The Manchester City manager called for more passion from the Citizens’ players and fans, and got it in Erling Haaland’s inspired 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
A little about the topic
Wolverhampton Wanderers have made it clear they will be looking to get into Manchester City’s faces – literally in the case of Gundogan – but the hosts have enjoyed 92 per cent of possession through the opening 15 minutes and have always been about to force a break at some stage. Following a string of half points and an ambitious effort from the distance, Norwegian striker Erling Haaland opened the scoring five minutes before half time.
Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne cut a cross from the right, with a powerful drive from Erling’s that allowed him to get above Collins and head past Jose Sa for his 23rd PL goal of the season. The Citizens thought they should have had an add-on kick a second before halftime but Jack Grealish’s penalty chants fell on deaf ears and failed to convince those in the VAR booth – with the England winger then seeing the kick cleared off the line at the moment of stopping.
Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola did see his side double their lead inside the five-minute restart, as İlkay Gundogan had his heels clipped by Ruben Neves inside the box and Erling Haaland made no mistake in sending Jose Sa the wrong way from the penalty spot. The game was then ended as a competition in the 54th minute when Jose passed the ball straight to Riyad Mahrez and he squared for Erling Haaland to roll into the back of the net to complete his hat-trick.
Erling Haaland’s remarkable feats in the final third continue to see records crumble around him. No player has scored more home goals for the Citizens in a single Premier League campaign that Norway national team player holds 16. Erling Haaland also broke Ruud van Nistelrooy’s fastest player record to four hat-tricks in an English top flight – with the frontman Chelsea needing just 19 games to hit that mark, while the Red Devils legend needed 65. Erling Haaland pulled out just before the hour mark against Wolverhampton Wanderers, but the Norwegian striker had already made all the headlines by then.
English midfielder Phil Foden was a notable absentee from the Manchester City squad, with international England not even included as a substitute. The Manchester City head coach has suggested that Phil Foden is not quite the right fit and more is expected of him. The English midfielder has been short on playing time lately after substituting for less than an hour in a derby loss to the Red Devils and remaining on the bench for a 4-2 victory over the Spurs.
English player Jack Grealish impressed in Foden’s violent absence on the left of a Manchester City attack, while Riyad Mahrez remains a live option on the right and was involved in Erling Haaland’s two goals against Wolverhampton Wanderers – while also seeing one of his own ruled out in the second half after the toughest offside challenges.
What will happen after this?
The Citizens closed within touching table-top distance of the Gunners after another convincing win on home ground, but Arsenal have two games in hand – starting with a crystal clash at home with the Red Devils – and the Blues are still playing catch-up as the games kick off. trek in multiple competitions.