Hat-tricks from Erling Haaland and Phil Foden steered Manchester City past Manchester United in a 6-3 derby win that broke a number of records.
Not one, not two but 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 @premierleague hat-tricks in consecutive home matches for @ErlingHaaland! 🤯
And this is how he did it ⤵️#ManCity pic.twitter.com/zTSf8jUO2z
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 3, 2022
Haaland was also the first City player to score a hat-trick in the derby in the Premier League, and the first in the top flight since Francis Lee in December 1970.
His feats are underlined by the fact that he eviscerated Michael Owen’s mark of being the fastest player to score three Premier League hat-tricks. While Owen needed 48 matches to get a hat-trick of hat-tricks, Haaland required only eight.
The Norwegian scored his third Premier League hat-trick in succession at the Etihad Stadium with his treble against Manchester United taking his tally to an incredible 17 goals in just 11 games for City.
After the match Manchester City coach Guardiola on Haaland’s brilliantance ,he said,” Erling Haaland is continuing to do what comes naturally to him – scoring lots of goals.”
“I say it many times and I will say again – what Erling is doing he did in Norway, Austria and Germany,” said Pep Guardiola
“The quality we have alongside him helps him score, but what he is doing I didn’t teach him.
“He has incredible instincts. It comes from his mum and dad. He was born with that.”
Given the calibre of forwards Guardiola has had at FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City, Pep Guardiola was asked whether Haaland is the best striker he has had during his coaching career.
Pep Guardiola replied: “I have had incredible centre-forwards in my career.What I like was in the last period of the game, he was involved. I want him to be involved.
“He became a player to score goals, but I want him in contact with the ball.I like him being part of those situations.”
“But of course, he has to put the ball in the net, and he is a fantastic striker.”
As Haaland threatens to break a plethora of Premier League and Club records with his prolific start to life at Manchester City,Pep Guardiola also said that he will rest his No.9 from time to time when he feels the moment it is right.
“He will take a break,” he said. “There will be games he is not going to play.
“We are lucky, last season he could not play many games in a row – here we have incredible physios and thanks to them, he can play every 90 minutes.They are so important – with their hands, they allow players to play.”
Bengali