Erling Haaland expressed his “pride” in making history as Manchester City’s striker by becoming the quickest player to achieve 100 Premier League goals during Tuesday’s thrilling 5-4 victory over Fulham.
Haaland’s precise finish in the first half at Craven Cottage marked his 100th goal in just 111 league games for City.
The 25-year-old surpassed the previous record held by former Newcastle and Blackburn star Alan Shearer, who reached 100 goals in 124 matches.
“It’s an enormous achievement and I’m really proud. Joining the 100 club is fantastic, and I’m pleased,” Haaland stated.
“I was aware of the record, and that’s what I aimed for. My job is to help the team by scoring goals.”
Haaland, who joined from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, hadn’t scored in his last three games against Newcastle, Bayer Leverkusen, and Leeds.
He ended that brief goal drought with this milestone in his remarkable City career.
Out of Haaland’s 100 goals, 71 were scored with his left foot and 17 with his head.
“As a striker for Man City, you should deliver great numbers,” he remarked.
“That’s my responsibility, and criticism is expected if I don’t perform. I must deliver.”
He scored a magnificent goal to give City the lead in the 17th minute against Fulham, bringing his league total to 15 goals this season and 20 across all competitions.
Jeremy Doku assisted with a precise cut-back, and Haaland perfectly timed his run to unleash a powerful shot that went past Fulham’s keeper Bernd Leno from 12 yards.
“If you were watching at home, you enjoyed that game. It was wild, with nine goals. In the end, we won, which makes us happy, but it’s not our best win,” Haaland commented.
With City now just two points behind leaders Arsenal, Haaland added: “It’s crucial, as Arsenal also won here. Fulham is a strong team, but we shouldn’t focus too much on Arsenal.
“We need to concentrate on ourselves. Today wasn’t good enough, and we know it. We need to improve as a team, and that’s what we’ll do.”
Haaland still has a way to go to break Shearer’s most notable record, with the former England captain holding the Premier League’s all-time scoring record of 260 goals.
“I’m aware of it, but I don’t think about it too much,” he said.
