Erling Haaland has once more etched his name into Premier League history. Last night, he broke the long-standing record of 34 goals scored in a season with his 35th.
At the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City comfortably won 3-0 against West Ham United. But the main attraction of the match was the talismanic Haaland.
The entire stadium exploded when the Norwegian chipped the ball over the West Ham custodian. When Haaland saw the ball enter the goal, he ran towards the home crowd and celebrated by striking his distinctive yoga meditation pose.
Haaland broke this record in just 31 games, and there are still five games left to play. Haaland made his Premier League debut this year after being acquired by City from Borussia Dortmund last year.
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Alan Shearer and Andy Cole previously shared the record with 34 goals each in a single season. Shearer scored 34 goals for Blackburn in the 1994–95 season, matching Cole’s total of 34 for Newcastle in the previous campaign.
In both seasons, there were 22 clubs in the top division, giving them an additional four games to play. In his record-breaking season, Shearer started all 42 of his games while Cole missed two.
Shearer also congratulated Haaland in a Twitter post, writing, “Couldn’t have wanted it to go to a nicer guy. It’s only taken 28 years. He’s the best”.
Currently, City is hoping to complete the treble this season, and with Haaland’s recent form, it’s not an impossible goal to achieve.