Manchester City’s Premier League match and Erling Haaland’s quest for a goal ended in disappointment! Last season, the Norwegian striker arrived at City from the German club Borussia Dortmund and quickly developed a knack for finding the back of the net while donning the City jersey. He also clinched last season’s Best Player award this week, having overwhelmed the opposition with his scoring prowess in the previous campaign. Nevertheless, one of the contemporary greats in the striker’s role failed to find the net in his last three home matches.
The frustration of City fans who were hoping to witness Haaland’s goals in these three matches was finally assuaged. Haaland netted a remarkable hat trick, breaking his dry spell in the process. City triumphed over Fulham 5-1, with Haaland contributing three crucial goals to their Premier League victory. Julian Alvarez and Nathan Ake chipped in with the other two goals. Manchester City has now won its first four matches of the season.
Alvarez opened City’s account against Fulham at the Etihad Stadium. In the 31st minute, Haaland provided the assist for the Argentine forward’s goal. Just two minutes later, Fulham equalized through Tim Ream’s strike. City headed into halftime with a slender one-goal lead, just before the halftime whistle sounded. Defender Ake notched City’s second goal, courtesy of an assist from Phil Foden.
After failing to find the net in the first half, Haaland exploded with three goals in the second half. Fulham managed to pull one back in the 58th minute after a lapse in defense. Then, in the 70th minute, Alvarez capitalized on a penalty opportunity to score the second goal of the match. Haaland sealed the victory with City’s fifth goal, completing his personal hat trick in the dying moments of added time.
With this remarkable feat, Haaland set an impressive record in the Premier League. The Norwegian forward has contributed a staggering 50 goals (41 goals and 9 assists) in just 39 matches in the Premier League. No one has reached this milestone so rapidly in the history of the Premier League. Manchester United legend Andrew Cole took 43 matches to achieve the same feat with 50 goals.
While the reigning champions are maintaining their pace, Chelsea, the biggest spenders in the transfer market, are moving in the opposite direction. Mauricio Pochettino’s side suffered a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. This marked Chelsea’s second loss in four matches.
Despite City’s five-goal spectacle on their home turf, Chelsea failed to find the back of the net at Stamford Bridge. Nottingham Forest’s substitute, Anthony Elanga, found the decisive goal in the 48th minute. Consequently, Chelsea has only secured points in three out of their four matches this season.
Nevertheless, despite Chelsea’s setback, Tottenham, who are currently in excellent form in the Premier League, secured a victory. Interestingly, Tottenham also managed to score five goals, with three of them coming from the same player’s foot. Tottenham defeated Burnley 5-2, largely thanks to the hat-trick performance of South Korean star Son Heung-min.