Erling Haaland makes more Premier League history with Brentford brace

Erling Haaland has made more Premier League history after becoming the first player to ever score nine goals in the first four matches of a season.

Back-to-back hat-tricks against Ipswich Town and West Ham United ensured Haaland headed into the international break in the best form imaginable, though he couldn't replicate his irresistible performance levels for Norway.

Indeed, Haaland was the subject of scathing criticism from former Norway boss Egil Olsen, who labelled his display against Kazakhstan as one of the "worst things I've seen" from the 24-year-old. He did go on to score the winning goal against Austria three days later.

Chelsea had also been put to the Haaland sword on the opening day of the season, leaving many Brentford supporters wary of what awaited them as they headed to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

After 22 seconds, things looked surprisingly rosy for Thomas Frank's side – Yoane Wissa pouncing on hesitant defending from City to give Brentford a shock lead.

But inevitably Haaland would get in on the action, turning the game on its head within the space of 13 minutes to give City a 2-1 lead. The champions would go on to win the game by that same narrow margin, remaining the only Premier League side to have a 100% winning record following Liverpool's shock loss to Nottingham Forest.

Haaland's strikes were his fourth and fifth against Brentford in his career, and astonishingly takes him to nine goals from the first four matches of 2024/25 – a feat no player has ever achieved in the 32-year history of the Premier League.

Six goals now separate Haaland from Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Noni Madueke and Bryan Mbeumo, who have all notched three goals in impressive starts to the new campaign.

A third-consecutive Premier League Golden Boot now looks to be Haaland's to lose, even at this early stage, and his debut season tally of 36 goals – the most ever scored in a Premier League season – will surely be under threat barring any unforeseen injury woes.

Haaland is also on the cusp of scoring 100 goals in all competitions for City, just two years after he joined the club from Borussia Dortmund for £51m. He has 99 strikes to his name from 103 games played – his Premier League goal record now standing at 72 from just 70 appearances.

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