5 days ago
7
19 goals this season
©IMAGO
Erling Haaland continued his march towards reclaiming the Premier League Golden Boot after helping Manchester City to a comfortable 3-0 win over struggling West Ham at the Etihad Stadium. The 25-year-old notched a brace and provided an assist in an influential attacking display on Saturday afternoon. In doing so, he scored his 19th goal of the season and 11th in seven against West Ham. Perhaps more impressively though, he surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo's all-time Premier League tally of 103 goals - and, remarkably, in 122 fewer games.
He now has found the net 37 times in his last 28 home games, highlighting just how comfortable he feels playing in front of the City faithful. Given Ronaldo is regarded as one of English football's greatest-ever imports after six glorious years with Manchester United, Haaland can surely claim his right to similar status as he continues to shatter records.
City hadn't lost against a team in the relegation zone at the Etihad since November 2008, a run stretching back 46 games - an incredible run considering the Premier League's unpredictability. And that didn't look like changing after the hosts dominated from the first whistle. It took just five minutes for the towering Norwegian to open the scoring, finishing emphatically into the top corner from close range. Haaland should have doubled his tally minutes later from a Matheus Nunes cross, but somehow steered his header wide to remind supporters inside the Etihad Stadium that he is indeed human and therefore capable of missing a chance.
He then set up Tijjani Reijnders to make it 2-0 and put City in a strong position to pick up three points. Despite fluffing his lines earlier, he took his chance in the second half when City broke away on 68 minutes. The ball fell kindly to him, and Haaland was never going to miss from 10 yards out, thumping the ball past Alphonse Areola.
West Ham came out of the blocks with their ears still ringing from Nuno Espirito Santo's half-time team talk and began to create chances on the break through Jarrod Bowen and Mateus Fernandes. It was a response that was much needed after a feeble first 45 from the Hammers. But City soon wrestled control of the game back into their hands through patient possession and Haaland's second killed the game as a contest.
Pep Guardiola's men return to the top of the table for a few hours at least, leading Arsenal by a point before their visit to Everton later on Saturday. With Haaland in this rich vein of form and the confidence of surpassing a Premier League icon in Ronaldo, few would back against him and City taking the Gunners right down to the wire in May.
