Premier League, Manchester City-West Ham 3-0: Haaland sets a record

The man of records strikes again. Erling Haaland became the man with the most goals in a single season in Premier League history and helped Manchester City beat West Ham and reclaim the lead from Arsenal. Liverpool also continues to win, now permanently fifth.

Manchester City 3-0 West Ham

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They celebrated him by waiting in front of the tunnel for a few “friendly” pats on the back, as one does on occasions that really count. And this is an unforgettable occasion for Erling Haaland: against West Ham he reached 35 goals this season in the Premier League, the most ever. He takes the record away from Andy Cole and Alan Shearer, who set it at 34 in 1993-94 and 1994-95 (42-game seasons, against 38 today) and promises to touch it up again. Because Haaland is a goal cyclone who has no intention of stopping, like City. Etihad’s win against West Ham is their ninth consecutive Premier League win, 14th in their last 15 games in all competitions. It materialized in the second half, after a dull first half spent trying to figure out how to pierce the Irons’ wall, the third defeat in a row that slows down their march towards safety again. Moyes had limited men and got by, asking Angelo Ogbonna to manage the defensive wall that Emerson often extended to 5 men at full range on the left. The block came in the second half, when first Aké, then Haaland for his record-breaking goal and finally also Foden put City back ahead of Arsenal in the standings.

THE MATCH

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Rodri’s post in the 32nd minute was the only real thrill of the first half. Aké’s goal that opens the second half changes everything. West Ham leave some more space, looking for an equaliser, but in the 70th minute they concede a deadly counter-attack which Grealish triggers and Haaland finalizes for his historic goal. In the 85th minute Foden, who replaced Alvarez, also found the third goal.

Liverpool 1-0 Fulham

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Salah decides. The penalty that the Egyptian converts in the 39th minute, awarded for a foul by Diop on Nunez, was enough for Liverpool to knock Fulham down and take their fifth straight win which consolidates their 5th place in the standings. That’s 59 points in 34 games now for the Reds, 5 more than sixth-placed Tottenham and 4 from Manchester United, who however have a game to recover. For how this strange season had turned out, thinking that the Reds can still cradle the Champions League dream but have at least the Europa League lifesaver in the safe is still a good result. Liverpool controlled the game, but Anfield was more dull than usual and the Reds didn’t go beyond 3 shots on target, the same as the visitors. The Londoners, one of the surprises of the season, are on their third consecutive stop, permanently in 10th place with 45 points in 34 games.