Erling Haaland became the first man in Premier League history to score hat-tricks in three successive home games when he completed a derby day treble against Manchester United.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the £51million summer signing’s goal rush at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City 4 Crystal Palace 2, August 27
Haaland’s purple patch began when, having already scored three goals in his first three league games in England’s top flight, he doubled his tally on a single afternoon. Having seen Bernardo Silva drag City back into the game after John Stones’ own goal and a second from Joachim Andersen had given Palace a shock 2-0 lead, the Norway international headed home Phil Foden’s cross to level and then converted from close range before completing his treble with a cultured finish.
Manchester City 6 Nottingham Forest 0, August 31
Promoted Forest felt the full force of Haaland’s prowess as he plundered his second hat-trick inside 26 first-half minutes. After just 12 minutes he got across Joe Worrall to turn home another Foden cross before being handed another tap-in, and he grabbed his third with seven minutes of the half remaining when he headed into the net after John Stones had turned the ball back across goal.
Manchester City 6 Manchester United 3, October 2
With City already leading through Foden’s sweet early strike, Haaland powered home a 34th-minute header despite the best efforts of Tyrell Malacia on the goal-line, and helped himself to a second within three minutes as he slid in to steer Kevin de Bruyne’s stunning cross past the helpless David de Gea. Having set up Foden to make it 4-0 with a perfectly-weighted cross of his own, he added his third with 25 minutes remaining when he swept substitute Sergio Gomez’s cross into the net.
