Nathan Ake insists Erling Haaland deserves 'everything he gets' after the Manchester City striker broke another major Premier League record in Wednesday's 3-0 win over West Ham United.
Haaland netted the second of City's three goals, breaking forward to latch onto Jack Grealish's pass before dinking a lovely finish over Lukasz Fabianski. It was the Norwegian's 35th goal in the league, taking him past Alan Shearer and Andy Cole as the Premier League's highest-ever one-season goalscorer.
City boss Pep Guardiola was spotted gathering the City players by the tunnel after the final whistle for a guard of honour, for which Haaland was evidently touched. And speaking after the final whistle, Nathan Ake, who opened the scoring on the night, praised the striker for his consistent work behind the scenes.
RATINGS: Ake and Grealish great in win vs West Ham
"It’s crazy the way he came in and does what he does every day,” Ake told Sky Sports. “Today, scoring the goal, he's always there. To be honest he deserves everything he gets.
"He works so hard, he's a top top player but the way he works for the team and how humble he stays after all the praise, I think he's a great addition and hopefully he can score even more.”
Three points re-established City as Premier League leaders, with the Blues now one point clear with a game in hand. Saturday will see Guardiola's men welcome Leeds United to the Etihad, with Sam Allardyce now in charge of the struggling outfit.
And despite the trophy being so close, Ake remained calm in taking the run-in game by game.
“We just have to keep pushing,” he added. “It’s not finished yet, we have a long way to go. Saturday, Leeds will be tough again so we have to recover and go again.”
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