Erling Haaland scored his 17th Manchester City goal in just 11 games since his debut back in August.
In that game - a Community Shield defeat to Liverpool - Haaland was kept quiet by a fitter Liverpool side, and it is the only game to date where he has failed to score or assist for City. Since then, he's scored 17 times, including three hat-tricks, as well as recording three assists.
His latest treble, in a derby demolition of Manchester United, saw him continue to emphatically silence critics who suggested he would struggle in the Premier League after his blank against Liverpool.
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And Haaland says that game proved to be a reality check on his first domestic appearance for the Blues, prompting him to work harder in his subsequent outings at City.
He told Match of the Day: "Confidence is good, it's always been good. After we played against Liverpool in the Community Shield it was still good after. I think it was good that match happened, that something happened and [I thought] I have to be a bit more ready."
Reflecting on his derby hat-trick, Haaland admitted that City shouldn't have allowed United their three second-half goals, despite the Blues always being in control from their 4-0 half-time lead.
He explained: "It could've been more and in the second half we should've been tighter, worked a bit harder, because it was a bit sloppy at times. We lost the second half and this is not good so we still have to work.
"It's been good, I felt it a little bit before the game that something special is going to happen and we saw today that some special things happened. It was nice. On Friday I felt it in the whole training ground. It's these games I want to play in. These are the best games where there's a bit extra."
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