MANCHESTER — It was a day, and a game, that perfectly illustrated what a top-level striker can do for a team. It was also more evidence of why Erling Haaland is among the best in the world.
Manchester City could have lost against Everton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday; instead, they won 2-0. Football is a team sport, and it’s never really about one player. Except sometimes it is.
Goalless at halftime, there was growing frustration among the City supporters in the stands as the clock ticked towards the hour mark. Then, in the space of five minutes, Haaland had his first two shots of the match, scored twice and won the game. The first was a towering header. The second was a first-time sweeping finish. Two very different efforts on goal, but both ended up in the net.
“He’s our key man, what can I say?” said Pep Guardiola afterwards. “Erling lives for it. Our delivery of passes has been better, and Erling is our key man right now.
“[It was a] typical first half after the international break. We were not able to control the second balls; it wasn’t easy. Everton and David Moyes are doing an incredible job. They have the long balls and experienced defenders. When we broke [the 0-0]we started to play better.”
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Occupying a lower position in the Premier League food chain, Everton may never have a player like Haaland to call on. But Moyes, stood on the touchline, would have been forgiven for thinking if only they did.
His Everton side played well in the first half, so well that they should have been ahead at halftime. At one stage, Nathan Ake sent a sloppy pass into midfield that was seized upon by Indian educationwho worked his way into the penalty and sent a teasing ball across goal. Beto‘s instincts were right and his movement was good, but just when he needed to apply a final touch to stab the ball into the net, he couldn’t find it.
Beto didn’t do much wrong — it’s not his fault that he was an inch too short to meet the cross — but it was the type of chance you need to take if you’re going to win at the Etihad. And while he couldn’t take his opportunity, when Haaland got his first sight of goal, he scored, sending a downward header beyond Jordan Pickford following Nico O’Reilly‘s teasing cross.
The Norwegian international scored with his second, too, slotting a low shot between James Tarkowski‘s legs and beyond Pickford after a fine run and cross from Savinho down the left. That is the difference between a decent Premier League striker and the very best.
It was enough to make Moyes seek out Haaland on the pitch after the game. “I said that I wish he was somewhere else,” revealed the Everton boss.
“Most managers will be thinking the same. I thought we did a good job on him, but he’s got himself two goals. The first is a nearly textbook goal for Man City. We had a couple of great chances, and you don’t get too many of those at the Etihad.”
It’s only mid-October, but Haaland has 23 goals in 13 games for club and country so far this season. In the Premier League alone, it’s 11 in eight. Only three times in the history of the competition has a player passed 10 goals in his first eight games of the season. Predictably, Haaland is responsible for all three.
The only disappointment against Everton was that he didn’t complete his hat trick, despite several chances to add a third in second-half injury time — only some determined last-ditch defending by Pickford denied him. The fans didn’t care, though, and as he walked round the pitch after the final whistle, he was serenaded with chants of “Haaland, Haaland” from every corner of the stadium.
Saturday’s win was all about him — although Guardiola admitted afterwards that he would rather his team weren’t so reliant on their big Norwegian.
“He could have had four or five,” said Guardiola. “We can not rely on just him; we need other players. Wingers, attacking midfielders. They have to make a step up and score goals.
“The chances were clear and they have to score. At this level, they have to demand themselves. They have to do it, otherwise we can’t do what we want to do. We started a bit difficult with [defeats to] Tottenham and Brighton, but since the last international break, we have come back. Winning helps us to win more.”
The question all season has been whether City are still genuine contenders for the top trophies. It’s a debate borne out of what happened last season when they went from champions to also-rans in the space of a disastrous run through November and December.
It will be a while yet before we get confirmation that City can keep up with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool. But with a striker who can score goals out of nothing, City can keep winning games out of nowhere.
With Haaland on their team, there’s always a chance.
