No wonder Pep Guardiola has no intention of resting striker Erling Haaland any time soon.
Manchester City's goal machine netted his second hat-trick in four days to underline his status as the deadliest and most prolific finisher in Europe right now.
While the golden boot is already already looking like something of a formality for Haaland, the 22-year-old will have his sights set on another Premier League target in his debut season in England. The record for goals in a single Premier League season is 34, held by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer, in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 campaigns respectively.
With nine goals already this season, from just five games, Haaland is on course to surpass that total and rewrite the Premier League goalscoring record books. Guardiola said before the game there will come a time when he needs to rest Haaland, but with the forward in such irresistible form, there is no chance of that happening now. Haaland's 14 th career hat-trick was the perfect composition of left foot, right foot and header, completed in 26 minutes, compared to 19 minutes against Crystal Palace last Saturday.
Then, his quick-fire treble saw City come from 2-0 down to win 4-2. Here, his devastating finishing buried Forest before half-time, Haaland able to collect the match-ball during the break. After Saturday's heoics, it took Haaland just 12 minutes to get on the scoresheet again, latching on to a Phil Foden cross – just as he did for his first goal against Palace – to give Guardiola's side the lead.
City's dominance was such they enjoyed 82 per cent possession by the 15-minute mark, but Forest had a chance to draw level in the 17 th minute, Neco Williams picking out Lodi, who escaped from Bernardo Silva, only to plant his far-post header into the side-netting. It proved a costly miss, with City doubling their lead five minutes later, Dean Henderson's poor delivery going straight to Bernardo, who in turn found Julian Alvarez. City's summer signing clipped the ball to Ilkay Gundogan, who fed Haaland, who in turn found Foden.
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Foden was challenged as he surged towards the Forest goal, but the ball went straight into the path of Haaland, who slotted it into net for his second of the night. John Stones had the ball in the Forest net on the half-hour mark, after a flick-on from – who else? - Haaland, but the City defender was correctly ruled offside, the goal not standing. Haaland's treble duly arrived seven minutes before half-time, rising above Forest skipper Joe Worrall to power the ball into the net after Foden and Stones had played head tennis across the away goal.
Alvarez came close to opening his City account a minute before half-time, curling a delightful left-foot shot beyond the despairing reach of Henderson, only for the ball to clip a post and run behind. Joao Cancelo made it 4-0 five minutes after the restart, with a majestic 20-yard effort, with Alvares getting a deserved first Premier League goal 15 minutes later, to make it 5-0, the Argentine adding claiming his second of the night with three minutes left. Haaland was eventually rested, much to Forest's delight, Guardiola replacing him with Kevin De Bruyne, a City legend-in-waiting making way for a player already afforded that lofty status.
