Erling Haaland hit a second successive hat-trick as Manchester City crushed Nottingham Forest 6-0, while leaders Arsenal extended their perfect start to the Premier League season with a 2-1 win against Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Erling Haaland hit a second successive hat-trick as Manchester City crushed Nottingham Forest 6-0, while leaders Arsenal extended their perfect start to the Premier League season with a 2-1 win against Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Haaland scored his second hat-trick in as many games as rampant Manchester City outclassed newly-promoted Nottingham Forest.

City and Arsenal have set the early pace, but Liverpool are gathering momentum after snatching a last-gasp 2-1 victory against Newcastle.

Haaland has made a blistering start since his £50 million ($58 million) move from Borussia Dortmund in the close-season and the Norway striker’s latest goal spree set a Premier League record.

Haaland’s tally of nine goals after his first five appearances is a new high in the Premier League era, beating the previous mark of eight set by City legend Sergio Aguero and Micky Quinn.

After his 19-minute three-timer against Crystal Palace at the weekend, there was a comparatively pedestrian 26 between his first and last goals this evening.

Yet if the two games are combined, Haaland scored an incredible six times in an hour given the Norwegian was replaced six minutes before the end of the Palace game. It takes his overall tally for the season to nine.

Joao Cancelo added a fourth when he drove home Bernardo Silva’s fine pass across the penalty area before Haaland’s strike partner Julian Alvarez took centre stage.

On his full Premier League debut, the Argentine produced a fine finish to beat Dean Henderson after being set up by Riyad Mahrez.

Then, after Kevin de Bruyne had nicked possession inside his own half and burst forward 50 yards, Alvarez picked his spot and finished high into the roof of the Forest net after Mahrez’s shot had been deflected into his path.

There were not that many who felt Haaland would find it difficult adjusting to life in the Premier League, but there were some. They have already proved to be hopelessly wrong.

It is impossible to know how this season will play out at such an early stage, but at the end of it, no-one will be saying the Norwegian is a bad fit.

His movement may not be a fit for City’s fluid style but his quickness of movement, intelligent running, strength and cool finishing make him a hugely dangerous threat.

Haaland was having his shirt pulled as he advanced onto Phil Foden’s curling cross for his opener. He was part of a fantastic one-touch passing move for the second which ended with the loose ball from a slide tackle on Foden presenting him with a tap-in. He shrugged opponents out of the way to make sure he was in the right place to head home John Stones’ nod-back for his third.

Inspired by Haaland’s first-half treble, Pep Guardiola’s unbeaten side ran riot at the Etihad Stadium, reaching 19 goals from just five games.

Guardiola spoke last season about adding someone to his squad who could sniff goals in the way Sergio Aguero used to.

It is worth noting Aguero scored six goals in his first five games after joining City from Atletico Madrid in 2011.

If there is a positive from this for Forest, it is that they only have to try and stop Haaland once more at most in the league this season.

The way their fans sang, both in support of their club and manager Steve Cooper, even deep into the second-half when the gap turned into a chasm, suggested they had not travelled from the East Midlands with any realistic hope of their first top flight away win at City since 1989, when Mikhail Gorbachev was President of the Soviet Union.

They did have one decent chance, for debutant Renan Lodi, who found space at the far post but not the net as he tried to guide his header past Ederson.

Cooper has repeated the club’s startling summer recruitment drive, which could reach 20 before Thursday evening’s transfer deadline, was necessary due to the number of last season’s squad that had left and the increase in quality required to compete in the Premier League.

After collecting an acceptable four points from five games as the squad was pieced together, games against Bournemouth, Leeds and Fulham next month will provide more concrete evidence about whether the battle in their first top-flight campaign in over two decades will be for respectability or survival.

Arsenal Maintain Lead

Man City is two points behind Arsenal after Mikel Arteta’s side once again showed a tenacity so often missing from Gunners teams in recent seasons.

Arsenal struck in the 30th minute thanks to a gift from their former keeper Emiliano Martinez, who pushed a tame Gabriel Martinelli cross straight to Gabriel Jesus for a simple finish.

Second bottom Villa were level when Douglas Luiz’s corner flew straight past Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale in the 74th minute despite the hosts’ appeal for a foul.

But Arsenal, who came from behind to beat Fulham on Saturday, responded impressively as Martinelli restored their lead three minutes later from Bukayo Saka’s cross.

Villa boss Steven Gerrard, jeered off after losing at home to West Ham on Sunday, will come under renewed pressure following his side’s fourth defeat in five games this season.

At Anfield, Liverpool left it late to secure a second win this season as Fabio Carvalho’s 98th-minute goal saw off Newcastle.

Away striker Alexander Isak rocked Liverpool in the 38th minute of his debut following his £60 million move from Real Sociedad, netting with a composed finish from Sean Longstaff’s pass.

But, building on the momentum from Saturday’s 9-0 rout of Bournemouth — which equalled the record for the Premier League’s biggest win — Liverpool equalised when Roberto Firmino slotted in Mohamed Salah’s 61st-minute pass.

And, well past the original five minutes of stoppage time, Carvalho — a day after his 20th birthday — fired home to spark wild celebrations.

Third-placed Tottenham had to settle for a 1-1 draw at London rivals West Ham.

Antonio Conte’s side took the lead in the 34th minute when Harry Kane’s cross was diverted for an own goal by Hammers defender Thilo Kehrer.

But West Ham levelled 10 minutes into the second half when Tomas Soucek rifled home from Michail Antonio’s assist.

Managerless Bournemouth drew 0-0 with Wolves at Dean Court in their first game following Scott Parker’s sacking after the humiliation at Liverpool.

Third-bottom Wolves are now without a win in their last 12 league games dating back to April.