Unstoppable Erling Haaland racing towards history-making numbers after equalling Mohamed Salah’s best season haul

Having to content himself with only 45 minutes – and 13 touches – before being withdrawn to keep him fresh for Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg with Bayern Munich, Haaland still struck twice, his first a penalty, his second a fabulous flick over Daniel Iversen after running in behind.

It took him to 32 Premier League goals for 2022-23, equal to Mohamed Salah’s highest total for a season and leaving Alan Shearer and Andy Cole as the only players to have scored more (both with 34) in a single campaign in the competition.

Given Manchester City have eight league games remaining, Haaland will surely obliterate the Shearer/Cole record and his accumulation of 47 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions is comic book stuff. No wonder Guardiola wanted to save him for Wednesday’s mission in Munich. For that same reason, the manager also took off John Stones, scorer of a brilliant opening goal, at halftime.

He replaced Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne early in the second half too but the changes drew City’s sting and Leicester City benefited from their own switches, improving after Dean Smith introduced Kelechi Iheanacho and Luke Thomas for Jamie Vardy and Victor Kristiansen at the break, then Dennis Praet and Nampalys Mendy for Youri Tielemans and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the 62nd minute.

All four substitutes brought more energy and confidence than the players they replaced and a game that was almost excruciatingly one-sided at points in the first 45 minutes became more even. Guardiola was out at the edge of his technical area, crouching anxiously when James Maddison went clear with a chance to make it 3-2, soon after the 74th-minute Iheanacho strike, from close range, that got Leicester back in the game.

Ederson saved Maddison’s effort but it was Maddison who fed Iheanacho through to hit the post in stoppage time. For Smith, in his first game as interim manager, the encouragement lay in the late upturn. “There are good players in our dressing room and they showed, in the last 25 minutes, good characters. I saw a lethargy against Bournemouth [in last week’s home defeat, before Smith took charge] but not today,” he said.

His reality check was the first 45 minutes. Leicester are second bottom because of the kind of spinelessness they showed during that period and though Smith tried to engender a new spirit by recalling players who drifted out of favour under Brendan Rodgers – notably Caglar Soyuncu, making only his second Premier League start of the season – for 45 minutes, it was like wafting smelling salts under the nostrils of a dead sheep.

Leicester were so limp, while City had enough life and electricity for several teams. Guardiola’s latest radical tactical move was to play Stones as a conventional centre half, and with Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez tucked in, and Bernardo Silva and De Bruyne rotating around Rodri, City had so much in the way of numbers and movement in the middle. This led to a glut of possession and in the 42nd minute Leicester fans sang ironically “we’ve got the ball” during a fleeting moment with the orb.

Before Haaland’s plunder began, Stones turned into Robin van Persie. Leicester defended a corner poorly and Rodri leapt to send the ball the way of Stones on the edge of the box with a cute back-header. The ball sat up juicily and Stones kept his head over it as he swung his leg smoothly to arc a volley beyond Iversen and just inside the post. A lovely goal, using his weaker left foot: Guardiola will not stop until he has turned Stones into the total player.

Soyuncu took time to shake off rustiness and, though persistent, Vardy showed his age. Tielemans, back and wearing the captain’s armband after six games out with torn ankle ligaments, was heavy-legged. One of the most baffling elements of Leicester’s dire season is Wilfred Ndidi, whose game appears to have dropped off a cliff. Here, he was culpable for both Haaland goals.

For the first, when Grealish crossed, Ndidi turned his head away and threw up his left arm, the ball striking his hand. After reviewing the incident on the pitch-side monitor, Darren England, the referee, signalled a penalty. Haaland went through his pre-kick routine before depositing the ball to Iversen’s left.

Leicester’s first foray into City’s box was in the 20th minute and seemed a minor miracle. Maddison had a shot blocked and City responded to the impertinence by scoring again.

Dewsbury-Hall, under pressure near the left touchline, played a risky pass inside to Ndidi and De Bruyne reached it at the same time as the Nigerian. Ndidi contested the 50-50 as robustly as a piece of paper and De Bruyne won possession, drove down the centre and played a perfectly timed pass to release Haaland. Lover of the first-time finish, the Norwegian lifted a shot over Iversen.

Leicester were not done, though. From Timothy Castagne’s pass, Praet should have done better than shoot straight at Ederson, but after Maddison’s corner and Harry Souttar’s header, Ederson saved, only for Kalvin Phillips to clatter into him. Iheanacho popped the loose ball home for 3-1.

Guardiola admitted that the final 20 minutes were nervier than they should have been for City, but was sanguine. “In general I am really satisfied,” he said. “Arsenal have done an incredible run and I don’t think are going to drop [many] points, so it’s important to win and arrive in the ‘final’ in our next Premier League game against them.”

Arsenal come to the Etihad on Wednesday week. They could be nine points clear by then, but City will have two games in hand – and Haaland. “I want, I desire that he breaks all the records,” Guardiola said. “But I think what he wants is to win the title.”

Originally published as Unstoppable Erling Haaland racing towards history-making numbers after equalling Mohamed Salah’s best season haul