Erling Haaland can shoot himself into the Premier League history books on Saturday. The Norwegian superstar needs only one more goal to become the fastest player to reach one hundred Premier League goals. The current record held by Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer could be shattered at St James’ Park.
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On Saturday 22 November 2025, Newcastle United welcome Manchester City to St James Park for an 18:30 kickoff, and all eyes will be on Erling Haaland as he stands on the brink of another historic milestone in the Premier League.
Erling Haaland enters the trip to St James Park with the chance to write yet another historic chapter in his already absurd Manchester City story. The Norwegian striker is in his fourth Premier League season and has treated the English top flight almost like a personal playground since the day he arrived from Borussia Dortmund.
In his debut campaign in England, Haaland produced numbers that looked more like something from a video game than real life. He scored 36 goals in 35 league matches, destroying the previous single season record and instantly changing the perception of what an elite Premier League striker could achieve. Defenders struggled to cope with his mix of power, acceleration and penalty box instinct, and City quickly reshaped parts of their attacking play to serve the most devastating finisher they had ever had under Pep Guardiola.
Many expected a natural drop after that explosive first season. Instead, Haaland showed that his scoring rate was not a one year phenomenon but his normal level. Across the next two league campaigns he added another 49 goals, maintaining a standard that would already place him among the most efficient forwards the league has seen. He did this while constantly adapting to different partners and patterns around him, as Guardiola tweaked the system with the arrivals and departures of key creative players.
Now, in his fourth season, he has started as if determined to remove any doubt about his place in the history books. With 14 goals in his first 11 league games of the current campaign, Haaland once again sits comfortably at the top of the scoring charts. No one is close to matching his pace. His nearest challenger at the moment is Brentford striker Igor Thiago with eight goals, a very respectable tally that still underlines just how far ahead the City forward is operating.
Saturday’s game at Newcastle is therefore much more than just another away fixture in a demanding calendar. It is the night where Haaland can become the fastest player ever to reach one hundred Premier League goals. The current record belongs to Alan Shearer, the ultimate symbol of Premier League goal scoring and a legend at Newcastle United. Shearer needed 124 matches to reach the milestone. Haaland stands on 99 goals from only 108 league appearances. One more strike in front of the Newcastle supporters would set a new benchmark that might stand for decades.
The historical symmetry of this possible record adds extra spice to the evening. Shearer made St James Park his stage during his prime years and became the all time Premier League top scorer. For Haaland to break one of Shearer’s records in that same stadium, against the club where the Englishman is still adored, gives the occasion a special narrative that goes far beyond the usual three points.
Pep Guardiola did not hide his admiration for his striker when he spoke to the media in the build up to the game. The City manager highlighted how consistently Haaland performs at the highest level and how rare it is to see such ruthless efficiency combined with relentless work off the ball. In Guardiola’s view, Haaland is not only shattering individual records but also reshaping what is considered possible in the Premier League era.
The numbers support that idea. Haaland scores all types of goals. Close range finishes from low crosses, towering headers at the back post, penalties struck with calm authority, sprinting breaks where he leaves defenders behind, even scruffy second balls that he turns into simple tap ins because he is always positioned where danger can arise. Opponents know exactly what he wants to do, yet they still struggle to prevent him from doing it.
Tactically, the trip to Newcastle also offers an intriguing battle. Under their current project, Newcastle have tried to combine aggressive pressing, intense running and a powerful home atmosphere to unsettle the league’s biggest sides. St James Park can be one of the loudest stadiums in the country, especially in evening kick offs, and Newcastle will look to harness that energy to disrupt City’s rhythm in midfield and force transitions where they can attack quickly.
However, history suggests that this is one of City’s most comfortable away days in Premier League terms. The Manchester side have already won twelve times at St James Park, a figure they have only matched at Everton among away grounds. Newcastle may be on the rise as a club, but City have treated this stadium as a productive hunting ground for many years. On top of that, City have scored in each of their last 33 league meetings with Newcastle, a streak that underlines that the attacking match up has usually favoured the current champions.
For Haaland in particular, this style of opponent may be ideal. Newcastle rarely sit in an extremely low block at home. They try to press, to keep the game open, to push their full backs forward and use their own physical forwards to pin back the opposition. That can create spaces between the lines and, most importantly from City’s point of view, room in behind the defence. Those are the zones where Haaland is at his most devastating, especially when supplied by the precise passing of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva or Phil Foden.
The psychological side of the occasion should not be underestimated either. Strikers talk often about milestones and records, even if many like to claim that they focus only on the next match. Haaland is clearly aware of his numbers and of the opportunity that awaits him. Far from weighing him down, these challenges tend to fuel his competitive drive. He has already shown in Champions League knockout games and key league fixtures that he thrives under pressure.
From Newcastle’s perspective, preventing the record would be a small victory within the larger battle. Their defenders know that every cross, every set piece and every direct ball into the channel carries the risk of seeing history unfold at their expense. They will try to stay compact in the box, win aerial duels and cut off passing lanes into Haaland’s feet. Yet doing that for ninety minutes against a City side that circulates the ball relentlessly is easier said than done.
The wider Premier League audience will be watching with fascination. Shearer’s marks have felt untouchable for so long that many fans grew up assuming no one would seriously threaten them. Along came Haaland with a scoring tempo that compresses careers into a handful of seasons. If he stays fit and remains in England for a significant period, conversations about the all time record will move from fantasy to realistic projection much sooner than expected.
For now, the focus is on that first historic barrier: one hundred Premier League goals, reached faster than anyone else. The list of legendary forwards who never managed that feat includes players who defined entire eras at their clubs. The fact that Haaland could cross the line in just over one hundred games shows how extreme his impact has been.
All the ingredients for a memorable evening are in place. A packed St James Park, a Newcastle side determined to prove itself against the champions, a Manchester City team that has turned winning into a habit, and at the centre of it all, a 25 year old striker standing one goal away from another record. If Haaland finds the net, the roar inside the stadium will be split in two, celebration from the travelling City fans and a reluctant acknowledgement from the home crowd that they have just witnessed history.
