AMAZING HAALAND AT IT AGAIN AS CITY ON TOP
MANCHESTER City swept to the top of the Premier League with a 4-0 rout of Southampton as Erling Haaland extended his incredible scoring run to 10 successive games, while resurgent Chelsea eased to a 3-0 victory against Wolves at the weekend.
Joao Cancelo, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez all netted for Pep Guardiola’s side before Haaland added his customary goal to seal yet another one-sided success at the Etihad Stadium. Haaland has scored an astonishing 20 goals in his first 12 competitive games since his £51m ($A88m) move from Borussia Dortmund.
Fuelled by the Norway striker, City is the first club to score at least three goals in nine consecutive top-flight home matches since Wolves in 1959.
The champions are now two points clear of second placed Arsenal ahead of the north London club’s clash with Liverpool on Sunday. Guardiola’s remarkable team has lost only one of its last 37 league games as they chase a fifth English title in the last six seasons.
City have scored 24 goals in their last six games, winning eight of their last nine across all competitions.
In stark contrast to City’s blistering form, Southampton’s fifth successive defeat added to the mounting pressure on boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.
“I am so upset with him! He didn’t score three goals!” Guardiola joked about Haaland. “Expectations of him are so high that people expect he is going to score three or four goals every game. But in the end he was there and scored. He has done it and helped us again.”
At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea racked up a third win in new boss Graham Potter’s four games since replacing the sacked Thomas Tuchel.