Manchester, March 19 (BNA): Erling Haaland surpassed the 40-goal mark in his first season at Manchester City with a hat-trick in his side’s 6-0 win over Burnley in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.
After firing five goals against RB Leipzig in midweek, the Norway forward proved his insatiable once again in defeating the championship leaders at the Etihad Stadium, reports Reuters.
The 22-year-old scored the trademark goals on 32nd and 35th minutes and completed his hat-trick of the season when he converted a rebound to end the equalizer an hour earlier.
He now has an astonishing 42 goals for City since joining from Borussia Dortmund last June.
Then Julián Alvarez scored two goals scored by substitute Cole Palmer in between as City ran riot to score 13 goals in the week to advance to the semi-finals.
It was an emotional day for former City hero Vincent Kompany who steered Burnley to the brink of a swift return to the Premier League after relegation last year.
Haaland is just the sixth player in the Premier League era to score at least 40 goals in all competitions in a single season – joining Ruud van Nistelrooy (44), Mohamed Salah (44), Cristiano Ronaldo (42) and Andy Cole (41). and Harry Kane (41).
And with City still involved in three competitions, it certainly won’t be long before they are over fifty.
“He might score 50 goals, he might score 60. It’s crazy,” Premier League top scorer Alan Shearer told the BBC’s Match of the Day Live studio.
“Haaland is a beast. He is a goal-scoring machine. He lives and breathes goals.”
Haaland was even lower in his extraordinary stats.
“They were two good last games,” Haaland, who scored his first goals in the FA Cup, told BBC Sport. “7-0 and 6-0 before the international break is impressive and I’m really happy.
“Every goal means a lot to me and every goal for the team means a lot.”
Burnley handled City well in the first half hour and created some decent chances.
But once Haaland sped up Alvarez’s through ball and flicked the ball past Burnley forward Billy Peacock Farrell to break the deadlock, the writing was on the wall.
Phil Foden’s low cross set up Haaland’s second goal and his hat-trick came after Foden’s shot hit the post.
Alvarez also impressed and scored brilliantly while young Palmer’s goal made the day even more satisfying for a City side who were suddenly back to their best.
The other three FA Cup sixth-round ties take place on Sunday, with Manchester United hosting at home against Fulham, Sheffield United hosting Blackburn Rovers and Brighton & Hove Albion receiving fourth-tier survivors Grimsby Town.