Erling Haaland’s absurd 100th PL goal almost lost in even more absurd Man City win at Fulham
The monumental occasion of Erling Haaland’s record-shattering induction into the elite 100-goal club swiftly became a distant memory, overshadowed by Manchester City’s near-catastrophic performance against an opponent they typically dominate in the Premier League.
After a brief period of anticipation, with Haaland seemingly stalled at 99 Premier League goals for several weeks, he emphatically reached his century against Fulham during Tuesday night’s fixture.
This achievement saw him enter the esteemed 100 Club in an astonishingly brief 111 appearances, eclipsing Alan Shearer’s long-held benchmark of 124 games. It stands as an utterly remarkable accomplishment, one that many previously considered insurmountable—until the arrival of Haaland.
This prolific Scandinavian striker, often likened to an unstoppable automaton, has consistently made a mockery of Premier League defenders since his debut.
With a touch of hindsight and perhaps a touch of underestimation, observers began meticulously tracking his statistics the moment it became apparent he was destined to challenge Alan Shearer’s ultimate goal-scoring records.
Yet, very few could have genuinely comprehended the sheer magnitude and extraordinary prolificacy his scoring exploits would ultimately achieve.
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The prominent forward, with his extensive contract commitment stretching until the year 2034, is unequivocally poised to obliterate Alan Shearer’s formidable record of 260 goals.
Projecting his current prodigious scoring frequency, it is entirely conceivable he could even achieve the staggering milestone of 500 career goals.
This remarkable feat, however, hinges significantly on Fulham’s continued presence in the Premier League, an aspiration potentially jeopardized by their remarkably dismal track record when confronting Manchester City.
Following the truly bewildering 5-4 victory at Craven Cottage on Tuesday evening, Manchester City has now extended their unparalleled dominance over Fulham to an astonishing 16 consecutive Premier League encounters.
This represents an unprecedented winning streak, marking the lengthiest run of consistent triumph by one club against another throughout the entire annals of English league football.
When factoring in all competitive fixtures, this incredible sequence of victories now stands at a staggering nineteen.
Fulham’s solitary taste of success against the Citizens dates back to a distant April of 2009. Their last evasion of outright defeat occurred in 2011, when they managed to secure two draws.
In the era since Manchester City’s monumental financial acquisition in 2008, the London-based club has endured a truly wretched period, registering a mere single victory, four stalemates, and an overwhelming twenty-two losses against their formidable opponents.
Observing their display on Tuesday, particularly during the initial forty-five minutes, it becomes evident that a peculiar transformation afflicts this particular squad whenever they come face-to-face with Manchester City.
This phenomenon is especially perplexing, even from the viewpoint of a club like Arsenal, given how consistently Fulham has managed to stymie and challenge the Gunners in recent campaigns.
Fulham were comprehensively outmaneuvered and outperformed in virtually every facet of the game during the first half.
Manchester City exhibited a degree of clinical efficiency and sheer ruthlessness that appeared, to all intents and purposes, to have unequivocally sealed the match before the half-time whistle.
Despite Emile Smith Rowe managing to register a wonderfully executed header in injury time, narrowing the deficit to a seemingly manageable 3-1.
It is truly astounding, therefore, that this fixture did not culminate in a straightforward, predictable victory for City, especially considering Erling Haaland’s early breakthrough goal in the 17th minute, which put them 1-0 ahead, and even more so when the scoreline ballooned to a commanding 5-1 in their favor by the 54th minute of play.
The first goal scored by erling halland was undeniably forceful and decisive, yet its genesis lay in the exceptional contributions of Jeremy Doku and Tijjani Reijnders.
The latter displayed remarkable ingenuity by artfully allowing the Belgian’s left-footed delivery to pass by him, deceiving the defense.
Moreover, just as the accolades were predominantly directed at Haaland’s prolific goal-scoring prowess, he promptly showcased another, frequently underestimated facet of his overall game.
He adeptly dropped into deeper midfield areas, then dislodged Joachim Andersen with such immense physical power that the defender was propelled a significant distance from the ball.
From this advanced position, Haaland then executed a truly outstanding, one-touch through ball, perfectly weighted for Reijnders to delicately chip over the goalkeeper, Leno.
After a relatively subdued period over the preceding months, it was hardly surprising to witness Reijnders emerge with such renewed dynamism and influence in December.
Manager Pep Guardiola will undoubtedly require more players, akin to Reijnders, to elevate their performance during the intensely busy festive fixture schedule.
Indeed, a telling statistic prior to Saturday’s contest against Leeds United highlighted Manchester City’s dependence on Haaland: their next most frequent goal contributor in the league was ironically Burnley defender Maxime Esteve, courtesy of two unfortunate own goals.
However, Phil Foden has emphatically demonstrated his willingness and capability to step into this void; when Haaland remained scoreless, Foden netted a crucial brace that secured the victory.
Furthermore, on Tuesday, he conjured a magnificent strike to extend the lead to 3-0 before notching his fifth Premier League goal of the season just two minutes after the interval, pushing the scoreline to 4-1.
When Jeremy Doku’s powerful shot took a deflection off Sander Berge, making the scoreline an emphatic 5-1, any residual uncertainty about the game’s outcome should have completely dissipated. The match appeared to be firmly decided.
However, the narrative took an astonishing turn as Alex Iwobi unleashed a magnificent curling strike from a considerable distance, narrowing the deficit to 5-2 with a full thirty minutes still remaining on the clock.
What followed was even more extraordinary: Samuel Chukwueze then found the back of the net twice within a mere five-minute interval, thereby setting the stage for an utterly preposterous climax to what was already an exceptionally wild evening of Premier League football.
A collective question must have surely echoed through the minds of everyone witnessing the spectacle: could such an improbable comeback truly materialize?
Despite the mounting tension and disbelief, the unequivocal answer was a resounding no. It was simply not to be.
Ultimately, Manchester City found themselves enduring an unexpectedly difficult struggle to secure what, for a significant portion of the game, had seemed like a comfortable triumph.
The sheer delirium and unpredictable nature of the contest were so profound that Erling Haaland’s monumental achievement of reaching 100 goals in just 111 appearances was, astonishingly, relegated to a mere secondary detail.
Nevertheless, City demonstrated commendable resilience, managing to withstand the immense pressure and preserve their lead until the final whistle.
It is this steadfastness and the ultimate retention of victory, amidst the chaos, that will undoubtedly be the enduring memory of this extraordinary encounter.
Without a doubt, his arrival has been an astonishing and transformative enhancement to the English top-flight football league.
While the lion’s share of Manchester City’s prolific goal-scoring prowess is justifiably attributed to Haaland’s individual brilliance, it is equally crucial to acknowledge the masterful and astute management he has received since his transfer from Borussia Dortmund in the year 2022.
It is a fact often overlooked by many that during his tenure in Germany, he was unfortunately susceptible to various physical ailments.
A stark illustration of this is the 2021/22 season, where he was sidelined for a significant 20 matches for both his club, Dortmund, and his national team, Norway.
Remarkably, this figure is only seven fewer than the total number of games he has missed across all competitions for club and country combined since the commencement of the 2022/23 campaign.
The strategic deployment by his manager, Pep Guardiola, has been nothing short of flawless, a factor directly contributing to a notable reduction in his previous muscle-related ailments.
His playing style has demonstrably evolved; he no longer predominantly depends on sudden, explosive bursts of speed or ceaseless forward runs into the defensive channels.
This adaptation is largely a pragmatic response to the defensive tactics frequently employed by opposing teams, who often utilize deep, compact formations (“low blocks”) against Manchester City, rendering such traditional attacking methods impractical and less effective.
Instead, his contemporary approach prioritizes opportunistic goal-scoring within the confined spaces of the penalty area (often referred to as ‘poaching’) and adeptly holding up the ball to facilitate link-up play with his teammates.
These refined attributes have undeniably propelled him to achieve the extraordinary milestone of 100 goals in an unbelievably short timeframe, all unfolding on an evening that, by some remarkable twist of fate, proved to be even more preposterous and memorable than the record-breaking feat itself.
