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As Newcastle United fans wandered past the statue of Alan Shearer before kick-off at St James' Park, they would have been contemplating the unwanted irony of seeing one of the hero's goalscoring records snatched away in his own backyard.

A goal for Erling Haaland in the north east would have displaced Shearer as the fastest to 100 goals in Premier League history. It's a record that will fall to the Norwegian sooner rather than later - he has 14 games left to break it - but that he didn't take it here is, in large part, why Manchester City failed to pile the pressure on Arsenal ahead of the North London derby.

There will probably be a statue of Haaland outside the Etihad one day, but when he looks back on his City career, this will be a game he wants to forget. Three times

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