Pep Guardiola said “special striker” Erling Haaland richly deserved the guard of honour by his Manchester City team-mates after breaking the Premier League single-season scoring record.
The 22-year-old has made a mockery of those doubting whether he could repeat his goalscoring feats after last summer’s switch from Borussia Dortmund to the Etihad Stadium.
Haaland took his tally to 51 in all competitions on Wednesday night, when his cool finish moved his Premier League haul on to 35 and broke Andy Cole and Alan Shearer’s competition record.
The Norway international scored between Nathan Ake and Phil Foden’s efforts in a 3-0 win against West Ham that was followed by what Guardiola says was a pre-planned guard of honour.
“It was (special), I think he deserved it,” the City boss said. “All the team deserved it because without the team he couldn’t do it, but he is a special striker.
“We are very pleased for him because he is a joy, not just to work with him as a manager. I think everyone is happy to have him with us.
“Of course this record will be broken sooner or later, maybe by him in the future or maybe another one but they’ll have to score a lot of goals because he scored a lot.
“Of course (we planned the guard of honour). We thought about that and in football when there is a special occasion, we have to show how special it is.
“Today it was with Erling. Another one, another day will happen but of course to score and overcome the position of Andy Cole and Alan Shearer – incredible, top, top strikers – is special.”
Guardiola said “we cannot achieve many things without a good striker”, namechecking previous City frontmen like Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli.
But this night was all about Haaland, who still has five Premier League matches to increase his eye-watering record even further.
“At the end when you buy a player in Erling we know he score goals everywhere and we thought he could do it (here),” Guardiola said.
“But at the end we don’t know. You have to work and see the process.
“He understands what we want to do, the players understand his movement and whatever, so a question of time.
“The impact or how he adjusted to the league was so quick.
“The first two goals was against West Ham. It’s a coincidence as he breaks the record against West Ham when he scored the first goals against them.
“Immediately we saw he is a guy when you provide him with balls, he scores in all situations – except free kicks, but maybe in the future.
“But penalties, crosses, combinations and transitions, he is a guy who can do many, many things. That’s why he scored a lot of goals.”
Haaland’s latest goal helped calm any nerves at the Etihad Stadium, with Wednesday’s victory seeing title favourites City usurp Arsenal and reclaim top spot.
“I said after Arsenal (last week) when everybody said it’s over, I said it was not over in my press conference,” Guardiola said of the 4-1 win last midweek.
“Yesterday Arsenal proved it. They will not give up. I know quite well Mikel (Arteta), how competitive he is and I know a few players.
“Arsenal is one of the historical teams and they will be there. I said to the players.”
As for West Ham, the 3-0 defeat came on a night when illness ruled out Declan Rice, Nayef Aguerd and Tomas Soucek on the day of the game.
David Moyes, whose side face Manchester United on Sunday, said: “I have got to hope they are (back).
“Two of them we’re not sure if it’s maybe a bit of food poisoning they’ve picked up whether at the training ground or hotel.
“One of them we think has got a virus, so, I’m not a doctor, whether antibiotics fix that not quickly or how you work it I’m not quite sure.
“So, hopefully they’ll have a chance for the weekend but I think the biggest thing I have to praise the players who came in and did such a good job.
“For long periods against a really good team we made it quite difficult”
Manchester City forward Erling Haaland reflected on a “special night” after his strike against West Ham earned him the record of scoring the most goals in a single Premier League season.
Haaland claimed the achievement in the 70th minute when he raced through on goal from Jack Grealish’s pass and chipped Lukasz Fabianski to reach 35 league goals this term.
It moved the Norwegian beyond Andy Cole and Alan Shearer, who had previously held the record for their efforts in the 1993-94 and 1994-1995 seasons respectively.
“A special night and special moment. Yeah I’m really happy and proud,” Haaland told Sky Sports.
“Of course I knew about it. Of course but we try to create the chances to score goals. It was not easy.
“They came here to try to defend for 90 minutes and we struggle a bit in the first half but second half, Nath (Ake) scored, I scored and the last one Phil (Foden) of course scored so it was an important win.”
An early penalty at Fulham on Sunday saw Haaland equal the 34-goal tally achieved by Cole and Shearer, but he was forced to wait a few days before he moved in front outright.
His City team-mates gave the summer arrival a guard of honour at full-time following his achievement in a 3-0 win that moved Pep Guardiola’s side back to the Premier League summit.
The next individual target in Haaland’s sights is Dixie Dean’s feat of 63 goals for Everton in the 1927-28 campaign.
But Haaland, on 51 goals for the campaign, insisted: “No, I don’t think of this now. I will sleep on this game and wake up tomorrow and I think of trying to get three points here against Leeds.
“It will not be easy with a new manager and everything, but we cannot keep thinking about these records. My head would become crazy, I would become crazy in my head so I don’t think of this.
“I will go home now and play some video games, eat something and then sleep. That’s what I’ll do and tomorrow we have to start thinking about Leeds. That’s my life.”
Erling Haaland set a new Premier League goalscoring record as title favourites Manchester City reclaimed top spot with a comfortable 3-0 win over West Ham.
The prolific Norwegian raced through for league goal number 35 of the campaign – surpassing the previous best mark held by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer – on 70 minutes as City eased to victory at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
His sweet left-footed chip over Lukasz Fabianksi came after Nathan Ake had headed City in front on 50 minutes and before Phil Foden wrapped up victory with a deflected long-range volley.
The win took the treble-chasing champions a point above Arsenal at the summit and, with a game in hand, they seem to be cruising towards a fifth title in six years.
The victory came 25 years to the day after City were relegated to the third tier of English football in one of the lowest points of the club’s history.
The contrast with the team now is remarkable, although City – perhaps with next week’s trip to Real Madrid in mind – were far from their energetic best.
Again they were without the dynamism of Kevin De Bruyne through injury and the atmosphere was far more subdued than for last week’s seemingly pivotal win over Arsenal.
That lack of spark transmitted itself to the field in a slow start and West Ham may wonder what might have been had a sickness bug not robbed them of key players including Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek.
Yet with Haaland, City always posed a major threat and his strike, his 51st overall this season, was yet another demonstration of his awesome firepower.
Neither side created a clear-cut chance in the opening 30 minutes and West Ham threatened first when Jarrod Bowen got to the byline. Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, standing in for the rested Ederson, blocked at the near post.
City picked up the pace in response with Jack Grealish cutting inside and lashing a shot against the outside of the post from a tight angle.
Haaland then combined with Rodri to send the Spaniard through on goal but his low shot struck the base of the post and rolled across goal.
The breakthrough came five minutes after the restart as Riyad Mahrez clipped a free-kick to the back post and Ake stole in to head past Lukasz Fabianski.
Haaland appealed for a penalty after going down under a Thilo Kehrer challenge but nothing was given.
The striker was not to be denied, however, as he was released by the hard-working Grealish and calmly lobbed over Fabianski.
With the job done, City eased towards the final whistle and Foden had the final word with a well-struck volley from distance that flew in off Emerson Palmieri.
It was City’s 1,000th goal in all competitions under Guardiola and wrapped up an excellent night’s work.
City celebrated Haaland’s achievement by giving him a guard of honour as after the final whistle.
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland broke the record for most goals scored in a Premier League season with his 35th of the campaign against West Ham on Wednesday.
His feat is even more impressive as the record of 34 was set in the league’s early 42-game seasons by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer.
Here, the PA news agency looks at how Haaland compares.
Andy Cole, Newcastle, 1993-94
Appearances: 40
Goals: 34
Assists: 13
Cole scored only once in the first four games but got 15 in the next 12, including all the goals in a 3-0 win over Liverpool and doubles against Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham and Oldham.
Another hat-trick against Coventry and a standout performance in the return game with the Hammers, with a goal and three assists in a 4-2 win, were further highlights of his season. His 13 assists also led the Premier League as Newcastle finished third, making him the only man until Harry Kane in 2020-21 to top both charts outright.
Alan Shearer, Blackburn, 1994-95
Appearances: 42
Goals: 34
Assists: 13
Shearer was ever-present as he equalled Cole’s record and led Blackburn to the title – like Cole, completing his tally with a goal on the final day of the season. He scored three hat-tricks – all in 3-0 wins at Ewood Park, against QPR, West Ham and Ipswich – and four doubles in his second of three straight 30-goal seasons.
He matched Cole’s assists tally as well, ranking third in the top flight as he and strike partner Chris Sutton combined to set each other up on 13 occasions, a record broken by Kane two years ago in tandem with Spurs team-mate Son Heung-min.
Erling Haaland, Manchester City, 2022-23
Appearances: 31
Goals: 35
Assists: 7
Haaland wasted no time making his mark in the Premier League – scoring two goals on his debut against West Ham, a record nine in his first five games and 15 in nine. He has four hat-tricks to his name and one more will equal Shearer’s record of five in a season set in his 31-goal 1995-96 campaign.
His record-equalling penalty against Fulham at Craven Cottage last weekend brought up his half-century in all competitions, having scored 12 goals in eight Champions League appearances and four in the domestic cups, with his strike against the Hammers sending him clear in Premier League history.
Haaland’s league assist tally, though in single figures, still ranks joint-sixth in the top flight this season, defying scrutiny of his perceived one-dimensional role in Pep Guardiola’s side.
Roll of honour
Haaland began hauling in previous Golden Boot-winning tallies as early as November 5 after 18 goals in his first 12 games.
The 23-goal mark that has won the last three awards lasted only until January’s hat-trick against Wolves, which accounted for nine previous Golden Boot seasons in all, while he matched Mohamed Salah’s 38-game record of 32 in just 28 appearances.
18 goals – Michael Owen, Dion Dublin and Chris Sutton 1997-98; Owen, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Dwight Yorke 1998-99
Appearances: 12
v Fulham (H), November 5
19 – Nicolas Anelka 2008-09
Appearances: 14
v Leeds (A), December 28
20 – Didier Drogba 2006-07; Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez 2010-11
Appearances: 14
v Leeds (A), December 28
22 – Teddy Sheringham 1992-93; Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 2018-19
Appearances: 18
v Tottenham (H), January 19
23 – Hasselbaink 2000-01; Jamie Vardy 2019-20; Harry Kane 2020-21; Salah and Son Heung-min 2021-22
Appearances: 19
v Wolves (H), January 22
24 – Thierry Henry 2001-02
Appearances: 19
v Wolves (H), January 22
25 – Alan Shearer 1996-97; Ruud van Nistelrooy 2002-03; Henry 2004-05; Kane 2015-16
Appearances: 19
v Wolves (H), January 22
26 – Robin van Persie 2012-13; Sergio Aguero 2014-15
Appearances: 22
v Arsenal (A), February 15
27 – Henry 2005-06
Appearances: 24
v Bournemouth (A), February 25
29 – Drogba 2009-10; Kane 2016-17
Appearances: 27
v Southampton (A), April 8
30 – Kevin Phillips 1999-2000; Henry 2003-04; Van Persie 2011-12
Appearances: 27
v Southampton (A), April 8
31 – Shearer 1995-96; Cristiano Ronaldo 2007-08; Luis Suarez 2013-14
Appearances: 28
v Leicester (H), April 15
32 – Salah 2017-18
Appearances: 28
v Leicester (H), April 15
34 – Andy Cole 1993-94; Shearer 1994-95
Appearances: 30
v Fulham (A), April 30
Real Madrid are closing in on the signing of England and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, according to reports.
The 19-year-old has been a target for a number of top European clubs but it appears Real are now winning the race to land the former Birmingham man.
Bellingham has scored 21 goals in 130 appearances for Dortmund and has been a major part of the team challenging for the Bundesliga title this season.
He has also been linked with Manchester City, while a potential move to Liverpool seemed to be curtailed by the finances involved in a deal for the highly-rated teenager.
“We don’t speak about players we sign or do not sign, so we don’t now speak about this kind of speculation. There is nothing to say about it,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said when asked about Bellingham last month.
“It is not about Jude Bellingham, my answer now, but I never understood why we talk about things we theoretically cannot have. We cannot have six players in a summer, everyone for £100million. Everyone would say that is clear.
“You have to realise what you can do and then work with it. That is your job. We are not children. When you ask a five-year-old what they want for Christmas and they tell you, I don’t know, a
Ferrari, you wouldn’t say that’s a good idea, you would say that is too expensive and anyway you cannot drive it.
“If this kid then was really unhappy because he didn’t get a Ferrari, it would be a really sad life.”
Bellingham joined Dortmund from Birmingham in 2020 and has established himself as a key player for England during his time in the Bundesliga.
Reports claim personal terms are all-but agreed between Bellingham and Real, with negotiations with Dortmund said to be progressing.
David Moyes compared Erling Haaland to a machine as West Ham prepare to keep Manchester City’s record-levelling striker at bay on Wednesday in the Premier League.
Haaland’s opener in City’s win over Fulham on Sunday marked his 50th goal in all competitions – a record-equalling 34 of them have come in the Premier League.
Moyes talked up the striker’s explosive debut top-flight season and admitted his physical and technical attributes make him unplayable for defenders.
“It has taken them time to get used to Haaland just like we are with a few of our players…they have needed to get used to his goals because he provides those like a machine,” Moyes said.
“You are maybe hoping he has a weakness, that he cannot run or he is not good in the air, or his touch is not good but, he is all-round, and surrounded by team-mates who can provide him with balls in the air, balls through the middle, cut-backs for finishes, he can finish with his left, right.”
“He’s the icing on the cake for them. I think they’ve got so many good players who can create chances, he’s such a good finisher and if you get him in those right positions he’s capable of scoring.”
The West Ham boss attributed parts of Haaland’s success to City manager Pep Guardiola, who has lost just once to Moyes in 13 meetings during his career.
A win on Wednesday would keep the prospect of a historic treble-winning season alive – City play Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League before taking a trip to Wembley in the FA Cup final against rivals Manchester United.
“I think he’s a super coach (Guardiola) who has got really good players, but I think he’s also made those players better and when you make players better that says something about him,” Moyes added.
“Wherever he’s been, he’s been incredibly successful and managed all the big clubs. You don’t get the big jobs if you’re not good, he’s very, very good.
“Pep, tactically, is fantastic. They have also had an awful lot of money to get the best players. You cannot take that away, but the praise could be big enough because of the way he is changing football.”
Moyes insisted pressure has mounted on both clubs with City leading the title race and West Ham four points clear of danger. He believes City’s ‘cannot afford to drop points’ mentality will make them more potent than usual.
The Scot explained: “It makes them a difficult opponent (City having the title to play for), there’s a lot of pressure for the teams at the bottom of the league but there’s incredible pressure for the teams at the top of the league.
“When you’re one of the top clubs your job is to win all the games and when you have got so much at stake, every game you’re needing to win so that’s pressure, pressure for Manchester City as well.”
Leeds are expected to appoint Sam Allardyce on Wednesday as they bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
The club will part company with manager Javi Gracia – having already removed director of football Victor Orta – with Allardyce taking over for the run-in.
A poor season at Elland Road sees the club languishing 17th, and only goal difference keeps them out of the relegation zone.
They have lost four in a winless run of five matches and have four games left to save themselves.
Gracia only took over in February but confirmation that Allardyce is taking charge is expected a day after the departure of divisive director of football Orta.
The Spaniard took up the post at Elland Road in 2017 and helped the West Yorkshire side make their long-awaited return to the Premier League three years later.
But things have gone awry of late and embattled Leeds confirmed Orta’s exit by mutual consent.
Leeds travel to leaders Manchester City on Saturday, before hosting third-placed Newcastle. A trip to West Ham and an Elland Road encounter with European hopefuls Tottenham rounds out the season.
Allardyce would take charge after suffering his first Premier League relegation with West Brom, when he left six months into an 18-month contract.
The 68-year-old former Bolton, Newcastle, West Ham and England boss would be Leeds’ third permanent manager of the season after Jesse Marsch and Gracia.
Allardyce is reported to have agreed a basic salary of £500,000 for his four games in charge, with a £2.5million bonus if he can keep Leeds up.
Kevin De Bruyne is "right up there" among the Premier League greats such as Steven Gerrard, Yaya Toure and Paul Scholes.
That was the message to Stats Perform from Kolo Toure, who also likened the De Bruyne and Erling Haaland pairing at Manchester City to former Arsenal combination Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.
The Belgium midfielder has been central to City's push for a third straight top-flight title this term, assisting 16 times and scoring seven of his own in the league.
Toure believes not many compare to De Bruyne as City remain competing for the treble, with an FA Cup final against Manchester United and a Champions League last-four meeting with Real Madrid also to come.
He said: "[Kevin De Bruyne] is right up there with those top, legendary players. Steven Gerrard, Yaya Toure, all those players, Paul Scholes.
"I rate him really, really high, because this guy technically, tactically is unbelievable. His range of passes is fantastic, his vision is incredibly great and he is, for me, the best midfielder in the world right now.
"One of them definitely. Maybe the best one, because what he has shown game after game is great."
De Bruyne put City in control of the title race with his double against Arsenal in Wednesday's 4-1 win at the Etihad Stadium.
Haaland followed that up with the final goal against the Gunners before netting his 50th strike of the season across all competitions in Sunday's narrow 2-1 win over Fulham.
That half-century tally of goals is 21 more than any other Premier League player this term and more strikes than seven English top-flight clubs in all competitions this campaign.
Toure says the combination between Haaland and chief creator De Bruyne reminds him of Arsenal legends Henry and Bergkamp, who played an integral role in the Gunners' last title-winning campaign back in 2003-04.
"He shows all his quality technically, tactically with his passes and having Haaland with him has made his game even better, because he has a player he can pass the ball to, as soon as he lifts his head Haaland is on his way and he can pass him the ball at the right time," Toure added.
"Sometimes in teams when you create those relationships – in our time you would say Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry, and Thierry Henry as Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne as Dennis Bergkamp really.
"They have this connection together and you can feel that they both know each other, they look for each other. When one provides the ball and the other one scores, the other one runs at him and praises him.
"But, De Bruyne at the moment, for me, is top, top, top. Right up there with all the top midfielders we have had in the Premier League, definitely."
Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal are still gunning for the Premier League title as he praised his squad for refusing to settle for Champions League qualification.
Having topped the table for much of the season, Arsenal slipped from the summit following Manchester City’s 2-1 win at Fulham on Sunday afternoon.
City have now won eight successive league games, including a 4-1 humbling of the Gunners last week which put a fifth title in six years in their own hands.
Conversely, Arsenal have taken just three points from their last four fixtures but their form over the course of the campaign has at least guaranteed a return to Champions League football after six seasons away from Europe’s top table.
While City are now favourites, Arteta will be aiming for a return to form when struggling Chelsea visit the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night as he refused to rule Arsenal out of the hunt.
“We have achieved what it was difficult to achieve and we can still achieve the Premier league because there are five games to go and a lot of things are going to happen still,” he said.
“Now the title race is not in our hands anymore. What is in our hands is to try to win the games we have left and the rest is down to City.
“What we have to do is forget about what happened last week, learn from it and move on to the next game with a full tilt at home, with our people, London derby, and put things right.
“I know what we were trying to do, what the objective was what we’ve been doing and we still have the nicest part of the season to play with five games to go. But when I still look at it, this is not over.
“I am incredibly proud and thankful to everyone who has contributed to bringing Champions League football back to this club with five or six games to go, it is something that hasn’t happened in over a decade in this football club.
“So congratulations but also thank you for still being upset and not accepting that Champions League is not enough and we want more because this squad is going to demand to get what we want.”
Victory over Chelsea would take Arsenal back to the top of the table for at least 24 hours having led the pack for 247 nights so far this season.
The Blues, having spent a reported £600million on players in the last two transfer windows, are on a run of eight games without a win and have Frank Lampard as interim boss following the sacking of Graham Potter in April.
Arteta, though, believes Chelsea’s plight is proof a club needs more than just a huge transfer budget to be successful.
“In our model we have very important things,” he said.
“First of all, is to have the right people and I think we have the right people. Then we have the right players who can compete, they can challenge, they can understand their role within the team.
“You need quality, goal threat, physicality, you need a lot of things in this game and that is extremely difficult to find that thin balance with the players.
“Recruiting is just… you have the best intention but then the player has to come here, has to fit in, has to get that chemistry with the manager, the team-mates, the staff, the country. It is not easy at all so credit to everybody who makes those decisions as well.
“They have exceptional talent. If they make that work, they can do anything because they have the players, they have the infrastructure they have the history to do it.”
Julian Alvarez admitted “every game is a final” after Manchester City returned to the Premier League summit for the first time since February with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Fulham.
City were pushed all the way by Marco Silva’s men who were resilient throughout, recovering well after conceding an early penalty which Erling Haaland converted.
Carlos Vinicius levelled the game briefly in the 15th minute, but Alvarez’ stunning strike from distance restored City’s advantage and they held on.
“This is where we wanted to be at the start of the season,” Alvarez told City’s website.
“Everyone’s put in really good work and now we’ve reached the top we need to defend it.
“Every game is a final for us and everyone’s going to pull together to make that final effort.”
The Argentinian, who has had to wait for opportunities in Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up, added: “It was really nice to score here, a really important goal at an important point of the match. Really nice to contribute.
“We knew it would never be easy coming here because of the pitch, because of how good Fulham are as a team. We were very happy to withstand the pressure and hold out.”
Fulham manager Silva was left to ponder his side’s small defensive lapses following a largely impressive performance against a team still in the hunt for the treble.
“We had a clear plan for the game. We wanted to go through the centre of the pitch, with our wingers a little more inside,” Silva said.
“If you try to block certain areas, they will look to expose others. The players, they stuck to their plan and did it well.
“The moment after we equalised the game was probably our best moment in the match.
“We cannot concede the goal in the way we did. A great strike from Alvarez, I know, but the way we build in certain areas we cannot lose the ball in that way and we gave them a chance in their counter-attack.
“In the second half we were really competitive again. We didn’t create many chances, this is true, but we didn’t give many things to them either.”
Julian Alvarez insists "every game is a final" for Manchester City after his stunning winner against Fulham sent Pep Guardiola's side to the Premier League summit.
The Argentina forward secured a narrow 2-1 victory at Craven Cottage, sweeping a wonderful 25-yard strike into the top corner ensuring an eighth-straight league win.
City leapfrogged Arsenal to the top of the table – with a game in hand on the Gunners – while they remain well on course for a potential treble, with a Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid and FA Cup final with Manchester United also on the horizon.
And the World Cup winner encouraged his team-mates to keep pushing in pursuit of their aspirations for the campaign.
"It was a very important win for us today," he told BBC Match of the Day. "We need to keep this going.
"We knew it would never be easy coming here because of the pitch, because of how good Fulham are as a team. We were very happy to withstand the pressure and hold out.
"[Top of the table] is where we wanted to be at the start of the season. Everyone's put in really good work, and now we've reached the top, we need to defend it.
"Every game is a final for us and everyone's going to pull together to make that final effort."
Kyle Walker also acknowledged City cannot afford to relent in their charge, but the England defender dismissed treble talk as he is instead focused on the upcoming showdowns with West Ham and Leeds United.
"[Fulham] was always going to be a tough game after the emotions of Wednesday [against Arsenal]," Walker told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"I think the form is so important. It has been good over the recent couple of months, but we have so much football to be played, and this form needs to continue.
"This is what you live for as a footballer – to be competing at the highest level. I'm not even concentrating on the treble. It's just the next game and getting ready to face West Ham. We need to get another three points at the Etihad and then move on to Leeds."
Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw scored her 19th league goal of the season as Manchester City Women drubbed Reading 4-1 to go second in the Women’s Super League on Sunday.
Manchester City are now just three points behind Manchester City with three games to go before the season ends. However, Chelsea, with 40 points are third, four points behind Manchester City but with three games in hand.
In what was yet another dominating performance from City, it was Reading who took the early lead when Sanne Troelsgaard’s strike on the turn put the visitors ahead in the very first minute of play.
Chloe Kelly would level the score, bundling the ball over in the 15th minute.
Shaw’s header from a corner put City ahead in the 24th minute, a lead they took into the half-time break.
Manchester City would extend their lead shortly after the resumption when Lauren Hemp tapped in from a sizzling cross from Kelly to the far post in the 47th.
City’s fourth and final goal came from a Steph Houghton free kick into the bottom corner of the Reading goal to secure all three points.
Pep Guardiola saluted the character demonstrated by Manchester City after they went top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Fulham.
Julian Alvarez's stunning 25-yard strike proved to be the winner at Craven Cottage, where Carlos Vinicius had earlier cancelled out Erling Haaland's penalty.
Though not at their clinical best, the reigning champions displaced Arsenal at the summit of the table for the first time since February – and still have a game in hand on the Gunners, who they beat 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Guardiola was pleased with the way his players navigated their way through what developed into a scrappy contest with Marco Silva's side.
"I didn't have any doubt [in my players]," he told BBC's Match of the Day. "The game was so tight until the end, we could not expect anything differently.
"This amount of games is a lot, but we knew that after we beat Arsenal at home, winning these types of games is really important. The players behaved amazingly.
"We responded really well [to Fulham's equaliser]. The momentum was there, we were playing good. It was not easy because they defended really well; inside it was so difficult.
"In general, it was a good performance, knowing the opponent and knowing where we came from."
Guardiola also paid tribute to Haaland, who became the first player since 1931 to score 50 goals during a single season for an English top-flight side.
"Before Winston Churchill was Prime Minister? Wow, sounds a long time ago!" the City boss smiled. "Congratulations to Erling. The best goals to help us achieve what we want still is there."
Erling Haaland equalled the record for goals in a Premier League season as he scored an early penalty in Manchester City’s 2-1 win at Fulham.
His feat is even more impressive as the record of 34 was set in the league’s early 42-game seasons by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer – here, the PA news agency looks at how Haaland compares.
Andy Cole, Newcastle, 1993-94
Appearances: 40
Goals: 34
Assists: 13
Cole scored only once in the first four games but got 15 in the next 12, including all the goals in a 3-0 win over Liverpool and doubles against Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham and Oldham.
Another hat-trick against Coventry and a standout performance in the return game with the Hammers, with a goal and three assists in a 4-2 win, were further highlights of his season. His 13 assists also led the Premier League as Newcastle finished third, making him the only man until Harry Kane in 2020-21 to top both charts outright.
Alan Shearer, Blackburn, 1994-95
Appearances: 42
Goals: 34
Assists: 13
Shearer was ever-present as he equalled Cole’s record and led Blackburn to the title – like Cole, completing his tally with a goal on the final day of the season. He scored three hat-tricks – all in 3-0 wins at Ewood Park, against QPR, West Ham and Ipswich – and four doubles in his second of three straight 30-goal seasons.
He matched Cole’s assists tally as well, ranking third in the top flight as he and strike partner Chris Sutton combined to set each other up on 13 occasions, a record broken by Kane two years ago in tandem with Spurs team-mate Son Heung-min.
Erling Haaland, Manchester City, 2022-23
Appearances: 30
Goals: 34
Assists: 7
Haaland wasted no time making his mark in the Premier League – scoring two goals on his debut against West Ham, a record nine in his first five games and 15 in nine. He has four hat-tricks to his name and one more will equal Shearer’s record of five in a season set in his 31-goal 1995-96 campaign.
The record-equalling penalty at Craven Cottage brought up his half-century in all competitions, having scored 12 goals in eight Champions League appearances and four in the domestic cups.
His league assist tally, though in single figures, still ranks joint-sixth in the top flight this season, defying scrutiny of his perceived one-dimensional role in Pep Guardiola’s side.
Roll of honour
Haaland began hauling in previous Golden Boot-winning tallies as early as November 5 after 18 goals in his first 12 games.
The 23-goal mark that has won the last three awards lasted only until January’s hat-trick against Wolves, which accounted for nine previous Golden Boot seasons in all, while he matched Mohamed Salah’s 38-game record of 32 in just 28 appearances.
18 goals – Michael Owen, Dion Dublin and Chris Sutton 1997-98; Owen, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Dwight Yorke 1998-99
Appearances: 12
v Fulham (H), November 5
19 – Nicolas Anelka 2008-09
Appearances: 14
v Leeds (A), December 28
20 – Didier Drogba 2006-07; Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez 2010-11
Appearances: 14
v Leeds (A), December 28
22 – Teddy Sheringham 1992-93; Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 2018-19
Appearances: 18
v Tottenham (H), January 19
23 – Hasselbaink 2000-01; Jamie Vardy 2019-20; Harry Kane 2020-21; Salah and Son Heung-min 2021-22
Appearances: 19
v Wolves (H), January 22
24 – Thierry Henry 2001-02
Appearances: 19
v Wolves (H), January 22
25 – Alan Shearer 1996-97; Ruud van Nistelrooy 2002-03; Henry 2004-05; Kane 2015-16
Appearances: 19
v Wolves (H), January 22
26 – Robin van Persie 2012-13; Sergio Aguero 2014-15
Appearances: 22
v Arsenal (A), February 15
27 – Henry 2005-06
Appearances: 24
v Bournemouth (A), February 25
29 – Drogba 2009-10; Kane 2016-17
Appearances: 27
v Southampton (A), April 8
30 – Kevin Phillips 1999-2000; Henry 2003-04; Van Persie 2011-12
Appearances: 27
v Southampton (A), April 8
31 – Shearer 1995-96; Cristiano Ronaldo 2007-08; Luis Suarez 2013-14
Appearances: 28
v Leicester (H), April 15
32 – Salah 2017-18
Appearances: 28
v Leicester (H), April 15
34 – Andy Cole 1993-94; Shearer 1994-95
Appearances: 30
v Fulham (A), April 30
Manchester City are top of the Premier League for the first time since February 17 thanks to a hard-fought 2-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Pep Guardiola’s men were pushed until the end by Fulham, who stuck doggedly with the in-form champions throughout the match.
Far more experienced top-flight sides might have crumbled when Erling Haaland netted his 50th goal of the season from the penalty spot after just three minutes.
However, Fulham managed to find a leveller a little over 10 minutes later through Carlos Vinicius, who has struggled for goals since he became a regular starter in the absence of the suspended Aleksandar Mitrovic.
It took a touch of class from Julian Alvarez to restored the visitors’ advantage in the first half, superbly curling home what proved to be the winner.
It was Fulham who looked most likely to score again as the game neared its conclusion, but City held on to move above Arsenal.
Haaland made no mistakes with his powerful penalty just three minutes in after Tim Ream, who has been a mainstay of the Fulham defence this campaign, was judged to have brought down Alvarez in the box.
The goal all-but killed any forward momentum from Fulham who reverted to a defensive formation to try and curb City’s attacking threat.
Jack Grealish had a low drive saved by Leno in the 14th minute, but Fulham found an equaliser against the run of play just moments later.
Vinicius, who had only scored two goals previously this season, thrashed a fine finish past Ederson in the 15th minute.
The forward, who has been criticised by the home fans in recent weeks for his lack of end product, was in the right place after Harry Wilson flicked the ball down into his path, and made no mistake with his left-foot strike.
Fulham were dealt a blow in the 20th minute with the loss of on-field captain Ream, who slipped trying to make a tackle and landed awkwardly on his arm.
City maintained their pressure on the Fulham defence, with Leno called into action again to tip a Grealish effort onto the bar and Antonee Robinson denying Alvarez at the far post.
The visitors restored on 36 minutes, with a stunning curled strike into the corner from Alvarez.
The Argentinian held off the defenders to create an opening outside of the box before taking his shot.
City started the second half in the same manner they finished the first, with Leno diving low to his right to deny a low effort from Haaland.
Andreas Pereira was carried off on a stretcher following a coming-together with Manuel Akanji, forcing manager Marco Silva into his second unplanned change of the afternoon.
Fulham had a chance to score a second leveller when Vinicius was played in down the left side of the box, but Ederson was just able to gather and deny the forward a shot at what would have been an empty goal.
Tempers flared briefly between Grealish and Kenny Tete as Fulham felt they should have been given a penalty when Bobby De Cordova-Reid was brought down in the box, but Hooper waved play on.
The game finished in tense fashion, but City are back at the summit of the Premier League – a point ahead of the Gunners having played a game fewer.
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