'Better than Treble year' - when could Haaland beat Shearer's record?

The sight of a rampant Erling Haaland with a beaming smile on his face will be of great comfort to both Manchester City and boss Pep Guardiola.

Following back-to-back defeats, City needed their star player to step up in the heat of a derby fixture and the 25-year-old did just that in typically cool fashion.

Goal machine Haaland took his tally to seven goals this week by netting twice in Sunday's 3-0 victory over rivals Manchester United, having plundered an astonishing five in Norway's 11-1 hammering of Moldova on Tuesday.

Haaland has continued to grow since his first season at City in 2022-23, when he scored 52 goals in all competitions to help the club to a Treble of trophies.

Guardiola said: "Erling has been incredible since the start but this season he is better than ever. I would say better than the Treble year.

"He is dynamic and I don't judge him for the clearances, we want him to score goals and to help us."

The Spaniard added: "Erling has never disappointed since he has arrived. He has shown the commitment and signed a contract for many years. He is a special player."

Haaland showed his value in both boxes against United and it was his crucial contributions that allowed City to take all three points.

The striker had nine touches of the ball in the opposition box and six in his own, showcasing his defensive capabilities as well as his ruthlessness in the final third.

At the start of the second half, when City were 1-0 up courtesy of Phil Foden's headed goal, United were looking to restore parity and played a series of crosses into the box.

With each one, they could only find the head of Haaland, who made vital interceptions on each occasion.

In all, Haaland made a total of six clearances, including four with his head, with centre-back Ruben Dias the only City player to contribute more.

Once the spell of pressure was relieved, Haaland was summoned to the side of the pitch by Guardiola and the two men had an amicable discussion - the striker trotted back into his familiar position up front and seconds later doubled the advantage with a delightfully dinked finish.

Haaland showed he is human when he went round Altay Bayindir and somehow struck the post with a virtually open goal to aim at, but it did not deter him as he ran through to convert a composed second.

"A complete performance," Foden said of his team-mate. "The way he held up the ball when we were struggling. He did everything. Defending, attacking, running in behind and doing the dirty work.

"It was a full shift and we need that more."

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane said Haaland "could have scored a few more", adding on Sky Sports: "We know Haaland's strengths. You have one of the best strikers in the world running from the halfway line and there was never any doubt he was going to finish it.

"You talk about a team player, you have to give him praise for coming back and doing a good job defensively."

The rate at which Haaland is racking up goals will be giving those players in front of him in the Premier League charts sleepless nights.

Ex-Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer will be keeping a close eye as he leads the way with 260 goals, with Haaland currently on 90.

But on Sunday, Haaland scored his 50th goal in as many home league games - with only Shearer requiring fewer, netting the same number in only 47 matches.

In January, Haaland signed a new contract until 2034 and it is his scoring rate that is the frightening prospect.

He has played 101 games so far and - at his current rate of scoring - would need 191 more matches to match Shearer's record, equating to just over five more full seasons in the Premier League.

"Erling Haaland's an animal," former Arsenal and England winger Theo Walcott told BBC Sport. "He always has a picture of any finish in that 18-yard box. Or, where he is on that field, he just knows when to go, when not to go, when to reserve his energy.

"It's that picture, he sees it. And I'd say any young player out there, you don't have to overthink things. He doesn't, he simplifies it. You see it with that finish [for his second goal], such a cool finish. He knew what he was going to do. The third touch he takes to set himself, he's already smiling before he's finished.

"In these big games, he knows when to come out of his shell. Of course, he had a great week internationally as well. He's coming back with so much confidence and he's already got an abundance of confidence anyway. He's got a presence and aura about him.

"Will he beat Alan Shearer's Premier League record? We'll see."