Man City win at Southampton to pressure leaders Arsenal

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Erling Haaland-led Manchester City club beat Southampton 4-1 in an English Premier League match Saturday to put pressure on the league leaders Arsenal.

The Norwegian star, who scored double at Southampton, became the second player to record 30 goals in his debut season at a Premier League club.

Haaland, 22, who left Borussia Dortmund for Man City in the summer of 2022, hit the mark via a spectacular bicycle kick to tie ex-Sunderland forward Kevin Phillips' record set during the 1999 - 2000 season.

Phillips scored 30 goals in his debut season in the Premier League with a stellar performance.

English midfielder Jack Grealish and Argentine forward Julian Alvarez were the other scorers for Manchester City. A lone goal by Sekou Mara was the only score for Southampton.

Second-place Manchester City boosted their points to 67 in 29 matches to narrow the gap to five points against Arsenal.

Called the Gunners, Arsenal, who has collected 72 points in their dream season, will visit Liverpool on Sunday.

Southampton are at the bottom of the league standings with 23 points.

- De Bruyne quickest player to have 100 Premier League assists

It was also a historic day for Man City's Kevin De Bruyne as the Belgian midfielder became the fastest player to reach 100 assists in the Premier League.

De Bruyne, 31, who had been a Man City regular since 2015, tallied his 100th assist in 237 matches -- 56 games less than ex-Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

Fabregas of Spain was playing for Chelsea when he set the record on New Year's Eve 2016.

De Bruyne, who reached the century mark, joins Fabregas, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs.

The English top-flight league's all-time assist leader is Ryan Giggs. The former Welsh midfielder, who played for Manchester United his entire career, had 162 assists in 632 league appearances.

De Bruyne needs four assists in the league to surpass Lampard and Rooney. The Belgian playmaker has a contract with Man City until 2025.

Fabregas, 35, tallied 111 assists in the Premier League but now plays for Italian lower league club Como