Erling Haaland Completes Scoring Against All Premier League Clubs

Erling Haaland finally ticked off Sunderland. It took him three attempts, 159 previous Premier League minutes and a nervy VAR delay, but the list is complete. For now.

The Norwegian’s late strike in Manchester City’s wild 5-3 win at the Etihad on Sunday means he has now scored against every single one of the 25 clubs he has faced in the Premier League since arriving in August 2022. No gaps. No asterisks. Sunderland were the last holdout, and they almost escaped.

Twice he had faced them in the league without finding the net. Three shots, no goals, and the sense that this was becoming one of those strange statistical quirks that sticks to even the most ruthless of finishers. As the clock ticked into the final 10 minutes, that story looked set to continue.

Then the ball flashed across the six-yard box. Haaland did what Haaland does. A slide at the back post, the net bulged in the 81st minute and the Etihad roared. Briefly.

Just like in the Manchester derby a week earlier, the celebrations were cut with anxiety. The assistant’s flag went up, and the goal went to VAR. Another wait. Another forensic check. Another judgment on the tightest of margins. And, just as in the derby, the ruling flipped: goal given.

With that, Sunderland joined a crowded list.

A personal hit list

Haaland’s Premier League scoring map already looks absurd.

He has buried West Ham more than anyone: 11 goals in just eight games. Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers have suffered 10 times each, from six and seven meetings respectively. Manchester United have watched him score nine in eight derbies. Fulham have shipped eight in eight.

Seven against Everton in six games. Seven more against Brighton & Hove Albion in seven. Arsenal, the team that has pushed City hardest in the title race, have conceded six to him in eight league encounters.

Then come the clusters. Five goals against Burnley from only four matches. Five against Brentford and Nottingham Forest, both in seven and eight games respectively. Four each against Ipswich Town (from just two games), Southampton (four), Chelsea (eight), Tottenham Hotspur (eight) and Bournemouth (nine).

He has three against Leicester City in two games and three against Liverpool in six. Leeds United have seen him score twice in three league meetings.

And then the single strikes, now including Sunderland. One goal each against Sheffield United, Luton Town, Coventry City, Sunderland, Aston Villa and Newcastle United. The spread is relentless. The volume, already, is historic.

A perfect record under threat

There is a catch. The “scored against every Premier League opponent he’s faced” line only holds until the next new face appears on the fixture list.

Hull City are up next in that regard. Haaland has never faced them in the Premier League. If he plays in City’s final league game before Christmas, currently set for 19 December, he will need a goal to extend the 100% record to 26 out of 26.

Miss there, and the neat statistical symmetry disappears. Hit the target, and the personal collection grows again.

Kane, and the company Haaland keeps

Only one player with a meaningful Premier League career has managed this kind of universal scoring record before: Harry Kane.

The former Tottenham Hotspur captain, now leading the line for Bayern Munich, found the net against all 32 different clubs he faced in the Premier League. Every single one. He is close to repeating the trick in Germany, too. Since moving to Bayern, Kane has scored against 21 of the 22 opponents he has faced in the Bundesliga, with only Schalke 04 keeping him out so far, and that from just one game.

There is a smaller, quirkier group alongside them. Four players – Aidan Newhouse, Gary Bull, Chris David and Josh Harrop – also boast a 100% record of scoring against every Premier League opponent they faced. The difference is volume. Each of them played only a single match in the competition.

Haaland and Kane stand alone in doing it over multiple games and seasons.

The bigger mountain

Even with this perfect spread, Haaland is still miles from one of the Premier League’s more overlooked records: the sheer number of different teams scored against.

Frank Lampard leads that category. Over a long, decorated career with West Ham, Chelsea and Manchester City, the midfielder scored against 39 separate clubs in the Premier League. Andrew Cole sits just behind him on 38. Jermain Defoe and all-time Premier League top scorer Alan Shearer both finished on 37.

Haaland, still only in his third Premier League season, is at 25 and counting. The volume suggests he will climb that ladder quickly. The churn of promoted and relegated teams will keep handing him new targets.

Sunderland were the latest. Hull City are next. How long before Lampard’s number starts to look vulnerable?