Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola joked that he was annoyed with Erling Haaland on Saturday, after the Norwegian's record-breaking run of three consecutive home Premier League hat-tricks came to an end.
City beat Southampton 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium – becoming the first team since 1959 to score three or more goals in nine straight home top-flight games – but Haaland was only on the scoresheet once, netting his side's fourth goal.
And Guardiola sarcastically suggested that he was "upset" at the 22-year-old's inability to hit another hat-trick, also referencing a petition calling for Haaland to be banned from football "because it's just not fair" how brilliant he's been.
Speaking after the victory – which extended City's league unbeaten run to 21 matches – Guardiola said:
"I am so upset with him. He didn't score three goals, so that's why the petition to sack him from the Premier League because he's a robot, that is not going to happen!
"Expectations of him are so high that people expect he is going to score three or four goals every game, but in the end he was there and he scored. He has done it and helped us again. He played really [well]."
Haaland's almost disconcertingly prolific streak goes on and on: he's now up to 20 goals for the season in all competitions – in 13 appearances. He's also set a new record for the fewest games taken to reach 15 Premier League goals: nine – obliterating the previous best of 15, which was held by Andy Cole.
Next up for City is a Champions League trip to Copenhagen – who Haaland bagged a brace against this week – before they head to Anfield to face Liverpool, one of only two teams to stop Haaland from scoring this season (the Reds kept him out en route to winning the Community Shield, his City debut).
