Erling Haaland’s rapid rise to Premier League 100 club ‘insane’ – Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has called Erling Haaland’s rapid rise into the Premier League’s 100 club “insane”.

Haaland bringing up his century of goals against Fulham was probably the only sane part of City’s chaotic 5-4 win at Craven Cottage.

He took only 17 minutes to find the net at Craven Cottage and become the 35th player to hit 100 Premier League goals, doing it in an incredible 111 matches.

Alan Shearer was the previous quickest, reaching three figures in his 124th match, 30 years ago in 1995.

“When I arrived, if you told me that in 111 games, he scored 100 goals, I’d say, ‘Are you sure? In this league’? But he did it. The numbers are insane. Insane,” said City boss Guardiola.

“For sure he’s one of the best. For the strikers, it’s a question of numbers and his numbers have no discussions.

“You are British and you bring the best strikers to this country, so Erling is one of them.

“I am happy for him and happy for the team to deliver this day for him. And let’s continue.”

Haaland admitted he would remember the match for the rest of his life as he told City’s website: “Of course, it means a lot.

“First of all, to score a 100 goals in the Premier League for City is a thing of course I wanted to do when I came here.

“But this quickly, I didn’t expect. Now it’s happened, I’m super proud. It’s a huge thing.

“I think after my career, when I look back at this it will be a huge moment this game and also a game I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

It was a match no one at a rain-soaked Craven Cottage will forget in a hurry.

City were 5-1 up and cruising shortly after half-time, with Tijjani Reijnders adding to Haaland’s opener, Phil Foden scoring twice and Sander Berge deflecting Jeremy Doku’s shot into the net.

Emile Smith Rowe had pulled one back before the break, but the mayhem really began when Alex Iwobi curled a second home for the hosts.

Substitute Samuel Chukwueze’s quickfire double left City clinging on for dear life by the end, with Josko Gvardiol hacking Josh King’s effort off the line in stoppage-time.

“Disappointed because we didn’t get anything from the fighting spirit we showed, but we have to take the positives,” said Iwobi.

“We put on a show, but unfortunately it wasn’t the result we wanted.”