Erling Haaland Hits Milestone as Manchester City Stays Perfect, While Palace and Newcastle Stage Dramatic Comebacks

Erling Haaland does not do quiet milestones. On a Saturday afternoon in September 2026 that tested Manchester City's early-season resolve, the Norwegian striker powered home his 300th career club goal to secure a gritty 1-0 victory over newly promoted Coventry City. The win keeps Enzo Maresca's side perfect with nine points from three matches, but the story of the Premier League weekend was written in the dying minutes across the country, as Crystal Palace and Newcastle United engineered thrilling multi-goal comebacks to rescue their afternoons.[1][2][5][6]

At the Etihad, City's £440 million summer rebuild was on full display. With Nico O'Reilly injured in the warm-up, British record-equalling £125 million signing Enzo Fernández was thrust into the starting lineup for his debut. The Argentine orchestrated the decisive moment midway through the first half, sliding a precise pass to Antoine Semenyo, whose driving cross from the right was met by Haaland's towering header.[2][3]

Yet Coventry, still searching for their first top-flight goal since May 2001, refused to fold. The visitors hammered away in the second half, forcing Gianluigi Donnarumma into a point-blank save against Ellis Simms and a desperate block to deny Loum Tchaouna's low drive. "Today was not a nice win, a bit of an ugly win," Maresca admitted afterward, praising his squad's ability to defend long throws and set pieces under pressure.[1][2]

If City's victory was a grind, the action at St. James' Park was pure chaos. Newcastle United found themselves staring at a 2-0 deficit against Marco Rose's Bournemouth after just 35 minutes. Marcus Tavernier stabbed home an early opener in the ninth minute, and a disastrous Malick Thiaw own goal—deflecting Alex Scott's cross into the net—silenced the Tyneside crowd.[5][8]

But Matthias Jaissle's unbeaten start as Newcastle manager was preserved by a relentless second-half surge. Harvey Barnes sparked the revival in the 37th minute, cutting inside from the left flank to curl a brilliant solo strike into the top corner. As Bournemouth retreated, Newcastle introduced debutant Matias Fernandez-Pardo and midfielder Jacob Ramsey to force the issue.[5][8]

The gamble paid off in the 88th minute. After Bournemouth failed to clear a recycled cross, Barnes fanned on a shot in the box, but the ball fell perfectly for Ramsey. The substitute calmly stroked a low finish past goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, securing a 2-2 draw and sending St. James' Park into delirium. For Bournemouth, it marked the seventh point dropped from winning positions in just three matches.[5][8]

Down in London, Crystal Palace delivered an equally spectacular turnaround to hand manager Pierre Sage his first Premier League victory. Traveling to Craven Cottage, the Eagles fell behind to an 11th-minute deflected strike from Fulham's Josh King. Despite Fulham controlling 65 percent of possession and attempting 25 shots, Palace proved ruthlessly efficient in the final third.[6][7]

The unlikeliest of heroes emerged for Palace: left-back Tyrick Mitchell, who had not scored in the league for nearly a year. Mitchell leveled the match at 1-1 in the 35th minute off an Eddie Nketiah feed, and after Cesar Palacios restored Fulham's lead just before halftime, Mitchell struck again in the 54th minute, bundling home a rebound after his initial drive was blocked.[6]

The stage was then set for Ben Chilwell. Making his second debut for Crystal Palace after arriving from Chelsea, the 29-year-old needed just one touch to define the match. In the 77th minute, a loose ball broke kindly in the Fulham penalty area, and Chilwell lashed a clean volley into an empty net to seal a 3-2 victory.[6]

While the goals flowed in London and Newcastle, the net remained untouched at the City Ground, where Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur played out a tense 0-0 draw. Spurs finally earned their first point of the season, but Roberto De Zerbi's new-look side—bolstered by a summer spend of nearly £400 million—has now failed to score in 270 minutes of Premier League football.[4]

Forest thought they had snatched a dramatic winner in the second half when Neco Williams bundled the ball over the line. However, a VAR review determined the defender had handled the ball immediately before scoring, chalking off Oliver Glasner's first victory in charge of the Tricky Trees.[4]

Tottenham dominated the shot count with 12 attempts and accumulated 1.57 expected goals, but failed to seriously test Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels on his 100th appearance for the club. Debuts for Mykhailo Mudryk and a late header from Dominic Solanke could not break the deadlock, leaving Spurs searching for answers as the international break looms.[4]