Erling Haaland continued to show why he is one of the top strikers in world football as he went past the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo and level with Didier Drogba for goals scored in the Premier League.
His goal inside the opening five minutes of Manchester City’s match with West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium was Haaland's 18th of the season and his 103rd overall in the Premier League.
That put Haaland alongside Ronaldo’s tally for Manchester United, albeit he hit the total in only 114 Premier League matches, some 118 fewer than Ronaldo’s 232 matches, which is when he scored his final goal in the competition, at Everton on 9 October 2022.
Then in the second half, Haaland moved level with the Hall of Famer Drogba's total 104 goals, all for Chelsea, in the Premier League all-time scorers' charts. Drogba reached 104 goals in 252 matches, some 148 more than Haaland.
Striking first
The match was also the 10th in which Haaland has opened the scoring this season, double his nearest rival for this particular achievement. The importance of him opening the scoring for City is that they have avoided defeat in their last 11 matches when scoring first in the Premier League, since a 1-2 loss at Brighton & Hove Albion on 31 August 2025.
Haaland has now scored 11 goals in eight Premier League appearances against West Ham, making the Hammers his favourite opponents in the competition.
Haaland's favourite opponents
| Opponent | Goals |
| West Ham | 11 |
|---|---|
| Wolves | 10 |
| Manchester United | 8 |
| Crystal Palace | 8 |
| Fulham | 7 |