There are only three guaranteed things in life: death, taxes and Erling Haaland’s score for Manchester City.
The Norwegian maestro already has 19 goals for City, adding two more to his name in their 5-0 draw against FC Copenhagen on Wednesday night.
He needed just seven minutes to get his first as he swept past Joao Cancelo’s deflected cross with his weaker right foot.
His second came with his trusty left boot after Sergio Gomez’s volley was knocked down directly in its path just after the half hour mark.
Haaland, who came into the clash looking for his fourth home hat-trick, was denied another hat-trick with Pep Guardiola hanging on him at half-time – no doubt with an eye on the City’s Premier League clash against Southampton on Saturday.
The 22-year-old may be annoyed at being denied more time on the pitch, but he can thank his coach with the 45 minutes off the pitch to conserve his energy ahead of a game that could see him break a stunning record.
If he scores against the Saints, Haaland will break Lionel Messi’s record for most goals scored in consecutive matches under Guardiola – with the pair sharing the record of nine matches.
Haaland’s job was done but City’s was not as the rest of the squad stepped in after the break.
After Davit Khocholava put the ball in his own net, Riyad Mahrez made it 4-0 from the penalty spot before Julian Alvarez sealed the 5-0 victory.
Few would argue that Haaland is City’s Player of the Season so far, but it was his mate Jack Grealish who stole the show.
Despite not being on the scoresheet, the Englishman was everywhere throughout the 90 minutes and tested Copenhagen goalkeeper Kamil Grabara on several occasions.
He celebrated his first season with a Premier League title, but it was a struggle for Grealish. However, the signs against Copenhagen and in recent outings suggest he could turn a corner.
Grealish, who was handed the Player of the Match award by talkSPORT’s Micky Gray, also caught Guardiola’s eye.
Guardiola told BT Sport: “We played very well, in all departments. Defensively, offensively, we were really focused. A lot of players played at a very high level.
“It’s the only way, everyone has to perform well, help the team and try to win game after game.
“He played amazing, Jack. The next step is to score goals!