MANCHESTER: Erling Haaland has taken just one season to set a new Premier League record of 35 goals in a single campaign to make a mockery of the idea that it takes time for new arrivals to settle in the English top flight.

The Norwegian powerhouse showed his swiftness of foot and subtlety in front of goal by racing clear and applying a chipped finish to a Jack Grealish pass for City’s second in a 3-0 win over West Ham United on Wednesday that put the English champions back on top of the table.

In the process the 22-year-old moved beyond the mark of 34 set by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole in the 1990s.

“It’s a special night and a special moment. I’m really happy and proud. I don’t know what else to say,” Haaland told Sky Sports. “I knew about the record, of course, but we tried to create chances to score and it wasn’t easy because they wanted to defend. We struggled in the first half but they eventually came.”

The City players formed a guard of honour after the game at the Etihad Stadium, enthusiastically patting Haaland on the head as he ran through in celebration.

His dad Alfie Haaland, who also played for City, watched from one of the boxes with a wide smile and accepted congratulatory handshakes from everyone around him.

“He deserved [the honour guard],” manager Pep Guardiola said. “All the team deserved it, because without the team he couldn’t do it, but he’s a special striker. We are very pleased for him, because he’s a joy, not just to work with him, [as] manager, I think everyone is happy to have him with us.

“I think in football when there is a special occasion, we have to show how special it is, as [we did] today with Erling. To overcome Andy Cole and Alan Shearer — incredible top, top strikers, it’s special.”

Haaland’s strike rate puts even his much-vaunted predecessors, who played in the era of 42-game seasons, in the shade.

Shearer started all 42 matches of the 1994/95 season as he fired Blackburn to the title, while Cole made 40 appearances the previous year for Newcastle.

By contrast, Haaland has reached 35 goals at a rate of one every 72 minutes in just 31 appearances.

Haaland addressed the team in the dressing room, telling them “I don’t know what more to say but thank you guys so much”.

He also praised team-mate Grealish for his assist.

“I spoke with Jack before the game and he said he wanted to do the assist for the record-breaking goal,” Haaland said. “It was a perfect bounce, I didn’t think to chip but the opportunity was there so I did it.”

Haaland has five more games to extend the record and City’s determination to win the battle among Europe’s elite clubs for the striker’s signature last year has been rewarded in spectacular fashion.

Pep Guardiola’s men won back-to-back league titles playing largely without an attacking focal point but any suggestion they could be thrown off course by Haaland’s arrival has proved unfounded.

“I remember [the stories that] he will not adjust to the Premier League,” Guardiola reminded reporters on Wednesday. “We knew he scored goals everywhere and thought he could do it. He understands what we want to do but we have to admit the impact of how he adjusted to the team and the league was so quick. Immediately we saw he is a guy when you provide him balls, he can score all different types of goals.”

Haaland’s 51 goals in all competitions is firing with City to within touching distance of matching Manchester United’s historic treble of 1998/99.

The English champions face Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League and take on United in the FA Cup final on June 3.

“Every game is hard. We didn’t play bad but our structure wasn’t great. We didn’t score in the beginning but we pushed on. I’m really pleased with five games left,” Guardiola, whose side were made to work by an under-manned Hammers to edge one point clear of Arsenal in the title race, said. “It’s another three points and we keep going.”

Guardiola wore a frown throughout a first half in which his side dominated, twice struck the woodwork but could find no way through West Ham’s massed ranks.

Anxiety was in the air even after Nathan Ake opened the scoring in the 49th minute but it evaporated when Haaland made it 2-0 in the 70th minute before Phil Foden added the final flourish with a deflected volley five minutes from time.

In Wednesday’s other game, Liverpool edged out Fulham 1-0 with Mohamed Salah’s 29th goal of the season was the difference between the sides at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have now won five consecutive league games for the first time this season and are refusing to give up the fight for a top-four finish by keeping the pressure on Newcastle United and Manchester United for the final two places in next season’s Champions League behind City and Arsenal.

Liverpool close to within four points of fourth-placed United, who have two games in hand.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2023