'Outrageous' - Haaland's 'amazing' goal sees more records tumble

1 year ago 52

Erling Haaland celebrates against Southampton

It is nary concealed Erling Haaland scores tons of goals - but his stunning bicycle footwear successful Manchester City's triumph implicit Southampton volition undoubtedly fertile among his best.

There was uncertainty implicit whether the prolific 22-year-old would commencement connected Saturday aft a groin injury, but helium announced his instrumentality successful benignant by connecting with Jack Grealish's transverse successful acrobatic fashion.

That was his 2nd extremity of the crippled arsenic title-chasing City recorded a 4-1 triumph astatine St Mary's to widen their winning tally to 8 matches successful each competitions and support unit connected Premier League leaders Arsenal.

"We person lived 2 unthinkable decades with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but helium is connected that level," manager Pep Guardiola told BBC Sport.

"The 2nd extremity was amazing. It is not casual to prime the shot up successful the entity and enactment it connected the grass."

Guardiola added: "I deliberation our bosses bought him for this benignant of game. We are uncomfortable and not playing astatine our champion level but helium gets the goal.

"The second, you can't ideate astatine his tallness helium has this ability. Exceptional goal."

City, English champions successful 4 of the past 5 seasons, signed Haaland from Borussia Dortmund for what progressively appears a bargain £51.2m successful July.

Nine months aboriginal and the Norway striker has equalled the grounds of 44 goals successful each competitions by a Premier League subordinate successful 1 season.

Through to the Champions League quarter-finals and FA Cup semi-finals, helium could person 16 games to shatter that people acceptable by Ruud van Nistelrooy successful 2003 and Mohamed Salah successful 2018.

His overhead 2nd astatine St Mary's was besides his 30th league extremity of the campaign. Taking conscionable 27 games, helium has reached that full quicker than anyone else.

"He scores a batch of goals. It is insane. He is there. If we make chances helium is there," said team-mate Kevin de Bruyne.

On Haaland's spectacular second, the Belgian joked: "You volition ne'er spot maine bash that! You tin get maine to Southampton infirmary if I bash that!

"Haaland is blessed here," helium added. "He knows we make a batch of chances and helium does the rest."

Speaking connected BBC Radio 5 Live, erstwhile Premier League defender Danny Gabbidon described Haaland's decorativeness arsenic "outrageous".

"What a decorativeness this is. He's got truthful overmuch to do, the transverse is down him and he's had to adjust. The execution is outstanding," helium added.

Commentating for BBC Match of the Day, Jonathan Pearce said: "I've been doing this occupation for 42 years and I cannot retrieve seeing a goalscorer similar this.

"He is simply a goalscoring machine. I'm mislaid for superlatives. Absolutely stunning."

Only 2 different players person scored 30 oregon much goals successful their archetypal play successful the Premier League, with Andrew Cole reaching 34 successful 1993-94 and Kevin Phillips netting 30 successful 1999-00.

Haaland has, with astir a 4th of the play remaining, outscored 8 Premier League teams.

In mounting up Haaland's archetypal of the match, De Bruyne reached a landmark of his ain arsenic helium became lone the 5th subordinate to scope 100 Premier League assists, and the quickest to bash truthful - successful 237 games.

On his ain achievement, the Belgium playmaker said: "We scored a batch of goals successful the 8 years I person been here. I person been blessed with the team-mates here.

"It is nice. Maybe erstwhile I americium done playing shot it is thing I volition look backmost on."