Erling Haaland’s Manchester City teammates all crowded round to give him a “deserved” guard of honour after yesterday’s Premier League victory.
The Sky Blues once again cemented their place at the top of the Premier League table after an emphatic win over relegation battlers West Ham at the Etihad Stadium last night, slotting three goals into the net in a 3-0 victory, and making it a total of 1,000 Premier League goals scored under current manager Pep Guardiola.
But, as has been the case in a lot of Manchester City matches this season, it’s Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland who grabbed the headlines yet again, and even earned himself a guard of honour from his teammates and staff after the game.
And what exactly did he do to “deserve” this star treatment? Break another record, of course.
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 3, 2023
We all know by know that the 22-year-old striker is no stranger to goals, and setting countless new records with the amount of goals he scored – but many fans and pundits are arguing that last night’s achievement is probably Haaland’s most important to date, and one of the most significant in Premier League and football history.
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As he smashed in Man City’s second goal of the night in the 70th minute, that made it Haaland’s 35th Premier League goal – which means he officially broke and set a new record for the most goals scored by one player in a single Premier League season.
He claimed the title from former Premier League all-time greats, Alan Shearer and Andy Cole – who each scored 34 goals back in the mid 90s.
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Erling Haaland given ‘deserved’ guard of honour after breaking Premier League goals record / Credit: Man City (via Twitter)
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, and reflecting on his new record, Haaland said he was “really happy and proud” of his individual achievements.
“It’s a special night and a special moment,” he added.
While he said that scoring the record-breaking goal “was a nice feeling”, just like all his other goals, he did admit that the guard of honour wasn’t the most pleasant experience, explaining: “Winning the game is also really important.
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“But the guard of honour really hurt – they hit me hard on the back.”
“All the team is satisfied for that because he is a unique person, so special, and he deserved the guard of honour because it’s an incredible milestone.
Salford City FC have been bought out by a new consortium
Danny Jones
Another era beckons for Salford City as a buyout of the Greater Manchester football club by a new consortiumhas been announced.
Well, sort of.
Salford City FC were famously the subject of a joint takeover by Singaporean businessman Peter Lim and members of Manchester United’s Class of ’92 over a decade ago, and now 11 years on from that last milestone moment in their history, the local side has a new administration once again.
It is a fresh chapter for the club, but supporters will be glad to hear that there will also be some continuity and key throughline of consistency among some of those at the top.
Salford City announces that the Club has been acquired by a new ownership group led by David Beckham and Gary Neville, and includes US-based businessman Declan Kelly and Lord Mervyn Davies who will both serve as new Co-Chairs of the Club’s board.
Led by Man United legends Gary Neville and David Beckham, who have been involved with Salford since 2014, the new nine-member consortium consists of the Dream Sports Group – a leading sports technology company based in India – along with a number of other key figures.
One of those is Lord Mervyn Davies, a former Labour MP and Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business, who still serves as a trade envoy between the UK and Sri Lanka.
Another is Irish-American entrepreneur Declan Kelly, who is Chairman and CEO of The Consello Group, a global advisory and investing firm.
While the previous co-owners and fellow Class of ’92 United graduates are no longer shareholders at Moor Lane, it is said they will still play important roles at the club.
As the official statement reads, “The acquisition includes a commitment by the new shareholders to invest significantly in the Club, the team and its facilities”, meaning there will funds will likely be sweet aside not only for some healthy transfer business but more updates to the Peninsula Stadium.
Commenting on the announcement, Neville said: “I’m passionate about Salford City. This is a unique partnership with a diverse range of minds and expertise, held together by a love of football.
“Football will come first, however, it’s critical that we drive the Club towards sustainability in the next 4-5 years. I can’t wait for the next part of this journey.”
Meanwhile, Beckham went on to add in the excitable Instagram post seen above: “Salford played such an important role in my life growing up… It’s where I trained with United alongside my best mates every day, it’s where I bought my first house and where me and Victoria lived.
“I’m so proud to be part of a new ownership group alongside my mate [Neville] as we begin the next chapter of Salford’s journey. Football is at the heart of this community and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Ammies.
Chester Zoo’s sellout 10k charity run returns this summer with three new routes
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced that its popular Run For Nature is back again this summer, and this year, there’s three new routes to run.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo saw success with similar sold-out events in 2023 and 2024, and is now looking for 2,500 runners to sign up for one of the North West’s most unique athletic experiences when it returns later this year – with all funds raised from the popular event going towards efforts to protect highly-endangered giraffes in Africa.
Participants will this year take on a brand-new route winding through more of the zoo than ever before, and enjoying glimpses of elephants, lemurs, and other incredible species along the way, before heading out into the picturesque Cheshire countryside.
Chester Zoo is inviting runners of all abilities to take part this year, as there’s a new 5km run added to the usual 10km route, and even a one-mile ‘Zoom’ fun run for kids aged four-15.
With only 2,500 places up for grabs, organisers say the event is expected to sell out quickly, just like it has the past two years, as runners race to support a very special cause.
All proceeds from this year’s Run For Nature in September will go directly towards protecting Nubian giraffes in East Africa – a species which has seen drastic population declines in the wild due to habitat loss, poaching and conflict with humans.
Chester Zoo’s sellout 10k charity run is returning this summer with three new routes / Credit: Chester Zoo
Runners will receive a wooden medal at the finish line and free entry to the zoo for the remainder of the day, so they can relax and celebrate their achievement among 30,000 amazing animals.
If that didn’t all sound brilliant enough as it is, top fundraisers from the day will also be in with a chance of winning some exciting prizes too, including annual zoo memberships, animal adoptions, and even special behind-the-scenes zoo experiences.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing back Run For Nature for a third incredible year,” explained Sarah Jones, who is the Fundraising Lead at Chester Zoo.
“We’ve now doubled the distance runners spend inside the zoo, so they’ll pass by even more iconic animals, [making it] a really special experience you won’t get anywhere else.”
Run For Nature is back at Chester Zoo this Sunday 21 September, and you can find out more and sign up to take part here.
Emily Sergeant -
4th May 2023 
