Erling Haaland Shatters Premier League Records in Achievement He Calls 'Better Than the Treble'

Manchester City's star striker Erling Haaland reached his 50th goal in his 50th Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium during a commanding display against Manchester United on Sunday that left Pep Guardiola amazed.

The Spanish manager fell to his knees in shock just before the hour when Haaland, after dancing around United's confused keeper Altay Bayındır, managed to strike the woodwork. Nevertheless, Guardiola was quick to applaud his forward's excellence on both sides of that rare miss.

The opening Manchester derby of the campaign was barely 10 minutes into its second period when Jérémy Doku threaded Haaland through United's defensive line. Confronted by the advancing Bayındır, the prolific Norwegian delicately chipped the ball into the distant corner.

A mere 15 minutes afterward, Haaland found himself once more in a direct duel with United's goalkeeper, choosing to calmly place his second strike and City's third of the match into the lower corner.

Haaland's double elevated him to an impressive fifty Premier League home goals in merely his 50th match in the league at the Etihad. Only Alan Shearer reached that milestone in fewer home fixtures—the Newcastle United legend required 47 matches, according to Opta.

This achievement highlights Haaland's consistency since joining City in 2022, though Guardiola emphasized that his key player is reaching new heights of clinical finishing. "Erling has been amazing from day one but this season he's superior to before," City's boss proclaimed.

"I'd argue he's better than during the treble season. He's explosive and I won't criticize him for that miss, we need him to find the net and support the team."

Haaland must produce many more two-goal performances to replicate his output from that memorable 2022–23 season. In his inaugural English football campaign, City's new striker netted an astounding 52 goals across 53 matches in all tournaments. Dixie Dean, Everton's iconic striker from the 1920s, remains the sole player in English football to achieve a more productive season—the aerially dominant forward required only 41 matches to collect 63 goals in 1927–28.

City's first four fixtures of the current season have yielded Haaland five strikes. Even maintaining his current form and health, he faces a challenge to exceed Dean's pre-war achievements. Nevertheless, Haaland's contemporary record of 36 Premier League goals in one season might be in jeopardy.