It looked to be a case of same-old same-old for Manchester City on Saturday as they found themselves trailing at half-time to a familiar foe. Crystal Palace were living up to their bogey team reputation as they went into the interval 2-0 up.
The London side had taken points off City in three of their previous six meetings, but Erling Haaland made sure that history didn't repeat itself. The £51m summer signing scored a sensational second-half hat-trick to earn City a 4-2 win, after Bernardo Silva had pulled one back for the Blues with a deflected effort.
Some had questioned Haaland's suitability to a City team that has operated without a striker for the best part of two years, but already he is proving that he will be a roaring success at the Etihad Stadium. Scoring a brace on his Premier League debut was a special moment for the 22-year-old, but a hat-trick in his second home match might top it.
