Erling Haaland has smashed the Premier League record for most goals scored in a season. In Manchester City’s 3-0 win over West Ham on Wednesday, the 22-year-old scored his 35th Premier League goal of the season. Nathan Ake gave Pep Guardiola’s team the lead before Haaland broke the record. Phil Foden scored City’s third goal to secure a crucial three points at the Etihad Stadium.
Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole held the record for Newcastle and Manchester United having scored 34 goals in a 42-game season, respectively, and no one had come close until Erling Haaland arrived in the Premier League. The attacker broke the record with five games to spare as Pep Guardiola’s team seeks their sixth title in six years.
After being sent through by Jack Grealish, the attacker dinked the ball over the onrushing Lukasz Fabianski for a superb finish. Up until the goal, the Norwegian had been pretty quiet, but he showed his absolute class and what he can do when given a clear-cut chance.
The Premier League top-10 to score most goals in a single season after Erling Haaland smashes record
The Premier League, England’s top-tier football league, has produced some of the best goal scorers in the game’s history since its start in 1992. With 260 goals, England icon Alan Shearer is the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer. Shearer, along with former Manchester United star Andy Cole, held the record for most Premier League goals in a single season for many years.
However, Erling Haaland’s second-half strike against West Ham moved the Norwegian ahead of the pair in terms of Premier League goals in a season, with five games remaining.
Alan Shearer scored 34 goals in the Premier League while playing for Blackburn Rovers in 1994-95. Andy Cole, a former Manchester United legend, accomplished the feat with Newcastle United the previous season (1993-94), a team that would subsequently become Shearer’s own home.
Starting with the 1995-96 season, the Premier League became a 20-team league, reducing the maximum number of matches to 38 – the same as it is today. Shearer’s 31 goals in the 1995-96 Premier League season set the standard for the most goals scored in a 38-game Premier League season for a long period.
Both Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool’s Luis Suarez matched Shearer’s tally of 31 goals in 2007-8 and 2013-14, but neither could beat the Englishman. Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, who scored 32 goals for Liverpool in the 2017-18 season, was the first player to cross the 31-goal mark in a 38-game season. Since the Premier League now plays 38 games, many sources have credited Mohamed Salah with being the highest goal scorer in a single season.
Sunderland’s Kevin Phillips (1999-2000), Arsenal’s Thierry Henry (2003-04) and Robin van Persie (2011-12), and Tottenham’s Harry Kane (2017-18) are the other Premier League players with 30-goal seasons. However, Erling Haaland now holds the record for the most Premier League goals scored in a single season, with 35.
| Rank | Player (Club) | Goals scored | Premier League Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erling Haaland (Manchester City) | 35 | 2022-23 |
| 2 | Andy Cole (Newcastle United) | 34 | 1993-94 |
| 3 | Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers) | 34 | 1994-95 |
| 4 | Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) | 32 | 2017-18 |
| 5 | Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers) | 31 | 1993-94 |
| 6 | Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers) | 31 | 1995-96 |
| 7 | Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) | 31 | 2007-08 |
| 8 | Luis Suarez (Liverpool) | 31 | 2013-14 |
| 9 | Kevin Phillips (Sunderland) | 30 | 1999-00 |
| 10 | Thierry Henry (Arsenal) | 30 | 2003-04 |