses remain confined to the training pitch, then there's good reason to think that Toney will continue to flex his muscles as a pioneer in the art of the penalty kick.
Marry that to his generally electric form across the season and don't be surprised to see England fans clamouring for him to be named in Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad in just a few weeks.
If nothing else, Toney would be absolutely invaluable if the dreaded footballing lottery of a penalty shootout ever reared its head again for the Three Lions.
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