Haaland breaks Rooney's record in the Premier League

Haaland opened the season with the opening goal in a 2-0 win over Chelsea, scored two hat-tricks against Ipswich Town and West Ham, and yesterday scored a brace to help Man City beat Brentford 2-1 in round 4 of the Premier League.

With nine goals, he broke Rooney's record of eight goals for Man Utd in the first four matches of the 2011-2012 Premier League season. That season, Rooney scored 27 goals, but did not win the Golden Boot, behind Robin van Persie (Arsenal, 30 goals).

Haaland also holds the record for most goals scored after the first five rounds of the season, with nine goals in the 2022-23 season and this season, equaling Wayne Rooney's record in the 2011-2012 season. The Norwegian striker will break his own record and surpass the former England striker if he continues to score in the match against Arsenal on September 22.

At the Etihad yesterday, Brentford unexpectedly took the lead thanks to a Yoane Wissa header in the 23rd second. However, Man City did not collapse. In the 19th and 32nd minutes, Haaland scored with his right and left feet respectively, helping the home team win.

At the end of the match, he hit the post with his left foot and shot diagonally but was saved by goalkeeper Mark Flekken. This missed shot meant the Norwegian striker missed the chance to become the first player in the Premier League era to score a hat-trick in three consecutive matches.

However, with nine goals, Haaland continues to lead the list of top scorers. Behind him are six players with three goals each. Haaland also has a better record than the remaining 19 teams in the Premier League, except for Man City with 11 goals. The team with the second most goals after Man City is Chelsea with only eight goals.

After the match, coach Pep Guardiola said Haaland was in his best form since joining Man City. The Spanish coach also praised his player's character and mental strength, when he played the full 90 minutes despite the recent death of a relative.

"I didn't ask if Haaland was ready or not. If he wasn't ready, Haaland would tell me straight away," Guardiola said. "Haaland told me he wanted to play yesterday. That's his strength. For 90 minutes, you can forget about your personal life. It's a difficult time for the Haaland family. We try to take care of everyone here and if someone has a problem, we'll be there."

Winger Jack Grealish also praised Haaland's remarkable goalscoring record. "It's unbelievable. Haaland has scored nine goals in four games, which is probably more than my best Premier League season," said the England midfielder. "Haaland is a machine in front of goal. Haaland deserves everything because he works so hard on and off the pitch."

Liverpool unexpectedly lost 0-1 to Nottingham Forest, leaving Man City in the lead with a perfect 12 points. On September 18, Haaland and his teammates met Inter Milan in the first round of the Champions League group stage, then played Arsenal four days later.