Erling Braut Haaland wreaked havoc at Manchester City against Fulham: he scored twice and ended his home drought

MANCHESTER (VG) (Man City – Fulham 5-1) It’s been four months since Erling Braut Haaland (23) heard his nickname echoed outside the Etihad Stadium after scoring a goal. And on Saturday, he finally got it again – a total of three times.

The hat-trick was his fifth in the Premier League – and his nineteenth overall in his career.

– We’re on our way there, so… cool. A wonderful feeling. “I’m happy,” Haaland tells Fiplay.

You actually have to go back to May 3 and the home game against West Ham when Haaland last scored at home.

He had already scored an assist against Fulham on Saturday, but just before the hour mark the 23-year-old had pulled in too.

The foreplay was delicious, team-mate Julian Alvarez’s pass was sensitive and when Haaland broke through the Fulham backline, he was ruthless. It was 3-1 and the game was in fact decided, but Haaland was barely starting.

– We started relatively badly, but we still managed to score two goals and take the lead in the first half. And then we control the whole second half when we create enough chances. Then I record it, and this is beautiful. The protagonist sums up himself in this interview:

Haaland scored from a penalty kick and with a powerful shot in extra time. Thus, the Norwegian stands with six goals in the first four league matches.

And in the 89th minute, the stage was set for another great Norwegian moment. The 20-year-old Oscar Pope came on his Manchester City debut. Thus, there were two Norwegians on the field in the last minute plus six extra minutes.

Admittedly, the home team opened the match well below expectations. Silence and slightly indignant growls appeared at regular intervals for the first half hour.

City lacked rhythm and accuracy and made a number of minor technical errors, while Fulham seemed amused in defending.

But after half an hour, the goal was a success for the hosts.

A sweet stick from Mateo Kovacic found its way into Haaland’s legs. It is not known whether the Norwegian tried to shoot himself or put him in his place. In any case, the game ended with a perfect pass to Alvarez, who had no problem putting the ball in the goal.

But the cold shower was only minutes away.

Because in a corner kick, the ball went through two Fulham players, and the goalkeeper’s gloves Ederson, before Tim Ream made it 1-1 in front of a stunned home crowd, who barely managed to score the lead.

After the extra time had passed, a situation arose that would surely be discussed later. City took the lead again after Nathan Ake’s header.

But Manuel Akanji’s offside clearly disturbed Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno’s vision. After a VAR check that lasted several minutes, prompting the siren and massive protests from the guest bench, the goal stood.

At Viaplay Studio, the experts had no doubt:

After the break, it was mostly about Haaland.

And caused the three goals scored by the Norwegian to keep the atmosphere away from the guests from London.

For City, three new points means an almost flawless start to the season with 12 points out of a possible 12 in the first four matches before the national team’s upcoming holiday.

He tells VG: Journalist Michal Osrud coached the Lane boys’ team at the time Oscar Pope I played there in 2014 and 2015.