Erling Haaland breaks Cristiano Ronaldo record and fires fresh title warning to Arsenal
- Manchester City forward Erling Haaland is swiftly rising up the ranks of the Premier League's greatest goalscorers
- The Norway international striker became the fastest player to 50, then 100, Premier League goals
- His two strikes against West Ham brought him to 104 in the competition, eclipsing Ronaldo's output of 103 goals
Manchester City turned up the pressure on Arsenal with a comfortable, Erling Haaland-inspired victory over West Ham at the Etihad. Knowing that a fifth straight league win would send them to the top of the Premier League, City delivered with authority.
Haaland set the early tempo by opening the scoring after just five minutes — the 10th time this season he has given City a 1–0 lead in 17 league appearances. The Norwegian then switched roles, supplying the assist for Tijani Reijnders to double the advantage after 38 minutes.
Source: Getty Images
The slick passing move that led to the second goal drew a hands-on-head reaction of disbelief from Pep Guardiola. Yet, despite the 2–0 lead, the City manager was still visibly frustrated at half-time, such was the ease with which his side dominated Nuno Espirito Santo’s team.
Any lingering concerns proved unnecessary. West Ham’s first real threat arrived midway through the second half when Jarrod Bowen tested Gianluigi Donnarumma’s goal but dragged his effort wide — a miss that ultimately summed up their afternoon.
Haaland beats Ronaldo's record
Some shambolic defending from West Ham saw the ball ricochet to Haaland inside the penalty area with an inevitable outcome.
His second goal of the game was his 104th in the Premier League and meant he has now passed Cristiano Ronaldo's total of 103 goals in the competition in 122 fewer games.
But Haaland has completed the feat in a remarkable 114 matches, compared to Ronaldo's 236, per ESPN.
Source: Getty Images
The 25-year-old goal machine now has 19 in 17 Premier League games this season and is on track to break his own record of 36 strikes, from the 2022/23 campaign.
He has 25 goals in 23 games across all competitions and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Victory made it seven in a row for City in all competitions and five in succession in the league since they were beaten 2-1 at St James' Park by Newcastle on November 22. And, crucially, it moves them onto 37 points, one ahead of Arsenal, who can regain top spot when they play Everton away at 8pm on Saturday night.
City came into the match without Rodri, John Stones, Jeremy Doku and Oscar Bobb, but looked formidable, with Rayan Cherki the beneficiary of Doku's injury. The £34million summer signing from Lyon was compared with Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne by Guardiola in the build-up to the game and has been playing with complete freedom of late. He enjoyed himself at the Etihad once again, but it was Haaland who stole the show.
His relentless consistency in front of goal is a marvel and is one of the main factors in City's favour as they go head-to-head with Arsenal in the title race, with the Gunners lacking a clinical goalscorer. Arsenal fans may fear the City war machine as they click into gear over the festive period.
Haaland joins Ronaldo at club-100
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Erling Haaland reached a major milestone by matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 100 club goals, following his strike against Arsenal in the Premier League.
His goal against the Gunners in September 2024 made him the fastest player, alongside Ronaldo, to hit the 100-goal mark.
Source: YEN.com.gh
