In the 9th round of the English Premier League, Manchester City faced Brighton. Just 19 minutes into the match, Erling Haaland ended his two-game EPL goal drought with a powerful shot after a breakaway.

After scoring 8 goals in the first 6 EPL matches, Haaland suddenly lost his scoring touch.

Against Wolverhampton and Arsenal, he not only failed to find the net but also managed just one shot on target.

In the Champions League and the Premier League, Haaland struggled to score in his last 3 matches, only managing to find the back of the net once in his last 5 games.

A significant detail that highlights Haaland's importance in the team's offense is that scoring goals is expected of him.

Thus, it's not news when he scores, but it is noteworthy when he doesn't.

For example, when Haaland went two games without scoring for Manchester City, he appeared to be in low spirits.

However, without a doubt, whenever his teammates scored, Haaland would celebrate their goals with open arms, often even more passionately than his own goals. This collective spirit is a defining characteristic of the team.

In recent games, Haaland has struggled to contribute goals, marking a sharp contrast to his earlier impressive performances. Fans and his team are eagerly anticipating his return to form and his ability to score in this match against Brighton.

If Brighton managed to keep a clean sheet in this game, it would mean Haaland hasn't scored in three consecutive Premier League matches.

However, his scoring drought came to an end just 19 minutes into the match.

When the opposing team threw the ball out of play, Bernardo Silva made an aggressive push forward, opening up an opportunity for Haaland to penetrate the penalty area and launch a potent left-footed shot into the goal.

This powerful strike marked Haaland's ninth goal in as many matches in the Premier League this season, keeping him at the top of the league's scorer list. After the match, he was rightfully named the best player of the game.

Moreover, this goal was significant as it was Haaland's 45th goal in 44 Premier League matches. This feat moved him ahead of Ilkay Gündogan and put him on equal footing with James Maddison in the all-time Premier League top scorers list.

It's essential to highlight that this was only the second time in Haaland's Manchester City career that he scored a long-range goal, the previous instance dating back to September 2022 against Wolverhampton.