Manchester City’s ridiculously lethal goalscorer, Erling Braut Haaland, is on course to smash a 27-year-old Premier League record and we’re only in January.
Haaland continues to confound and redefine what we think is statistically possible for a professional footballer as he bagged yet another hattrick in Manchester City‘s 3-0 win over Wolves on Sunday, breaking the record for the most goals scored at the Etihad in a single season.
Having notched 25 goals in 19 appearances in the league (he could seriously get over 50 goals this season), Haaland is also well on course to break another impressive record set by the division’s all-time leading goalscorer, Alan Shearer.
Now just one behind matching the Newcastle and England legend, reaching the landmark in fewer games than Shearer and some of the English top-flight’s most prolific goalscorers, he only needs to net two more trios in a single game to break the record for the most hattricks in a Premier League season.
Again, we’re not even out of January yet… It’s almost laughable at this point.
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In the league alone, Haaland is currently averaging a goal every 62 minutes and only stays on the pitch for around 82 minutes per match, so you can only imagine what numbers he might manage if he were to get a full 90 minutes every week.
With that being said, it’s no wonder that not only is he on course to surpass Shearer for the most hattricks, but with a quarter century already to his name — barring a serious derailment through injury — it’s almost inevitable that he will beat his record for the most goals scored in a Premier League season.
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Shearer actually shares the record along with another famous nine in former Manchester United and fellow Newcastle striker, Andy Cole, both of whom managed 34 goals in 1993/94 and 94/95 and campaigns, respectively.
Still just 22 years old, already has a laundry list of records to his name, including beating Lionel Messi to become the fastest player to reach 25 goals in all competitions. He did it with five games to spare.
Talk about keeping good company.
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We all know the Norwegian phenomenon is nailed on for the golden boot this year, the question is how many other records is he going to break along the way.
While Arsenal might still be clinging on to the top spot, we wouldn’t bet against Haaland, Pep and the rest of that City squad doing what they always do: winning titles.
Premier League Darts is returning to Manchester’s AO Arena in 2027
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Premier League Darts is confirmed to be returning to Manchester next year.
Now’s your chance to see the youngest world champion in darts history, AKA Warrington’s very-own Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, show us how it’s done, as next year’s BetMGM Premier League Darts lineup has just been announced this week – with various dates confirmed across 17 different cities in the UK and Europe.
And Manchester is one of those cities, as the AO Arena has shared that they are set to host an evening next April, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
This means that we will be lucky enough to witness the biggest names in world darts all under one roof, including headliners Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries, as well as Littler.
Manchester is the only northern city to get the pleasure of hosting the event next year, as Liverpool is also on the lineup, as is Leeds, Sheffield, and Newcastle, while elsewhere in the UK, the stars will travel to Glasgow, Birmingham, London, and several other major locations.
BetMGM Premier League Darts is to be held on Thursday 8 April at the AO Arena in Manchester, and to avoid being disappointed, fans are advised to register for presale ticket access.
Following a successful season of events in 2026, tickets are expected to be like gold-dust, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
To access the first wave of tickets, fans must become an active PDCTV Annual Member before 23:59pm on Friday 9 October. Alternatively, general sale is on Thursday 22 October 2026, but make sure not to hang about.
Featured Image – Sandro Halank (via Wikimedia Commons)
Sport
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has claimed he wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on fans getting to drink alcohol in football stands.
It’s a ban that’s been in place in the top five tiers of men’s football since 1985, when fears over violence and hooliganism were at their height, but now the Prime Minister has raised the question of whether drinking in football stands – or ‘drinking in sight / view of the pitch’, as it’s known formally – is actually unjust, due to the fact that same rules don’t apply to fans of other sports.
“I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way,” Andy Burnham has declared this week, grabbing headlines in the process.
He continued: “I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different, and I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination.
“I’m not going to back away from what’s been a long-held view of mine. I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently.”
The Prime Minister’s comments have been met with mixed response.
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands / Credit: James Kirkup | Julia Nastogadka (via Unsplash)
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), for example, has very much welcomed the idea, saying that it ‘totally agrees’ the legislation is ‘outdated’ and ‘deserves to be reviewed’.
Tom Greatrex, chair of the FSA, said in a statement: “The FSA has always argued that it’s unfair to criminalise football fans for having a pint while watching the match – especially since you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol whilst watching an Oasis gig or rugby league.”
However, on the flip side, the UK Football Policing Unit said it would be ‘incredibly rash’ to change the rules without proper consultation.
“Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour,” it said in a statement on the matter.
The Prime Minister did state in his initial proposition though that ‘there are different ways it could be done’, hinting that it could be done ‘on a trial basis’ perhaps.
The English Football League (EFL) added that it would be ‘receptive to discussions around reviewing current legislation and permitting alcoholic drinks within view of the pitch’.
No formal details on a review have been confirmed as of yet, so fans are encouraged to stay tuned for updates in due course.
Danny Jones -
24th January 2023 
