Manchester City’s Norwegian goal-scoring phenomenon, Erling Haaland, continues his phenomenal run, finding the net at a truly exceptional rate. On Tuesday night, during a midweek fixture away at Fulham’s Craven Cottage, Haaland scored early to give City the lead and, in the process, brought up his 100th Premier League career goal—a feat he accomplished faster than any other player in the competition’s history.
Haaland’s landmark goal came in the 17th minute against Fulham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola via a thumping first-time finish. This strike marked his 15th goal of the current Premier League season and officially brought up his career century of goals since joining Manchester City in 2022.
Redefining Goal-Scoring Efficiency
Haaland’s astonishing rate of scoring sets a new benchmark in the Premier League. He needed only 111 matches to hit the 100-goal milestone, an achievement that ended a brief two-match run of no goals—a span that, by his own remarkable standards, felt like a drought.
The 25-year-old is now in a league of his own in terms of goal-scoring rate, breaking the previous record held by Alan Shearer by a whopping 13 matches. He also significantly outpaced other contemporary superstars like Harry Kane, who required 141 matches, and Manchester City legend Sergio Agüero, who took 147 games to reach the century mark.
With such prolific goal-scoring tendencies at a young age, many observers now consider Haaland the favorite to surpass Shearer’s long-standing record of 260 goals and eventually finish his career as the Premier League’s highest-ever goalscorer. He currently remains 160 goals behind that all-time mark.
Incredible Premier League Scoring Rate
Haaland’s impact on the Premier League was immediate and historic:
- Debut Season (2022-23): He started his career like a house on fire, scoring a historic 36 goals in a single campaign. This performance earned him Premier League Player of the Year honors and helped the club secure a historic treble.
- Second Season: He continued his goal-scoring ways, winning the Golden Boot again, despite scoring 22 goals in what was considered a quieter year by his and City’s standards.
Haaland has once again started the current season excellently, with several multi-goal games and an increasingly well-rounded all-round game that ensures he remains the frontrunner for more accolades and recognition.
High-Scoring Thriller at Craven Cottage
Haaland’s 100th goal was netted during a spectacular, high-scoring match that ended in a 5-4 victory for Manchester City over Fulham. The Norwegian star contributed early with a goal and an assist, helping City take a strong 3-0 lead, which was later extended to 5-1 by the 54th minute. However, Fulham staged a furious comeback, scoring three more goals in the second half. City managed to just hold off the hosts’ relentless assault, preventing what would have been one of the most famous comeback results in Premier League history.