Manchester City surged to the top of the Premier League table on Saturday, powered by another dominant performance from their goal machine Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker scored a brace in a comfortable 3-0 victory over West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium.
Haaland's Relentless March to History
The match was effectively decided early, with Haaland putting the champions ahead in just the fifth minute. Phil Foden provided the cross, and after his initial attempt was saved, Haaland made no mistake with the rebound. He wasn't done, turning provider in the 38th minute with a clever short pass to Tijjani Reijnders, who smashed his shot into the roof of the net.
Haaland sealed the three points and his double in the 69th minute, capitalising on a defensive error from West Ham to slot home. This took his tally to an astonishing 19 goals in just 17 Premier League appearances this campaign. Across all competitions for club and country, he has netted 38 times in 28 games, putting him on track for his most prolific season ever.
His Premier League career total now stands at 104 goals, a figure he reached in 122 fewer games than the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo. The win sent City one point clear at the summit, ahead of Arsenal who were set to play later on Saturday.
Mixed Fortunes Across the League
The day's drama wasn't confined to Manchester. Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade experienced a dramatic turnaround in fortune. A week after scoring a painful own-goal in a derby loss to Sunderland, he redeemed himself by scoring twice in the first 20 minutes against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
However, Chelsea fought back. Reece James curled in a beautiful free-kick after halftime, and a rare assist from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez led to the equaliser. Sanchez's long clearance found Joao Pedro, who eventually scored in the 66th minute to secure a 2-2 draw for the Blues.
At the bottom of the table, Wolverhampton Wanderers' woes deepened. A 2-0 home defeat to Brentford, with both goals from Keane Lewis-Potter, meant Wolves equalled an unwanted Premier League record. They have now gone 17 matches without a win from the start of the season, matching Sheffield United's poor run from the 2020-21 campaign.
Other Key Results and Talking Points
In other matches, Bournemouth's in-form winger Antoine Semenyo enhanced his growing reputation. He scored a superb curler in a 1-1 draw with Burnley, a result that ended Burnley's seven-game losing streak. Armando Broja scored a late equaliser for the Clarets in the 90th minute.
Promoted side Sunderland continued to impress, holding Brighton to a 0-0 draw away from home. This result placed the north-east club in a commendable fifth position in the league standings.
The Saturday fixtures were set to conclude with three high-profile clashes: Tottenham Hotspur hosting Liverpool, Everton facing Arsenal, and Leeds United taking on Crystal Palace.
