Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admits Erling Haaland's astonishing first season in the Premier League has been “a surprise for all of us” but maybe not the player himself.
Haaland will overtake Andy Cole and Alan Shearer's record goals tally if his finds the net against West Ham on Wednesday.
The Norwegian netted his 34th of the league campaign in the 2-1 victory at Fulham, drawing him level with Cole and Shearer, who reached the same total for Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers, respectively.
Haaland's strike at Craven Cottage was his 50th of the season in all competitions and, with a potential 10 games remaining, it is not inconceivable that he could pass Dixie Dean's 1927-28 record of 63 for Everton.
The win against Fulham meant City leapfrogged Arsenal in the table and took over the top spot for the first time since mid-February – and they have a game in hand on the Gunners.
And Guardiola is confident there will be more to come for Haaland, 22, before the season is over.
“It is a surprise for all of us – but maybe not for him – to do what he's doing in this difficult league but the way he behaves and has done it is for the success of the team,” said Guardiola ahead of the game at the Etihad Stadium.
“Of course it's good for him and the team if he breaks the records. It's a good sign. The magnitude of a record is that is stands for a long time and it’s not broken.
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Erling Haaland fired home from the penalty spot to score Manchester City's first goal in their 2-1 Premier League win over Fulham at Craven Cottage on April 30, 2023. AFP -
City's Jack Grealish and Kenny Tete of Fulham are both shown yellow cards by referee Simon Hooper. Getty -
Erling Haaland celebrates scoring for Manchester City. Getty -
Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson saves at the feet of Fulham's Carlos Vinicius. Getty -
Fulham's Carlos Vinicius celebrates after scoring. Reuters -
City manager Pep Guardiola embraces Erling Haaland after the game. AP -
Fulham's Carlos Vinicius finishes past Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson. AP -
Julian Alvarez celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal. Getty -
Manchester City's Jack Grealish after his shot hit the woodwork. AP -
City striker Erling Haaland under pressure from Issa Diop of Fulham. Getty
“All will be broken one day. He himself or another one will break the record Erling is going to set, because I'm pretty sure he is going to score more goals in the Premier League until the end of the season.”
Haaland's partnership with Kevin De Bruyne has been at the heart of City's unbeaten run of 18 games in all competitions and Premier League win-streak of eight matches.
But the Belgium playmaker missed Sunday's victory with an unspecified knock and faces a fitness test ahead of West Ham's visit. Defender Nathan Ake could be in contention after missing the last three games with a hamstring injury.
“Nathan trained with us and feels good,” said Guardiola. “Kevin has started to move but hasn't trained with the team [yet]. Now we have training in a few hours and we will know exactly how he feels.”
West Ham have found it tough going this season, despite reaching the Europa Conference League semi-finals, and currently sit 15th in the table, four points clear of the relegation zone.
West Ham 1 Liverpool 2: Player ratings
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WEST HAM RATINGS: Lukasz Fabianski - 6. There was little the West Ham goalkeeper could have done about Cody Gakpo’s strike, with the ball hit with precision off a bounce before going in off the post. A big stop prevented Liverpool from taking the lead, but Matip scored from the corner in the next phase. EPA -
Aaron Cresswell - 6. Didn’t allow Mohamed Salah too much success down his flank, but could have contributed more in attacking areas. PA -
Nayef Aguerd - 6. A sensational piece of defending prevented what would have been a massive chance for Mohamed Salah, battling well to block the Liverpool forward’s effort – and making up for a mistake he made earlier on in the game. Getty -
Kurt Zouma - 6. Generally read play well and intervened to break up plenty of attacks. Helped Nayef Aguerd out after a mistake to stop Mohamed Salah. AP -
Vladimir Coufal - 6. Got forward at the right times but was too wasteful with his passing. Defended well for the most part. Getty -
Declan Rice - 6. Alert to the danger to stop plays developing in central areas but sometimes should have taken the safer option with his passing decisions. PA -
Tomas Soucek - 6. Battled well in midfield and won some key headers amid a difficult battle for West Ham to get hold of any meaningful possession. PA -
Lucas Paqueta - 7. Hit his strike from outside of the box with venom, though it was helped on from a deflection off Virgil van Dijk. Always looked to play progressively, and helped drive West Ham into some dangerous areas. AFP -
Said Benrahma - 6. Confident in space and looked to off-balance his marker. Should have shot first time with his effort in the first half. Not clear why he was marking Matip from the corner that Liverpool scored from. PA -
Jarrod Bowen - 7. Always looked to run in behind and linked well with Paqueta. Had the ball in the net, but VAR ruled it out for offside. A constant threat for Liverpool who struggled to deal with him at times in isolated situations. Getty -
Michail Antonio - 6. Battled throughout the match when leading the line and won the ball back in some promising positions. Missed a crucial key pass to Said Benrahma that would have put him in against the goalkeeper. EPA -
SUBS: Maxwel Cornet (Benrahma 70') - 5. A half-chance was wasted as his effort was scuffed high and wide while aiming for the top corner. PA -
Danny Ings (Antonio 70') - 6. Found space towards the 80th minute but was tackled by Alisson. Unclear whether it might have been brought back for offside. PA -
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson - 7. A degree of misfortune came with West Ham’s opening goal, as Lucas Paqueta’s well-hit effort deflected off the knee of Virgil van Dijk, changing the trajectory of the ball to leave the Brazilian stranded. Tackled Danny Ings to prevent what might have been a big chance. Getty -
Andy Robertson - 7. A poor pass almost allowed Benrahma in, but that was one error from a fairly consistent game from the Scotland international. Worked hard to provide an option down the left flank with instinctive runs when Diogo Jota went inside, and he was also quick with his decision-making when getting a ball into the box. Assisted Liverpool’s second goal with a well-taken corner. Getty -
Virgil van Dijk - 7. Assured with his passing for the most part outside of one careless moment when conceding possession to Jarrod Bowen. A crucial intervention stopped what would have been a certain goal when getting in the way of a cut-back before it reached Michail Antonio. It was also a typical dominant display in the air from him. EPA -
Joel Matip - 8. Often in the right position and showed composure when under pressure from West Ham’s press, helping Liverpool play out of it by linking up with Trent Alexander-Arnold. Got forward at the right times to help recycle possession from clearances. Rose well to head past Fabianski and give the Reds the lead in the second half. AFP -
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7. Another assist after playing a quick pass to Cody Gakpo before his effort. That’s now five assists in his last four games, in a display in his new role where he continues to shine. Reuters -
Fabinho - 6. On the ball more than any other Liverpool midfielder and showed good decision-making with transitioning the ball forwards. He also broke up the play well amid signs of an upturn in form for the Brazil international. Reuters -
Curtis Jones - 6. Chose his moments to go forwards and worked tirelessly between transitions to get back and defend. Another positive performance by Jones, who started his fifth straight Premier League game for the Reds. AP -
Jordan Henderson - 6. Played at a high tempo and linked well with Mohamed Salah. Very vocal from midfield, and often commanded Liverpool’s press that helped regain possession by forcing a long ball. AP -
Diogo Jota - 5. Really should have scored from one of his two chances in the first half, first blazing over the bar before failing to get the right connection on a header. PA -
Cody Gakpo - 7. Always difficult to dispossess when holding the ball in dangerous areas, where he looked to drop off to receive the ball from midfielders. Scored with a precise effort from range that went in off the post. AP -
Mohamed Salah - 7. Constantly looked to challenge his marker and was involved in a number of promising attacks from playing quickly in tight spaces. Produced an excellent cross in the first half that Diogo Jota was unlucky not to convert. Reuters -
SUBS: Thiago Alcantara (Henderson, 59') - 6. Controlled play well from midfield, but his biggest moment in the match came when he made a tackle before handling the ball inside the area, adjudged not to have been handball by the officials. Getty -
Luis Diaz (Jota, 59') - 6. More minutes for Diaz who is easing back into sharpness, and he did produce some moments that showed his agility and deceptiveness on the ball is still there. AP -
Darwin Nunez (Gakpo, 77') - NR. Had space on the break but should have done better in some moments, giving away the ball carelessly. AFP -
James Milner (Jones, 84') - NR. Added experience late on to help Liverpool see out the result. PA
Manager David Moyes led the team to sixth and then seventh-place finishes in the previous two campaigns and they were beaten by Eintracht Frankfurt at the last-four stage of last season's Europa League.
And while two defeats on the spin – against Liverpool and Crystal Palace – have left West Ham perilously close to the relegation zone again, Guardiola will not taking anything for granted
“Maybe West Ham didn’t have the season they expect but the quality is there,” the Spanish coach added. “In the last two seasons with David Moyes they have been exceptional.
“The weapons are there, they are a good team. I don't have doubts about them. In one game anything can happen. We have to be absolutely ready.
“At set pieces they are one of the best and Michail Antonio attacks the channels. The weapons are there. In one game anything can happen.”
