Erling Haaland may have had to wait until the second game of the season for his first goal, but two statistics suggest the City striker is already looking ominous.
The Norwegian scored twice in the impressive 4-1 victory at Crystal Palace last Friday, opening his account for the new Premier League campaign.
And ahead of Saturday’s home game against Coventry City, the underlying numbers look encouraging.
According to City’s official Fantasy Premier League Scout Report, no Premier League player has had more shots inside the penalty area than Haaland’s nine so far this season.
He also leads the way for shots on target, with five.
Haaland finding his range
Haaland drew a blank in City’s opening win against Bournemouth despite having chances, but there was no repeat at Selhurst Park.
He opened the scoring midway through the first half before adding his second late on as City made it two wins from two.
His Palace performance brought him 13 Fantasy Premier League points, including the maximum three bonus points.
More importantly for City, Haaland is getting into the positions where he does most of his damage.
Two league games is obviously far too small a sample from which to draw any major conclusions.
But nine efforts from inside the box and five on target suggest City’s No.9 is already finding plenty of opportunities.
And, as Palace discovered, once Haaland starts converting them, stopping him becomes a rather different problem.
For updates on City throughout the season, take a look at our LIVE! Premier League 2026/27 News, Transfers, Updates & Viral Moments page.
