MANCHESTER.- Erling Haaland He wants to make up for lost time.
The Norwegian striker scored five goals for the Manchester City reached the quarterfinals of the FA Cup on Tuesday with a 6-2 victory against Luton.
It was his eighth game with at least three goals in a year and a half with City, and the second time that a repoker has signed in a match with the club.
But the most significant thing was that Haaland hinted that he is the same as always, after he recently reappeared after a foot injury that left him out of action for just over a month between December and January.
“I’m finally in peak physical condition,” he said. “I feel great. It’s a nice feeling.”
Haaland had just three goals in seven games since he returned on January 31.
By his standards, this was an important drought, but he showed off his devastating punch at Keniworth Road with three goals in the first half and two more in the second half. Four of his goals came with assists from Kevin De Bruyne, who also missed a good portion of the season due to injury.
“It is a pleasure to play alongside him,” said Haaland. “We know what we like to do on the field, we understand each other very well and there is harmony.”
Mateo Kovai added City’s sixth, while Jordan Clark scored two for Luton.
Haaland left before 80:
Haaland could not complete the double hat trick when he was replaced by Julián Álvarez in the 77th minute. It was the second time that City manager Pep Guardiola has taken the striker off after scoring five goals, as he did so during the 7-0 thrashing of Leipzig in the Champions League last year.
Haaland reached 27 goals in all competitions this season, after scoring 52 in his first year with the club.
His performance, plus the understanding with De Bruyne, mean that City would have the drive to repeat last season’s treble of titles, when they won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League.
“We come with everything. “Exciting times are coming,” Haaland said.
Source: AP
