“Erling Haaland Smashes 40-Goal Barrier in First Season at Manchester City with Epic Hat-Trick Against Burnley!”
“Erling Haaland Smashes 40-Goal Barrier in First Season at Manchester City with Epic Hat-Trick Against Burnley!”
Erling Haaland has broken the 40-goal barrier in his first season at Manchester City after scoring a hat-trick in his team’s 6-0 FA Cup quarterfinal win against Burnley on March 19. The Norwegian forward, fresh from his five-goal haul against RB Leipzig in the Champions League earlier in the week, scored two trademark goals in the 32nd and 35th minutes before completing his sixth hat-trick of the season just before the hour. Haaland now has an impressive 42 goals for City since he joined from Borussia Dortmund in June 2021. Julian Alvarez scored twice, with a goal by substitute Cole Palmer in between, to complete the rout and send City into the semifinals. Former City defender Vincent Kompany, now manager of Burnley, had a tough day watching his team being dismantled.
Haaland is the sixth player in the Premier League era to score at least 40 goals in all competitions in a season, joining Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mohamed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andy Cole, and Harry Kane. With City still in three competitions, it seems likely that Haaland will surpass the 50-goal mark soon. “Haaland is a beast. He is a goal-scoring machine. He lives and breathes goals,” said Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer. Haaland, however, remained modest about his performance, saying, “Every goal means a lot to me and every goal for the team means a lot.”
Although Burnley had held their own for the first half an hour and created some decent chances, Haaland’s goal broke the deadlock, and City went on to dominate the game. Phil Foden set up Haaland’s second goal, and the hat-trick goal came after Foden’s effort hit the post. Alvarez also impressed, scoring two superb goals, while youngster Palmer’s goal made it a satisfying day for a City side that suddenly looks back to their best. The three other FA Cup sixth-round ties were scheduled for March 20, with Manchester United hosting Fulham, Sheffield United hosting Blackburn Rovers, and Brighton and Hove Albion welcoming fourth-tier survivors Grimsby Town.