Erling Haaland's hat trick, featuring two goals in the first five minutes, propelled Manchester City to a 4-2 victory over Chelsea on Saturday in a friendly match held in Columbus, Ohio.

The reigning Premier League champions scored twice within 54 seconds in the first half and again within 71 seconds in the second half, dominating the fixture as part of their US pre-season tour.

Haaland, wearing the captain's armband, demonstrated his prowess to a crowd of 71,280. The 24-year-old Norwegian striker scored on a penalty kick in the fourth minute. Just 17 seconds after the restart, he capitalized on a Moises Caicedo giveaway, smashing a right-footed shot into the right corner to make it 2-0.

Oscar Bobb increased the lead in the 55th minute with a left-footed shot after cutting inside from the right wing. Haaland completed his hat trick a minute later, flicking in a left-footed shot following a turnover in Chelsea's half.

Chelsea's Raheem Sterling responded in the 59th minute, and Noni Madueke added a goal in the 89th, but it wasn't enough to turn the tide.

This match served as a preview for the 2024-25 Premier League season opener, with Manchester City set to face Chelsea on August 18.

Liverpool Beats Manchester United 3-0 in Pre-Season Friendly

In another pre-season US showdown, Liverpool defeated Manchester United 3-0 before 77,559 spectators in Columbia, South Carolina.

Fabio Carvalho opened the scoring for Liverpool in the 10th minute. Mo Salah set up Curtis Jones for a tap-in goal in the 36th minute, giving Liverpool a 2-0 lead. Greek defender Kostas Tsimikas added a third in the 61st minute, scoring on a rebound off the left post.