Erling Haaland has claimed his third Premier League Golden Boot in four seasons, finishing as the division’s leading scorer despite being omitted from Manchester City’s final match of the campaign.
The Norwegian was left out of the squad for Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa at the Etihad, as City celebrated Pep Guardiola’s trophy-laden ten-year reign in the manager’s farewell match.
Haaland scored 27 goals in 35 league appearances, though City ultimately fell short in their bid to deny Arsenal the Premier League title.
The 25-year-old now joins Alan Shearer and Harry Kane as three-time winners of the award. Only Mohamed Salah and Thierry Henry have claimed the Golden Boot four times in the Premier League era.
Brentford’s Igor Thiago finished second on 22 goals – a tally that helped earn the striker a place in Brazil’s World Cup squad.
Blistering Start and Costly Lean Spell
Haaland began the season in remarkable form, netting 19 of his Premier League goals across the first 17 games. However, a rare drought around the turn of the year may have proved decisive in City’s title challenge.
During a seven-match stretch, the forward scored just once – from the penalty spot against Brighton – with City winning only twice in that period.
He returned to form for the season’s closing stages, scoring the winner away to Liverpool and finding the net against Arsenal in a fixture billed as a title decider last month. Despite those vital contributions, City dropped points at Everton and Bournemouth, allowing Arsenal to be crowned champions for the first time in 22 years.
