Erling Haaland broke the Premier League scoring record to help Man City produce one of the most comfortable football results of the weekend in the Premier League. At the Etihad Stadium, David Moyes’ team had made things difficult for the defending champions. Neither team had scored by halftime. Before Haaland had his chance, though, Nathan Ake headed City ahead early in the second half, chipping Lukasz Fabianski for his 35th goal of the year. With five games remaining, the goal made him the first player to reach that milestone during the Premier League era, surpassing Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole in the process. When Phil Foden, a substitute, scored a deflected goal to make it three late in the game, the victory was even more convincing.
Pep Guardiola’s team was reminded by Arsenal’s triumph against Chelsea the night before that there was no space for complacency in their pursuit of the Premier League championship. They are hopeful that it will be the start of a historically significant treble for the club. They get one step closer with this victory, regaining the top spot with a game remaining and a one-point advantage. A third straight loss for West Ham indicates that more effort has to be done to ensure their safety. Other nights will be simpler for them to obtain the necessary points than this one.
When star midfielder Declan Rice became ill and had to withdraw, along with Tomas Soucek, Nayef Aguerd, and the injured Kurt Zouma, Moyes knew he was in a tough spot from the start. There were just five available outfield substitutions for West Ham. However, his team was able to contain City for the entirety of the first half thanks to Angelo Ogbonna’s goalkeeping. Although Rodri did manage to squeeze through to hit the post after a one-two with Haaland, everything was so crowded.
Given what had happened previously, the breakthrough occurred early in the second half and was remarkably simple. Moyes will be annoyed by it. Jack Grealish was fouled by Flynn Downes, and when Riyad Mahrez curled in the free kick, Ake headed it in at the far post. Stefan Ortega, making his Premier League debut, was momentarily put under pressure by West Ham, who threatened his goal from their own set-piece opportunities. However, Haaland had his chance during the counterattack. Grealish fed Fabianski with his lovely dink. The CD belonged to him. There was enough time for Foden to volley from a distance into the goal, deflected by Emerson Palmieri. However, Haaland was the star of the show, with his teammates forming a guard of honor after the game in his honor.
“Yes, of course, I was aware of it, but we tried to create opportunities for goals to be scored, and it was not simple. We battled a little in the first half since they just came here to defend for 90 minutes, but it was still a significant victory,” Erling Haaland said. “You can see that my initial thought is to go in the direction of the objective. Before the game, Jack and I chatted; he wanted to give me credit for the record-breaking goal. As soon as I noticed the goalie leaving, I knew I would succeed in getting the ball there.”
“We naturally gave that some thought. When there is a significant occasion in football, we need to demonstrate how special it is. It was Erling today. It is special to score more goals than great attackers Andy Cole and Alan Shearer,” Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said. “I believe he merits it. He is a terrific striker, but the entire team deserves it since he could not have accomplished it alone. Because it is a pleasure to be with him, to work with him, and to manage him, we are incredibly happy for him. We are content to have him here. This record will undoubtedly be surpassed sooner or later. Maybe he will do it later, or maybe someone else will. But given how many goals he has scored, they will need to score many more.”
“Although the attacking play needed to be better to create more problems, the defensive structure was very strong. To be honest, we didn’t really mess with them too much. Keep in mind that Bayern Munich came here and was defeated. Arsenal was defeated. You cannot act foolishly and show up here without any form of defence,” West Ham boss David Moyes said.
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