Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City cruised to a 5-0 Champions League victory over FC Copenhagen at the Etihad Stadium
The Norwegian netted with his first touch of the game and doubled the lead inside the first half for his 19th goal in just 12 appearances for the club
An own goal by David Khocholava and a Riyad Mahrez penalty heaped further misery on the Danes in a one-sided game before Julian Alvarez made it five late on with his first Champions League goal after fine work by Jack Grealish
 It was that easy for City
Haaland was substituted at half-time with the match already won and Pep Guardiola's side progressing serenely into the knockout stages having now picked up nine points from their first three games
 They top Group G, eight points clear of Sevilla in third place
Going into the seventh minute of the game, Copenhagen could not have kept Haaland quieter
 He had yet to touch the ball
 But Joao Cancelo's cross was deflected into his path and he lashed the shot right-footed beyond Kamil Grabara and into the net
The chances kept coming for City but the away side were grateful when they fell to others
 Grealish had a couple of shots saved, while Ilkay Gundogan was denied well by Grabara
 The problems came when the ball fell to the most lethal finisher in the land
That is what happened when the goalkeeper could only parry Sergio Gomez's shot into his path and Haaland measured the ball into the vacant net
 The only man who could deny him his hat-trick was Guardiola - hooking him in favour of Cole Palmer at the interval
By that stage, City were three up thanks to a double-deflected Gomez shot that was diverted in by Khocholava
 Even Haaland's removal did not stop the scoring
 Aymeric Laporte was pulled down in the box and Mahrez scored his first of the season from the spot
Copenhagen did go close a couple of times at the other end, but a driving run by Grealish - one of many in a magnificent display - found Mahrez and his centre was tapped home by Alvarez
 A useful reminder that the Argentine can take on that striker role too
Whether there is anybody in the world who can do it quite as well as Haaland is another matter
It was the 35th minute of the match and you had to concentrate to see it
 Haaland laid the ball off and turned
 There were no cheers but that was it - his second pass of the night
 Incredibly, this scoring phenomenon already had his second  of the night by then
It is a complete subversion of Guardiola's philosophy
 A coach who has built his success on a passing game now boasts the world's most formidable forward and yet he hardly passes the ball at all
 He hardly  it at all
 Eleven touches against Copenhagen
 Four of them shots
Domestically, we are already reaching beyond the Premier League for comparisons
 Alan Shearer and Andy Cole's record of 34 goals in a single season looks so certain to go that it is Dixie Dean's tally of 60 league goals almost a century ago that is the total to beat now
Beyond our shores, Lionel Messi's 73-goal season in all competitions for Barcelona is a marker of note
 Such targets can no longer be seen as fanciful
 Haaland did not expend much energy against Copenhagen
 Guardiola might decide to reassess the need to rest him
He had talked of rotation but Haaland has started every one of City's 12 games so far and the postponed midweek fixture against Arsenal later this month lightens the load a little
 If rested in Copenhagen, he can focus on the Premier League for much of October
With Norway not at the World Cup, Haaland's recuperation period can come then
 How many more defences will have been on the receiving end by that stage? This does not feel like a hot streak, just the inevitable result of ice-cold finishing and a talent for the ages
In the press conference after the game, Guardiola was asked about reports in Spain suggesting there is a specific release clause in Haaland's contract that would allow him to leave for Real Madrid
"It is not true
 He has not got a release clause for Real Madrid or any other team
 It is not true, that is all I can say
 The rumours, people talk, we cannot control it
 Always we must worry about what we can control
"He adapted really well and I have the feeling that he is incredibly happy here
 We will try, with all the people who want to stay here, to make them happy
 That is the most important thing
"In the end, what is going to happen in the future, nobody knows
 What is important is that he is settled perfectly here, he is happy and he is incredibly loved by everyone
 This is the most important thing
"Kyle Walker was missing from the squad for Manchester City and Guardiola confirmed that the full-back's injury could keep him out for some time
"It will be for a while
 I don't know exactly but weeks
 It is something abdominal
 It will be a while out
 I don't know how long
 Maybe the club will make a statement the next day, I don't know exactly, but he will be out for a while
"With the World Cup just next month, Guardiola was asked to clarify whether the England international would be fit for the tournament in Qatar
 "I don't know," he replied
"I cannot say anything else
 I don't know
 Kyle will be a little bit out
 We will see with the statement
 I am not a doctor
 Hopefully, he can get it, of course
 Like Kalvin [Phillips], I know how important the World Cup is for the players
 But honestly I do not know right now
""Man City outclassed Copenhagen