Erling Haaland received a guard of honour from his Manchester City teammates and staff after breaking the Premier League goal scoring record. Haaland, 22, broke the record with his 35th Premier League goal of the season in City’s 3-0 win over West Ham. Pep Guardiola’s side surged back to the top of the standings, one point ahead of Arsenal with a game in hand, thanks to goals from Nathan Ake and Phil Foden.
However, Erling Haaland will be the centre of attention after a record-breaking night at the Etihad Stadium. With five matches remaining, he broke Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole’s previous record of 34. Shearer and Cole had previously held the record for Newcastle and Manchester United respectively, and no one had come close until Haaland arrived at City.
Erling Haaland steals the show by smashing another record
It seems as if Erling Haaland is more for breaking the records at Man City and scoring goals and winning trophies is always going to be a sidekick. The youngster has already smashed three records at the club; he has become the City player with most goals in a single season, shattered Mohamed Salah’s record of most goals in a 38-game season, and now broke Shearer and Cole’s record.
And to celebrate their summer acquisition smashing another record, City decided to give Erling Haaland a guard of honour after the final whistle, with every player and staff member standing on either side of the tunnel and clapping him down. The Norwegian appeared to be in discomfort as he walked away after his teammates clapped him on the back during the wild scenes.
The perfectly-timed pass from Jack Grealish helped, but there was still work to be done as the 35th Premier League goal loomed. But Haaland had made up his mind as soon as Lukasz Fabiaski hinted at going low. A left foot’s hammer became a surgical instrument, dinking the ball over a despairing keeper and sending it gently spinning into the net. Not only did Haaland’s chipped beauty cement his place in Premier League history, but it also ended a game that City never truly ignited.
A guard of honour for the record-breaking Erling Haaland #MCIWHU pic.twitter.com/uuMSYuNWgm
— Michael Plant (@MichaelPlant82) May 3, 2023
Erling Haaland has not looked back since netting his first City goal against, ironically, West Ham in August. The Norwegian now has 35 Premier League goals and 51 overall, a fantastic figure for a striker who was written off by many after missing several chances in the Community Shield in July. However, since joining City for £51 million from Borussia Dortmund, he has proven to be a world-class signing. On his guard of honour, Haaland said:
“I’ve never seen that before at the end – it was a nice feeling. It was painful, as everyone hit me on the back, but it was nice and I was really happy. I don’t think about personal records. My head would become crazy, so I won’t think about it. I’ll play some video games, sleep and think about Leeds. But it was a special night and a special moment. Of course, I knew about the record, but we tried to create chances to score goals. We struggled a bit in the first half but got the goals.”