Haaland's haul puts City three matches from glory

After a glimpse of Manchester City's stylish past came an illustration of their powerful present. David Silva was on the pitch at the Etihad Stadium before kick-off, his first return since his 2021 departure allowing the City faithful to pay tribute to an old favourite. Erling Haaland took the field after that, scored four goals in under an hour and left City only requiring three more wins to clinch a record fourth consecutive title.

- RICHARD JOLLY

Silva captained them to the first but if he was upstaged on his return, that is probably how a self-effacing figure prefers it. If there has been a shift in City's identity, from the small Spanish passer to the giant Norwegian scorer, the midfielder may be far more emblematic of Pep Guardiola's natural philosophy than the striker. But goals have an eloquence of their own and on days like this, when Haaland is marauding and magnificent, there is a pragmatic logic to recalibrating the side around him.

A ninth City hat-trick, a third this season and, after one in 2022, a second against Wolves extended his remarkable record. He made 59 starts in the Bundesliga and scored 62 goals. After 59 in the Premier League, he has 61. This season, when his form has been mixed, he still has 36 goals in all competitions, 25 of them in the Premier League. A second successive Golden Boot looks a formality. In due course, he will probably join Silva among the figures granted their own statue outside the Etihad. They are, though, very different players. If one of the few criticisms of Silva was that, at times, he could be too infrequent a scorer, Haaland has the capacity to run amok when he senses weakness.