by Manchester City forward Erling Haaland reflected on a ‘special night’ after his goal against West Ham earned him the record for scoring the most goals in a single Premier League season.
Haaland earned the goal in the 70th minute when he was on target from Jack Grealish’s pass to beat Lukasz Fabianski to reach 35 league goals this season.
It moved the Norwegian past Andy Cole and Alan Shearer, who previously held the record for their efforts in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons, respectively.
“A special night and a special moment. Yes, I’m really happy and proud,” Haaland told Sky Sports.
“Of course I knew. Sure, but we try to create chances to score goals. It wasn’t easy.
“They came here to try and defend for 90 minutes and we struggled a bit in the first half, but in the second half, Nath (Ake) scored, I scored and the last one Phil (Foden) obviously scored, so it’s it was an important victory. “
An early penalty at Fulham on Sunday saw Haaland equal Cole and Shearer’s tally of 34 goals, but he was forced to wait a few days before taking the lead outright.
His City team-mates gave the summer arrival a full-time guard of honor following his success in the 3-0 win that returned Pep Guardiola’s side to the top of the Premier League.
The next individual goal in Haaland’s sights is Dixie Dean’s feat of 63 goals for Everton in the 1927-28 season.
But Haaland, on his 51 goals this season, insisted: “No, I’m not thinking about it now. I will sleep through this game and wake up tomorrow and think about trying to get three points here against Leeds.
“It won’t be easy with a new manager and all, but we can’t keep thinking about these records. My head would go crazy, I’d go crazy in my head so I don’t think about it.
“Now I will go home and play video games, eat something and then sleep. This is what I will do and tomorrow we have to start thinking about Leeds. It’s my life.”
Haaland revealed teammate Grealish wanted to be the player to set his record-breaking goal.
The three points for City kept them firmly in control of the title race and on course to clinch the treble, but the 22-year-old Haaland reiterated their focus will remain on their next home game against Leeds on Saturday.
“You see what my first thought is, running towards the goal,” added Haaland.
“Jack and I talked about it before the game. He wanted to give me the assist for the record goal and I knew that there I would carry the ball. I saw the goalkeeper arrive and it was a perfect ball from Jack.
“It was a good feeling, as every single goal I score and especially winning the game is also very important. It was really painful this honor guard. Everyone hit me in the back but it was a nice thing and I’m really happy.
“Like I said, everyone knows it’s possible (the treble) but we can’t think about the FA Cup final against Manchester United now. We play Leeds in three days and if you do that you’re not good with your head.
“So, you have to think about the next game and focus because every single game, the last nine games are all finals.”
Fellow top scorer Nathan Ake said goodbye to his “humble” teammate.
“It’s crazy. You know the way he came in and he does what he does every day, still scoring the goal today,” Ake told Sky Sports.
“He honestly deserves everything he has, he works so hard and is a top player.
“The way he works hard, the way he is for the team and how humble he remains after all the journey. He’s a great addition and I hope he can score even more.”
