It must've been a systematic malfunction.
When Erling Haaland steps up from 12 yards, the image of the Nordic God wheeling away in celebration appears inevitable a few seconds after the screech of the referee's whistle is heard. But at Bramall Lane on Sunday, Haaland was cruelly denied by the post after sending Blades goalkeeper Wes Foderingham the wrong way.
It was the fourth unsuccessful attempt of his career (36 have been dispatched).
The error from 12 yards was just the beginning of what could've been a bitterly frustrating afternoon for the Premier League record-breaker. Sheffield United's handsy backline did a fine job of ensuring Haaland didn't dominate the penalty area, and when he did find an opening in the first hour, Foderingham was on hand to deny Manchester City's superstar forward.
However, as Sheffield United discovered, you can only keep Haaland down for so long. Relentless pressure eventually told as the Norwegian nodded in the visitors' opener in their dramatic 2-1 win.
After smashing the division's scoring record during his debut season, Haaland will undoubtedly be aiming to topple himself in 2023/24. Here's how his first three games of the new season compare to his record-breaking 2022/23 campaign.
Erling Haaland's first three Premier League games - 2022/23 vs 2023/24
The goalscoring patterns at the start of both seasons are identical. Haaland notched braces in the opening games of 2022/23 and 2023/24 - away from home, too - before enduring a goalless Matchday 2. However, on both occasions, he responded with a goal on matchday three.
Thus, the City striker has matched his scoring tally through three games and, while the sample size is tiny, is on course to score 38 Premier League goals this season and beat his single-season scoring record of 36.
Other notable statistics are also similar. Haaland hasn't been involved much from a creative perspective and is yet to notch an assist this season - he registered one against Bournemouth on matchday two last season - and his touch count through three games almost match. Haaland had 71 by this point in 2022/23 and has had 63 this time around.
However, the stats also depict a more efficient Haaland at the start of his debut season. The striker scored three goals while playing 19 minutes less compared to his first three games in 2023/24 and he also recorded 0.4 lower expected goals for his three strikes by this point last season.
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This article was originally published on 90min as How Erling Haaland's first three Premier League games compares to 2022/23.
