Erling Haaland pounces on defensive error to send Manchester City second
HAPPY HAALAND: Manchester City's Erling Haaland scores the winner. Photo credit: Martin Rickett/PA Wire.
ERLING Haaland’s 17th Premier League goal of the season lifted Pep Guardiola to within one point of leaders Liverpool but had the Manchester City manager any hair left, his team’s current form would have him pulling it out.
City dominated against their struggling visitors but were forced to rely, not for the first time of course, on Haaland’s finishing to avoid what would have been a potentially costly draw.
The goal came after 70 minutes, on a fast-break with Rodri playing the ball to Julian Alvarez who sent Haaland racing clear, assisted by a costly slip by defender Kristoffer Ajer.
The striker had a lot to do, and did it, finishing clinically for a goal which means he has now scored against every Premier League team he has faced, in well under two years in the country. Only Luton have avoided that fate - and that by virtue of never having faced him.
"It wasn’t easy. We scored a goal on the counter-attack. The defender slipped early and the efficiency was there from Erling,” said City defender Manuel Akanji. "He scored a great goal.
"I was just thinking: ‘Please score!’ The second chance we had, we failed to finish the game. Unfortunately the keeper made a save, but we got the win."
"We know how hard it is to play against Brentford, with their back five. That’s why we tried to attack and we didn’t run into too many counter-attacks. I can’t remember too many big chances they had.
"After the weekend we had to show a reaction and I feel we did that. Now we have to improve game by game."
And, unbeaten at the Etihad in 34 games since Brentford last visited this corner of Manchester, just before the 2022 World Cup Finals, this was a game City simply had to win to maintain their title push.
Yet, as had been the case in the home weekend draw with Chelsea, City laboured to turn possession, and multiple shots, into goals.
A total of 17 efforts rained down on Mark Flekken’s goal, in the first half alone, and the game would end with 11 one target.
But when the hosts did finally beat the Brentford keeper, veteran defender Ben Mee, a former junior with City, was on hand to clear off the line.
That shot came from Oscar Bobb, the Norwegian winger starting his first league game for City, after he cleverly beat Christian Norgaard to create the 37th minute opportunity.
And it was just one of many chances that Pep Guardiola’s team carved out at the start of a week that could have a major say in the title race.
Arsenal will still have some sort of impact, of course, but all eyes seem centred on City and Liverpool and this is the week in which Guardiola’s side will catch up their game in hand, in Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth.
Brentford and Bournemouth within a few days of each other? Nothing less than six points would, surely, have satisfied the City manager although his team were making hard work in the return of the away fixture they won comfortably 3-1 just a couple of weeks ago.
But City did not have to think too far back, to Brentford’s last visit to the Etihad, to recall the threat posed by Thomas Frank’s side on the break and they were almost caught out after 16 minutes.
Joanne Wissa freed Frank Onyeka with a pass that sprung open the City defence and the Brentford man outpaced Kyle Walker - no easy thing - before his effort was well saved by Ederson.
Ivan Toney, a double goalscorer on his last visit, just cleared the bar with a free-kick and Onyeka again had a chance, planting his header straight at Ederson.
As the half wore on, though, it was City who enjoyed the glut of possession without finding that killer proficiency that made them the best team in Europe last season by some margin.
Rodri’s clever pass to Walker ended in the best opening, after 34 minutes, as his cross was met by Bernardo Silva who, despite being one of the shortest men on the pitch, should still have scored instead of planting a free header wide from six yards.
Manuel Akanji’s long shot was well tipped over by Flekken, Rodri’s header found Ruben Dias whose powerful header was again well stopped, this time by the keeper’s legs, and the Brentford keeper would have to save well from speculative efforts from Dias and John Stones before the break.
The attacking malaise continued after the break, with the normally immaculate Phil Foden mis-controlling in a great position before Rodri ended that attack by swinging his boot and shooting just wide.
Bobb, disappointing despite nearly contributing a goal, was sacrificed on the hour for the more direct skills of Belgian winger Jeremy Doku.
And frustrations mounted, off an on the field, summed up by the sight of Foden sending a wild effort yards over the Brentford goal following a Julian Alvarez corner.
Not for the first time in this, or last, season, those frustrations were lifted by Haaland who soon had a second ruled out for offside while Foden forced two more good late saves from Flekken.
“It was an unlucky situation, if Kristoffer doesn’t slip, I’m convinced it was never going to be a goal,” said Brentford boss Frank.
“Haaland is quick, but Kristoffer is just as quick and it would never have been a goal. City are good enough with their quality, they don’t need the margins going their way. I think we needed it more than them.”
Ederson 6; Walker 6, Stones 7, Dias 6, Akanji 7; Rodri 7; Foden 6, Alvarez 7 (Kovacic 89), Silva 5, Bobb 5 (Doku 61, 6); Haaland 8.
Ake, De Bruyne, Ortega, Gomez, Nunes, Carson, Lewis.
Flekken 8; Jorgensen 5, Ajer 5, Mee 7; Roerslev 7 (Ghoddos 89), Onyeka 7 (Damsgaard 89), Norgaard 6, Janelt 6 (Jensen 77, 5), Reguilon 6 (Lewis-Potter 77, 5); Toney 7, Wissa 7 (Maupay 68, 6).
Strakosha, Collins, Baptiste, Yarmoliuk.
D England 7.
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