Pep Guardiola shows his class with Erling Haaland gesture after he breaks record
Erling Haaland received a guard of honour from his Manchester City teammates after breaking the record for the most goals in a Premier League season.
Haaland, 22, shattered the record with his 35th top-flight goal of the campaign in City's comprehensive 3-0 victory over West Ham. Nathan Ake and Phil Foden also scored as Pep Guardiola's side moved back to the top of the table and now sit one point above Arsenal with a game in hand.
However, Haaland will claim all the headlines following a record-breaking night at the Etihad Stadium. He shattered Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole's previous record (34) with five matches to go.
After the full-time whistle, City decided to give Haaland a guard of honour as every player and staff member stood on either side and clapped him down the tunnel. The Norwegian appeared to be in a little bit of pain as he walked off after his some of his teammates slapped him on the back during wild scenes.
Haaland's finish was excellent as dinked the ball over the onrushing Lukasz Fabianski after being played through on goal by Jack Grealish. Ake, who netted City's first goal, spoke highly of the forward and admitted he deserves the plaudits he is going to get.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
Ake told Sky Sports: "It's crazy, you know. The way he comes in does what he does, and today again scoring a goal. He is always there, to be honest, he deserves everything he gets.
"He works so hard, he is a top player I don't have to tell you that. The way he works, the way he is with the team, how humble he stays. Hopefully, he can score even more."
Is Erling Haaland the best striker in the world? Let us know in the comments below!
Erling Haaland has now scored 35 Premier League goals this season (Getty Images)Guardiola also praised Haaland in his post-match interview and admitted the striker will be hungry to score more goals. He said: "It's unbelievable how many goals he has scored to help us win games. All the team is satisfied with that because he is a unique person and he is so special.
"It was nice and he deserved his guard of honour because it's an incredible milestone. Maybe one day he can break his own record. He has to score a lot of goals."
Haaland now has 35 in the Premier League and 51 in all competitions - a remarkable tally for a striker that was written off by many after missing a number of chances in the Community Shield in July. However, he has proven to be a top-class signing for City since his £51million move from Borussia Dortmund.
The former Molde forward delivered his verdict after the game and admitted he was proud to shatter the record. He said: "Special night and special moment. I am happy, proud, what more is there to say really. I knew about it.
"We tried to create chances to score goals, it wasn't easy. They came here to defend for 90 minutes, we struggled first-half but in the second half, Nath scored and it was an important win."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
