Still saying Haaland isn’t a big-game player? His goals and assists against the Premier League’s BIG 6 speak otherwise

In the first round of the new Premier League season, Erling Haaland made an impressive impact by scoring a fantastic goal at Stamford Bridge, helping Manchester City secure a 2-0 victory over Chelsea, getting off to a winning start.

It is worth noting that Haaland is often questioned about not being a “big-game player,” due to his lack of goals in some crucial matches. However, such claims might underestimate his capabilities. Besides winning consecutive Premier League Golden Boot awards, Haaland has also demonstrated remarkable goal-scoring efficiency against other top Premier League teams. Last season, he scored a total of 27 goals in the Premier League, with 8 of them coming against the “Top Six.”

To be specific, Haaland breached Manchester United’s defense both home and away, scoring 2 goals and 1 goal respectively; Chelsea conceded 2 goals each at home and away; Tottenham experienced a “double” from Haaland; and Liverpool also saw him score once. The only team whose net Haaland hasn’t found yet is Arsenal.

The new season has just begun, and Haaland has already broken Chelsea’s defense again. Statistics show that since joining Manchester City, Haaland has faced the Top 6 teams 20 times, scoring 15 goals and providing 7 assists.

Coach Pep Guardiola’s preference for Haaland is well-founded. In the match against Chelsea, Haaland displayed his comprehensive abilities—active pressing, suppressing the opposition’s defense, and excellent finishing skills—all of which earned him further praise from Guardiola, who likened Haaland’s level to that of Messi and Ronaldo post-match.

In this game against Chelsea, Haaland marked his 100th appearance for Manchester City. Over these 100 games, he contributed 91 goals and 15 assists, averaging a goal involvement every 76 minutes.

If Haaland can maintain this astonishing goal-scoring efficiency, he is likely to win the Premier League Golden Boot again this season, achieving the feat of being the top scorer for three consecutive seasons. If anyone still questions whether he is a “big-game player,” they are simply nitpicking.