Fair to say, the signing of Erling Braut Haaland has been something of a success for Manchester City. The Norwegian has scored 159 goals in 193 appearances for the club, averaging a goal every 98 minutes, which isn't bad is it? These goals have fired the Sky Blues to two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, last month's EFL Cup, the Champions League, a UEFA Super trophy and a FA Community Shield.
However, and this may be surprising to learn, Haaland has never scored in a semi-final or final of any competition for the club, a fact he can change at Wembley this weekend. This even includes super cups or equivalent. Don't believe us? Let's lay them all out.
Semis & finals Erling Haaland has featured in for Manchester City
- 30 July 2022: FA Community Shield. Man City 1-3 Liverpool. Haaland 90'.
- 22 April 2023. FA Cup semi-final. Man City 3-0 Sheffield United. Haaland 68'.
- 9 May 2023: Champions League semi-final 1st leg: Real Madrid 1-1 Man City. Haaland 89'.
- 17 May 2023: Champions League semi-final 2nd leg: Man City 4-0 Real Madrid. Haaland 90'.
- 3 June 2023: FA Cup Final. Man City 2-1 Man United. Haaland 90'.
- 10 June 2023: Champions League Final: Man City 1-0 Inter. Haaland 90'.
- 6 August 2023: FA Community Shield. Man City 1-1 Arsenal. Haaland 64'.
- 16 August 2023: UEFA Super Cup: Man City 1-1 Sevilla. Haaland 90'.
- 25 May 2024: FA Cup Final. Man City 1-2 Man United. Haaland 90'.
- 10 August 2024: FA Community Shield. Man United 1-1 Man City. Haaland 90'.
- 17 May 2025: FA Cup Final. Man City 0-1 Crystal Palace. Haaland 90'.
- 13 January 2026: EFL Cup semi-final 1st leg. Newcastle 0-2 Man City. Haaland 90'.
- 4 February 2026: EFL Cup semi-final 2nd leg. Man City 3-1 Newcastle. Haaland 19'.
- 22 March 2026: EFL Cup Final. Man City 2-0 Arsenal. Haaland 90'.
Including the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup, Saturday will be Haaland's 15th appearance in a semi-final or final for Manchester City. He has previously sat out two FA Cup semi-finals against Chelsea and Nottingham Forest due to injury, as well as the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, at which they demolished Urawa Red Diamonds and Fluminense without him.
Nevertheless, he has had over 1,140 minutes on the pitch, that's 19 hours to be exact, in semis and finals without yet scoring. Now, this has not been too much of a hinderance for Guardiola's team. Last month's Carabao Cup Final win over Arsenal was their fifth final triumph with Haaland in the team, albeit they have suffered defeat in the last two FA Cup Finals. It is though something of a statistical quirk, given the sheer volume of Haaland goals every opposition team has been subjected to for four years.
So, what chance of him changing that on Saturday? Well, Haaland has scored three goals in four starts against opponents Southampton, including a brace at St Mary's three years ago. Also, following a hat-trick against Liverpool on Easter weekend, he now has 12 goals in 12 FA Cup appearances, on target every 72 minutes in this competition.
Before arriving in England, Haaland did bag a double in the 2021 DFB-Pokal Final as Borussia Dortmund hammered RB Leipzig 4-1 at the Olympiastadion. So, can he end his Wembley hoodoo against the Saints?
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