LONDON — The title pursuit of Manchester City has faltered just as Erling Haaland has struggled to find the back of the net.
City needed their star striker to step up against West Ham United on Saturday, especially after league leaders Arsenal had widened the gap to 10 points at the top of the table with a 2-0 victory over Everton.
Despite having a strong track record against West Ham, with 11 goals scored against them previously, the 25-year-old delivered one of his most disappointing performances of the season in a 1-1 draw, a result that severely impacted City’s title ambitions. Konstantinos Mavropanos equalized, canceling out Bernardo Silva‘s opener, leaving Haaland scoreless once again.
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“Erling knows we need his goals,” City manager Pep Guardiola commented. “We also need to create more opportunities for him, but he had a few good chances early in the first half and didn’t convert.
“However, it’s not solely on him; it involves all the players and the overall atmosphere. He will return to form, and it could be soon.”
Despite the slump, Haaland maintains the lead in the Premier League Golden Boot race with 22 goals—four ahead of Brentford‘s Igor Thiago—but he has now gone a month without scoring in all competitions.
His ongoing scoring drought is concerning. Analyzing the situation, Haaland has scored just three goals in his past twelve league matches, with two being penalties.
As this is a crucial year for Haaland, particularly with Norway qualifying for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, the former Borussia Dortmund forward is experiencing the most significant form slump of his career, jeopardizing City’s title chances.
With City trailing 3-0 against Real Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie, Haaland’s lackluster performance at the Bernabeu last Wednesday further demonstrated his struggles.
In the match against West Ham, City dropped vital points against a struggling side for the second consecutive game after a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest, and Haaland managed just 21 touches throughout the match.
He attempted four shots, with only one forcing Hammers goalkeeper Mads Hermansen into a save. The rest missed the mark, including a notably poor miss from 12 yards after being set up perfectly by Jérémy Doku.
In the final moments of the game, Haaland became a victim of misfortune as he mishandled a cross, resulting in a painful encounter with the ball. Typically, he would have accurately positioned himself to score, but it just wasn’t his night.
Such nights are becoming more frequent for Haaland, who appears fatigued or possibly dealing with an injury, especially considering he has been active since the beginning of the FIFA Club World Cup last June.
There’s a growing consensus that Haaland misses the influence of Kevin De Bruyne, who departed for Napoli last summer. The absence of Phil Foden from Guardiola’s lineup has also hampered their offensive dynamics. Although creativity remains in the squad, it was evident that City’s attacking play improved significantly with the introduction of Rayan Cherki at the 60-minute mark, yet Haaland still only received one clear opportunity and failed to capitalize.
It is common for strikers to experience goal droughts, but this marks the first extended slump of Haaland’s career, coinciding with a time when both he and City typically excel in the latter half of the season. Instead of scoring crucial goals to aid City’s title chase, it is Viktor Gyökeres, who has been stepping up for Arsenal, making impactful contributions.
Gyökeres’s six goals in the last 12 games and his vital opener in the recent win against Everton could prove to be pivotal moments that secure the title for Arsenal.
Haaland has consistently been the key player for City, with his absence directly affecting their performance. With Foden as their second leading scorer at just seven league goals, City struggles to secure victories when Haaland is not finding the net.
This season, it may ultimately cost them the title.