Erling Haaland’s flying start to the season for Manchester City and Norway

Erling Haaland scored his 13th goal for club and country this season in Manchester City’s draw with Arsenal.

With only eight appearances to his name, the PA news agency looks at the Norwegian’s remarkable scoring record.

Haaland’s season

Haaland opened up with two goals in a 4-0 win at Wolves and though he and City were kept at bay by Tottenham in their next game, Haaland has scored in every match since.

He gave City the lead in an eventual 2-1 defeat at Brighton before reporting for international duty, where there was no let-up.

Back with his club, Haaland kept up his excellent derby record with a brace in the 3-0 win over Manchester United then opened the scoring in both the 2-0 Champions League win over Napoli and Sunday’s 1-1 league draw with Arsenal.

That gives him six goals from five Premier League games, seven in six for City including the Napoli game and 13 in eight for club and country.

Remarkably, six goals in five games actually represents Haaland’s slowest start to a Premier League season since joining City in 2022.

He scored nine in his first five games that season – and took a record low six games to reach double figures in the competition – then seven in his first five in 2023/24 and 10 last term, including hat-tricks against Ipswich and West Ham.

His two league doubles this season have come against two of his favourite opponents – in six games against each he now has 10 goals against Wolves and eight against Manchester United. That ranks first and third among his Premier League opponents, with nine in six games against the Hammers.

Haaland’s five-goal haul against Moldova matched the best of his career, set previously for City against both RB Leipzig in the 2022/23 Champions League and Luton in the 2023/24 FA Cup.

It was the 26th hat-trick of his career and his fifth for Norway. He has 11 for City, with three of his international hat-tricks coming since his move to the Etihad Stadium.