Erling Haaland made history as the Manchester City striker became the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League goals in a remarkable 5-4 win against Fulham on Wednesday (AEDT).
Haaland’s clinical finish in the first half at Craven Cottage took him to his century in just 111 league appearances for City.
He shattered the previous record set by former Newcastle and Blackburn star Alan Shearer, who took 124 matches to reach 100 goals.
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After Haaland’s landmark, Phil Foden scored twice to help City race into a 5-1 lead.
But Fulham scored three times in a furious second-half fightback that fell just short when Josh King’s shot was cleared off the line by Josko Gvardiol in the final seconds.
Second-placed City moved within two points of leaders Arsenal, who host Brentford in their game in hand on Thursday.
City have won 19 consecutive meetings with Fulham in all competitions, the longest winning run by a team against any opponent in English football history.
Yet after squandering a two-goal advantage in their last-gasp 3-2 win against Leeds on Sunday, City boss Pep Guardiola will be concerned by the latest meltdown from his leaky defence.
If City are to overhaul Arsenal and win the seventh English title of the Guardiola era, it will need Haaland to maintain his astonishingly prolific form.
Haaland had failed to score in his previous three games against Newcastle, Bayer Leverkusen and Leeds.
The 25-year-old, signed from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, ended that mini-drought with the latest milestone in his glittering City career.
He still has a long way to go to break Shearer’s most significant record, with the former England captain holding the Premier League’s all-time scoring mark on 260 goals.
**\- City survives -**
Haaland produced a sumptuous finish to put City ahead in the 17th minute, giving him 15 league goals this term and 20 in all competitions.
Jeremy Doku’s precise cut-back arrowed towards Haaland, and he timed his run perfectly to unleash a ferocious blast that whistled past Fulham keeper Bernd Leno from 12 yards.
Haaland turned from scorer to provider in the 37th minute as City doubled their lead with another eye-catching effort.
Showing strength and poise in equal measure, Haaland worked space to clip a pinpoint pass through to Reijnders, and the Dutch midfielder scooped a deft chip over Leno for his first goal since August.
Foden notched City’s third in the 44th minute, lashing a superb strike into the top corner from the edge of the area.
Smith Rowe reduced the deficit in first-half stoppage time, steering a header past Gianluigi Donnarumma from Harry Wilson’s cross.
But Foden, who also scored twice against Leeds, is back in form, and the England star appeared to put the result beyond doubt three minutes after the interval.
The 25-year-old has thrived in a slightly deeper, creative role this term, and he guided a composed finish past Leno from an acute angle after Haaland flicked Doku’s pass towards the forward.
City weren’t finished, and in the 54th minute, Doku’s curler from the edge of the area deflected in for Sander Berge own goal.
But Guardiola’s men completely lost focus after that, and Alex Iwobi side-footed home from 18 yards in the 57th minute.
When Samuel Chukwueze blasted his first goal for Fulham in the 72nd minute, City began to sweat, and their anxiety mounted six minutes later.
Chukwueze squeezed his shot through a crowd of players after Donnarumma failed to deal with a corner.
City finally battened down the hatches in eight minutes of stoppage time to ensure Haaland’s big night wasn’t eclipsed.
**‘SUPERHUMAN’ SALAH UNHAPPY AFTER BEING DROPPED**
Arne Slot admitted on Wednesday that “superhuman” Mohamed Salah was unhappy about being omitted from Liverpool’s team for their vital 2-0 win against West Ham, but praised his attitude.
The Egypt forward was an unused substitute at the London Stadium on Monday as Liverpool boss Slot made changes following a terrible run of nine defeats in 12 games in all competitions.
Misfiring Salah, 33, has scored just four Premier League goals this season -- in stark contrast to his haul of 29 last season, a tally that won him the Golden Boot.
Slot told reporters that during his reign as manager at Anfield, Salah had been a “superhuman being” but that he had not been at his best in recent weeks.
“As with all players around the world, there are also phases in your time at the club that you are human,” he said.
“But he’s scored so many goals for us, and I’m sure he will in the future.”
Slot, whose eighth-placed team hosts high-flying Sunderland on Thursday, said he was not surprised by Salah’s reaction to being left out, praising his professionalism.
“That’s a normal reaction from a player that’s good enough to play for us,” he said.
“And I say it mildly, because he’s been so outstanding for this club for so many years, and will be for us in the future.
“So, yeah, of course a player isn’t happy when they’re not playing. He wasn’t the only one who wasn’t happy that he wasn’t starting, I can tell you.”
The Dutchman said that Salah had been supportive of his teammates.
“You cannot be a player that’s available every three days and play on that high standard if you go with your emotions,” he said.
“But Mo is so disciplined, knows what to do to stay fit, and no matter if he plays well, doesn’t play well, if he plays or if he doesn’t play, he will always be that top professional.”
Slot said that Salah was scheduled to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations on December 15.
“As always in these situations, there’s a player involved, there’s the nation involved -- Egypt in this situation -- and the club. And there are always talks about what is best for all three of us,” he said.