Haaland’s Anfield Breakthrough Quest: Can the Norwegian Crack the Kop’s Fortress?

Haaland’s Anfield Curse: Can the Norwegian Break the Fortress?

Erling Haaland, the Norwegian goal machine for Manchester City, is chasing an end to a notorious drought at Anfield, Liverpool’s fortress, as the teams meet in a Premier League showdown.

He is expected to lead City’s attack in the round 25 clash, sitting on 20 goals this season to top the scoring charts.

Haaland has not found the net in any of his three away appearances against Liverpool in the league so far.

Anfield is one of only two grounds where Haaland has yet to score this season in the competition, the other being Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, where he appeared this season only once, according to BBC stats.

For City, Rayan Cherki has been a prolific creator, averaging three chances created per 90 minutes this season, a rate matched only by Bruno Fernandes among City’s peers in the league.

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike has been delivering a goal or an assist every 112 minutes in the league this season (10 goals and two assists in 1,342 minutes).

This is the best rate for a Liverpool player in his first season at the club since Mohamed Salah in 2017-2018 (32 goals and 10 assists, averaging a contribution every 70 minutes).

And the numbers suggest Haaland’s presence remains the brightest feature of City’s attack, while Liverpool chase a breakthrough of their own at home.

Punchline 1: If Haaland finally breaks the curse at Anfield, the Kop might file a complaint with the wind for not blowing the ball into the net sooner.

Punchline 2: If the goal remains elusive, fear not—the ball will clock more miles than a tour bus before finding the back of the net.