An in-form Haaland 'could be difference' in final weeks of season
Waxing lyrical about Erling Haaland's goalscoring capabilities - who would have thought it? Prior to his sensational hat-trick against Arne Slot's Liverpool on Saturday, Haaland had scored just five goals in 19 games across 2026. With one major title already in the bag, it is perhaps Haaland that could be the difference between claiming a domestic cup double, chasing down Arsenal for a domestic treble or concluding the campaign with just the Carabao Cup - depending on his own fitness and form.
[BBC] [PA Media] Waxing lyrical about Erling Haaland's goalscoring capabilities - who would have thought it? But for the past few weeks, and perhaps months, the big Norwegian has been well off the pace for Manchester City. Prior to his sensational hat-trick against Arne Slot's Liverpool on Saturday, Haaland had scored just five goals in 19 games across 2026.
Perhaps for any other forward player in English football, they would be the sort of numbers you would come to admire. But for a Manchester City side so reliant on having the right man to finish off a boat-load of chances created per 90 minutes, it is imperative that the 25-year-old is firing. City are now firmly into the business phase of the season and the final run-in that will ultimately decide their trophy-winning outcome this season.
With one major title already in the bag, it is perhaps Haaland that could be the difference between claiming a domestic cup double, chasing down Arsenal for a domestic treble or concluding the campaign with just the Carabao Cup - depending on his own fitness and form. Saturday's game was a Haaland highlight reel - the perfect showcase of timing runs, anticipating the attacking phases of his creative team-mates and converting when either under immense pressure or faced by a physical battle from Ibrahima Konate and Virgil Van Dijk. The truth is that neither of the Reds' central defensive pairing could get near him and the latter's poorly-timed challenge on Nico O'Reilly to give away a penalty in the first half certainly did not help their cause.
But for all his excellence in front of goal, the most exciting element of City's display involving Haaland was his combination play with Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo for a headed goal that left Giorgi Mamardashvili standing and watching as Haaland's headed effort flew beyond him. In truth, Manchester City were always expected to beat Liverpool in this FA Cup quarter-final tie. But the margin of the scoreline is what may have surprised many, and that comes as a direct result of having Haaland firing to his true potential, or one that has too often been a passenger in the new calendar year.