Haaland scores 50th goal of season as Man City beat Fulham and go top of Premier League

Erling Haaland scored his 50th goal of the season in all competitions as Manchester City beat Fulham 2-1 on Sunday and replaced Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.

The Norwegian's third-minute penalty also took him to 34 Premier League goals for the campaign and makes him level with Andy Cole and Alan Shearer's all-time record in the competition.

City were made work for the three points, though, as Carlos Vinicius's powerful strike made it 1-1 after quarter of an hour.

But a superb 25-yard finish from Julian Alvarez in the 36th minute proved the winner as Pep Guardiola's side move ahead of Arsenal by one point having played a game fewer than the London club.

It was the first time City had occupied the top spot since mid-February as they now target a Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble.

“It was a very important win for us today,” said Alvarez. “Every game from here on out is a final. Especially after the win against Arsenal, we'll be able to catch up. We need to keep this going.

“This is where we wanted to be at the start of the season. Everyone's put in really good work and now we've reached the top we need to defend it. Every game is a final for us and everyone's going to pull together to make that final effort.”

Haaland has reached his 34 league goals in just 30 appearances since his summer move from Borussia Dortmund with the 22-year-old potentially playing another six games in the domestic competition.

Cole's tally with Newcastle United and Shearer's with Blackburn Rovers also came in a 42-game top-flight season, unlike the 38 games that are played now.

Haaland had already overtaken Mohamed Salah's record of 32 goals in a 38-game season with his strike in the 4-1 win against Arsenal on Wednesday.