Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hailed Erling Haaland as “unstoppable” after the striker scored a second successive hat-trick to set a new record for most goals in three games in a Premier League season.
After scoring a hat-trick in the 4-1 win over Ipswich Town a week ago, Haaland was back in the mix with all three of City's goals in their 3-1 victory at West Ham on Saturday to take his tally for the season to seven.
Haaland's first was a sublime finish past Alphonse Areola after being left one-on-one by Bernardo Silva, while his second was a close-range thunderbolt that almost broke the net.
When he charged towards goal late on, there was no doubt about the result, so much so that City manager Pep Guardiola said he believes defenders cannot deny Haaland a goal even with extreme measures.
“The first goal, Bernardo wins the ball, passes the ball and shoots or the third goal, with the space behind, is unstoppable,” Guardiola told reporters.
“There is no central defender, not even with a gun: it is impossible, so fast, so powerful.”
The 24-year-old Norwegian's 11th hat-trick for City also meant he became only the second player in Premier League history, alongside Harry Kane, to score two hat-tricks in consecutive games.
Guardiola said Haaland had struggled with discomfort last season, when he was still the league's top scorer with 27 goals, and was now an even more devastating player.
Haaland, who scored his 70th Premier League goal in his 69th appearance, said he was feeling the benefits of rest.
“I feel good, I have energy,” he told Sky Sports. “I've had a long holiday and pre-season. I feel good.”
“The years I've been here have gone by very quickly. Now I've given my body and feet a bit of a rest. Now I'm ready for more.”
Information from Reuters and ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.
