Pep Guardiola stunned by another hat-trick from 'unbelievable' Erling Haaland as Man City thrash Ipswich

Guardiola waxed lyrical about Haaland's impact in the 4-1 comeback win over newly promoted Ipswich, who took a surprise lead at the Etihad Stadium in the seventh minute. The Norwegian finished the game with a hat-trick and assist to his name.

Haaland scored City's 12th minute equaliser from the penalty spot after Savinho was brought down. He helped with the second by closing off a passing option for Ipswich goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, who then had his pocket picked by Savinho. He was composed under pressure from a tight angle to get his second, City's third, and took his hat-trick goal incredibly well from outside the penalty area. It was Haaland's 10th hat-trick since joining City in the summer of 2022 and his overall record for the club stands at an astonishing 94 goals in 101 appearances.

Guardiola told BBC Sport: "He is so reliable on penalties. Assist for the second, fantastic for the third. Last season he struggled a lot, especially at the beginning. He felt tired and niggles most of the time. This time, with the rest with no Euros, he has arrived with a good vibe. The numbers are unbelievable."

In a grave warning to the rest of the Premier League after struggling with injuries in 2023-24, Haaland recently declared himself to have "never felt better".

He said: "In general, I don't have any pain in my body which is the first time for a long time. It’s amazing – you can push yourself more because you don't have something in the back of your head. I had a long pre-season, I enjoyed it."

After wins over Chelsea and Ipswich so far, City will expect to make that three from three going into the international break when they travel to east London to face West Ham next weekend.