Haaland scores double to City to make best Premier League start in history – Diario La Página – 2024-09-14 23:33:52

Erling Haaland was on the verge of scoring his third consecutive hat-trick, stopped only by the post after scoring both goals in Manchester City’s 2-1 comeback win, after a shaky start and serious defensive errors that Brentford took advantage of, who were unable to stop the Norwegian and the full victories of a Premier League leader who has opened up a gap after Liverpool’s defeat.

A new Premier League record of nine goals in four games has shaped Haaland’s spectacular start to the season, and he doesn’t need to appear in the game regularly to reduce his effectiveness when he does.

On a day when football took him away from sadness, when he decided to play after Guardiola offered him a rest after losing a close friend of his family, his best tribute was the winning goals.

They were enough to win on one of those days when they win by inertia. Stones failed to clear the ball in the six-yard box after 22 seconds, setting up Wissa’s goal. Brentford surprised and thought they would score 0-2 at the champions’ home ground.

But Haaland appeared. The first ball that fell to him, he sent into the opponent’s goal with a cross. From a cross by Walker and a bad control by De Bruyne. Out of nowhere, Guardiola’s team equalized.

Everything was back to square one, the game was regaining its sanity and City had the ball to force their opponents to move back. There was an exchange of chances with De Bruyne’s long-range shot full of intent and Pinnock’s header hitting the top of the bar. Until, once again, Haaland appeared.

The game slipped away from Brentford from where it should never have left. Caught unprotected, positioned in the opponent’s half, weak to a long pass from goalkeeper Ederson to the reference number 9, Haaland. Pinnock was exposed and lost the one-on-one to leave the Norwegian giant alone in front of the goalkeeper. He flicked his left footed ball into the net and the comeback was certified.

Thus, without the need to resort to a brilliant afternoon, with the difficulty that always comes with returning after a break, City felt that they had done their homework.

Flekken, brilliant with a saving hand to Grealish, a one-on-one with Savinho and a left-footed cross from Haaland, avoided a bigger defeat. Haaland’s hat-trick, who is already making the best scoring start in the history of the Premier League, was saved by the woodwork that also brushed a long-range shot from Walker.

No one would have been surprised by a rout, but the man who equalised in added time was Yarmolyuk, who shook the hearts of the ‘Citizens’ with a shot that Ederson missed but which did not find the goal.