Erling Haaland hit his 60th goal for Manchester City over the weekend. He scored City’s second in the 2-nil win over Nottingham Forest. At the same time, he silenced recent criticism of his performances.
Heading into the European champions clash with Nottingham Forest, Haaland had been unusually wasteful in front of goal. He got on the scoresheet against West Ham, but he missed a host of golden chances before his goal. In City’s midweek win over Red Star Belgrade, he did everything but score. He missed several chances to add his name to the scoresheet, but it wasn’t his night. He did however provide an assist for Julian Alvarez to equalize as City went on to win 3-1.
Heading into the game with Steve Cooper’s side there was a sense that Haaland would find his radar. It took only 14 minutes for Haaland to get on the score sheet. He headed home from Matheus Nunes’s cross to give the champions a 2-nil lead. It was a towering header and a trademark finish from the Norwegian striker.
A sublime second goal of the day and 60th for City from @ErlingHaaland 💫 pic.twitter.com/5hyeijbRkv
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 23, 2023
The goal was Erling Haaland’s 60th in only 63 appearances for Manchester City. The numbers since Haaland joined the European champions are staggering. To put Haaland’s incredible numbers in perspective no other player in Europe has reached 50 goals in the time Haaland has plundered 60 for Pep Guardiola’s side.
It’s the quality of Erling Haaland that draws misguided criticism at times. He is held to a higher standard than most strikers, such is his dominance in front of goal. With 60 goals already in his time at the Etihad, there is no telling how many he will end up with during his time with the club if his current scoring rate continues.
