*By Omolade Durojaiye
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland scored his record breaking 35th Premier League goal of the season to help secure a 3-0 victory against West Ham United that sent his side back to the top of the table on Wednesday.
Erling Haaland set a new Premier League record of 35 goals in a season as the Manchester City striker took his tally in all competitions to 51 by scoring against West Ham on Wednesday.
The 22 year old moves beyond the 34 goals scored by Alan Shearer for Blackburn in 1994/95 and Andy Cole when at Newcastle in 1993/94 season.
In his first season in English football, Haaland has rewritten the record books as City close in on a potential treble of Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
He is the first player in the English top flight to score a half century of goals in all competitions since 1931.
The Norwegian killed off a stubborn West Ham resistance when he dinked a delicate chip into the net after 70 minutes to break the record for the amount of goals in a single season in the Premier League.
Treble chasing City, who began the night in second place after Arsenal’s defeat of Chelsea on Tuesday, had twice been denied by the woodwork as they were frustrated by relegation threatened West Ham in the first half.
But Nathan Ake made the breakthrough five minutes after the interval with a header from a free kick.
Haaland then eased the tension around the Etihad Stadium as he latched on to Jack Grealish’s through ball to beat Lukasz Fabianski and move past the 34 goals of Andy Cole and Alan Shearer with five games still to play.
With the points secured, substitute Phil Foden then made it 3-0 with a superbly struck volley in the 85th minute with the 1000th goal in Guardiola’s City reign.
City, chasing a fifth title in six seasons under Pep Guardiola, have 79 points from 33 games with Arsenal on 78, having played a game more.
They will move four clear if they beat Leeds United at home on Saturday.