Soccer-Haaland hat-trick helps pacesetters Man City thrash Fulham 5-1

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Fulham - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - September 2, 2023 Manchester City's Erling Braut Haaland celebrates with the match ball after the match Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Manchester City's goalscoring machine Erling Haaland netted a second-half hat-trick in a 5-1 thrashing of Fulham on Saturday as the Premier League pacesetters maintained their 100% record.

Julian Alvarez and Nathan Ake opened the scoring for the champions, who have beaten Fulham in their last 15 league meetings, and top the table with 12 points from four games.