Erling Haaland sweeps up another Premier League trophy - without even playing

He’s just that good. Erling Haaland doesn’t even need to touch a football to win a trophy these days.

Of course, I’m being slightly facetious, but it’s true. Haaland picked up his second golden boot in as many years after sailing to the top of the goal-scorers charts in the Premier League and not being knocked off. It’s his third in four seasons, and he now draws level with Alan Shearer and Harry Kane in terms of golden boot wins.

The Norwegian attacker started in Manchester City’s previous Premier League match against Bournemouth away from home, scoring the late equaliser, but he did not make the team for Guardiola’s final game, against Aston Villa.

And there was no sign of an injury, nor news of a physical issue. Instead, it appears Haaland was simply rested by Pep in his final game. The golden boot was not at risk, as Haaland was five goals clear of Brentford’s Igor Thiago in second place. While a 5-goal performance was not impossible for the Brazilian against Liverpool, it was extremely unlikely Haaland would have required to up his count to stay on top.

In his first season in the Premier League, Haaland scored 36 goals before scoring 27 in his second. He only scored 22 in his third season, but went back to 27 for the campaign that has just concluded.

Premier League top scorers

1. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) – 27 goals
2. Igor Thiago (Brentford) – 22 goals
3. Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City / Bournemouth) – 17 goals
4. Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) – 16 goals
5. João Pedro (Chelsea) – 15 goals
6. Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest) – 15 goals
7. Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal) – 14 goals
8. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United) – 14 goals
9. Danny Welbeck (Brighton & Hove Albion) – 13 goals
10. Eli Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth) – 13 goals

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