Erling Haaland sets new record for Premier League player with 45 goals in one season

Erling Haaland has scored 45 goals this season. Credit: PA Images

Manchester City's Erling Haaland has set a new record for a Premier League player after scoring his 45th goal of the season - taking the top spot from a Manchester United rival.

Haaland broke the record as City beat Bayern Munich 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, 11 April.

The Norwegian exceeded the record for the Premier League era, set 20 years ago by Manchester United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy and matched in 2017-18 by Liverpool's Mo Salah.

Tuesday’s finish against Bayern was his 11th goal in seven appearances in Europe, taking his overall record in the competition to 34 in 26 games - already in the competition's top 20 goalscorers.

Haaland celebrates scoring his side's third goal during the Premier League match at St Mary's Stadium, Southampton. Credit: PA Images

In that list he is sandwiched between Edinson Cavani, whose 35 goals came in 70 appearances for Napoli, Paris St Germain and Manchester United, and Fernando Morientes who scored 33 in 93 for Real Madrid, Monaco, Liverpool and Valencia.

Haaland’s season tally also includes an FA Cup hat-trick in the 6-0 win over Burnley and a Carabao Cup goal against Liverpool, for a total of 45 in 39 matches.

There are a maximum of 15 games remaining for City this season – nine in the league, the second leg against Bayern followed by a likely semi-final over two legs and a possible final, and an FA Cup semi-final against Championship Sheffield United where they will be favourites to progress to the final.

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With Haaland scoring more than a goal a game to this point, he could hit 62 goals – within one of former Everton striker Dixie Dean’s all-time record of 63 in 1927-28.

Statue of Everton top-scorer Dixie Dean outside Goodison Park. Credit: PA Images

He would bring up his half-century in another five games, potentially against Fulham at the end of April, but his recent streak raises the prospect of that landmark arriving even sooner.

Haaland has scored 11 goals in his last four games – five in the Champions League second leg against RB Leipzig, the hat-trick against Burnley, two league goals against Southampton and his one against Bayern.

The striker is two away from Salah’s record for a 38-game Premier League season and needs four to match the overall record set by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer in the early 42-game campaigns of the Premier League era, with both marks firmly in his sights in the remaining weeks of the season.

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