Goal machine Erling Haaland scored five against Luton in the FA Cup (Picture: Getty)
Erling Haaland made yet more history as FA Cup holders Manchester City won 6-2 at Luton to cruise into the quarter-finals, becoming the club’s first ever player to score five goals in two separate matches.
The 23-year-old sensation fired in a stunning hat-trick inside 40 minutes before a quickfire second-half double took his tally to five in this evening’s all-Premier League fifth round tie.
Remarkably, Kevin De Bruyne – who returned from a nasty hamstring injury in December – assisted four of Haaland’s five goals, with Bernardo Silva setting up the Norwegian’s fifth at Kenilworth Road.
On another night, Jordan Clark may have been the headline story with two sublime goals against last year’s treble winners but, once again, Haaland stole the limelight as City stretched their unbeaten run to 18 matches.
Mateo Kovacic added a sixth in the 72nd minute to well and truly put the icing on the cake for Pep Guardiola’s side, who will look to carry their rampant form into this weekend’s Manchester derby.
With his quintuple, Haaland become the first City player to score five goals in an FA Cup clash since Frank Roberts way back in 1926.
The former Borussia Dortmund striker also became the first City player in history to score five goals in a game on two separate occasions, after managing the feat in the side’s 7-0 demolition of RB Leipzig back in October.
Last year’s treble winners cruised into the quarter-finals in some style (Picture: Getty)
There are no doubt many more history-making moments ahead for Haaland, who last season broke the record for most goals in a single Premier League campaign after netting 36 times in 35 appearances.
It wasn’t all good news for City at Luton, though, with Jack Grealish forced off in the first half with suspected recurrence of his groin injury.
The England international was starting for the first time after missing two games with a groin problem and looked despondent as he made his way off the field to be replaced by Jeremy Doku.
Haaland was ‘on fire’ at Kenilworth Road, said Guardiola (Picture: Getty)
Speaking shortly after the final whistle, Guardiola said he was delighted to seal progression into the quarter-finals at such a ‘tough place’ in Kenilworth Road.
‘Erling was on fire and with Kevin the connection was perfect,’ City head coach Guardiola told ITV Sport.
‘We got the space in behind and it was a really good game so here is a tough place to come, I know exactly what I’m talking about and, yeah, we’re in the quarter-finals.’
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Asked whether his City side reach a new level with both Haaland and De Bruyne on the pitch, Guardiola replied: ‘Yes, definitely.
‘The connection they have. Erling needs a player like Kevin and Kevin needs the movement from Erling.
‘But not just that, everyone else was really, really good.’
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