Erling Haaland continued his superb start to the season by hitting back-to-back hat-tricks as defending champions Manchester City beat West Ham United 1-3 at London Stadium, on Saturday.
The Norway striker scored twice in the first half and added a third late on to take his tally to seven goals in three games and maintain City’s 100% start to the campaign.
Haaland slid in a 10th-minute opener after receiving a pass from Bernardo Silva, but West Ham drew level when Ruben Dias turned Jarrod Bowen’s cross into his own net.
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The Norwegian restored City’s lead midway through the first half, driving a fierce strike into the roof of the net.
The Hammers had struggled to get a foothold in the game but hit the woodwork early in the second half through Mohammed Kudus following a quick break.
That chance sparked them into life and for a significant period they had their opponents on the back foot.
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Haaland then became the first player to score a hat-trick in two of an English team’s first three league games in a season since Paul Jewell for Bradford in 1994/95. What a diamond he is.
The win means Pep Guardiola’s side are already top of the table in the early stages of this season while West Ham are 14th with three points from three games.
Earlier today, Arsenal lost the chance to remain table leader as Brighton punished Mikel Artetal’s side in a 1-1 draw, after a regrettable red card by Declan Rice.
Also, AFC Bournemouth came from 2-0 down to beat Everton 2-3 in a dramatic encounter on Saturday.
