The Norwegian broke Andy Cole and Alan Shearer's record as Manchester City toppled West Ham to regain their Premier League title lead
There's no more debate now. Erling Haaland is in the midst of the greatest single goalscoring season the Premier League has ever witnessed. On Wednesday, he scored his 35th goal of the season in Manchester City's 3-0 win over West Ham, the most anyone has ever notched in a Premier League campaign.
Who knows what the Norwegian will do in the remainder of his career, but no one can take away the fact his first term in England has been more prolific than anyone could have imagined.
Despite the big scoreline against West Ham, though, this was far from an easy match for City and they failed to score in the first half for the first time in the league since the Crystal Palace match on March 11.
Nathan Ake eventually got the ball rolling with a header from a free-kick early in the second half, courtesy of a lovely pass from Riyad Mahrez, and Haaland sealed he points by scoring with a delicate chip.
A deflected Phil Foden volley rounded off City's ninth consecutive league victory to take them back above Arsenal at the top of the table.
GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium…
Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence
Stefan Ortega (6/10):
A surprise starter in order to give Ederson a rest. The German only had to make two saves and was comfortable playing out from the back.
Kyle Walker (7/10):
Captain again in De Bruyne's absence and did a good job keeping Bowen quiet.
Ruben Dias (6/10):
Strong defensively when he needed to be and his passing was impeccable.
John Stones (6/10):
Very comfortable in his hybrid role as right-back and holding midfielder.
Nathan Ake (6/10):
Made his first appearance since recovering from a muscle injury and was very physical in defence. Got the all-important breakthrough goal with a towering header.
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Bernardo Silva (6/10):
Helped keep City's play flowing with his usual outstanding array of passes and worked hard off the ball too.
Rodri (7/10):
His usual dominant self. Came agonisingly close to scoring in the first half when his shot came off the post and rolled across the line.
Jack Grealish (7/10):
His shooting left a little to be desired but played the perfect, defence-splitting pass into the feet of Haaland for the crucial second goal.
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Riyad Mahrez (8/10):
Provided a peach of a cross for Ake to head in the opening goal. On a night when City badly missed De Bruyne's creativity, it was a key moment.
Erling Haaland (7/10):
West Ham's low block made life difficult for him but they finally opened up when they needed an equaliser and he took full advantage, producing an ice-cool lob over Lukasz Fabianksi.
Julian Alvarez (6/10):
Was given little space to work with by West Ham and could not create many chances for his team-mate. A comedown after his match-winning display at Fulham.
Getty ImagesSubs & Manager
Manuel Akanji (6/10):
Another solid performance after replacing Ake.
Phil Foden (7/10):
Made his mark with a fine strike on the volley although was helped by a big deflection off Emerson Palmieri.
Kalvin Phillips (N/A):
Only introduced in the 91st minute.
Pep Guardiola (6/10):
Took a few risks with his team selection and his team struggled to break down West Ham in the first half but he fixed things in the second.