Erling Haaland has made more Premier League history after becoming the first player to score nine goals in the first four games of a season.
Back-to-back hat-tricks against Ipswich Town and West Ham United ensured Haaland headed into the international break in the best form imaginable, although he was unable to replicate his irresistible performance levels with Norway.
In fact, Haaland was the subject of scathing criticism from former Norway coach Egil Olsen, who labeled his display against Kazakhstan one of the “worst things I’ve seen” from the 24-year-old. He went on to score the winning goal against Austria three days later.
Chelsea had also put Haaland to the sword on the opening day of the season, leaving many Brentford supporters wary of what awaited them as they headed to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
After 22 seconds, things looked surprisingly rosy for Thomas Frank’s side, Yoane Wissa pouncing on the indecisive defense of city to give Brentford a lead.
But, inevitably, Haaland would get in on the action, turning the game around in the space of 13 minutes to give City a 2-1 lead. The champions would go on to win the game by that same narrow margin, being the only team in the Premier League to have a 100% winning record afterwards. Liverpool’s defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Haaland’s strikes were his fourth and fifth against Brentford in his career, and surprisingly takes him to nine goals in the first four games of the 2024/25 season, a feat that no player has achieved in the Premier League’s 32-year history.
Six goals now separate Haaland from Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Noni Madueke and Bryan Mbeumo, who have all scored three goals in an impressive start to the campaign.
A third in a row Premier League The Golden Boot now look set to lose Haaland, even at this early stage, and his debut season tally of 36 goals, the most ever scored in a Premier League season, will surely be under threat in unless there is an unforeseen injury.
Haaland is also on pace to score 100 goals in all competitions for City, just two years after joining the club from Borussia Dortmund for 51 million pounds. He has 99 goals to his name in 103 games played – his Premier League goals tally now stands at 72 in just 70 appearances.
