On February 21, striker Erling Haaland scored the only goal as Manchester City defeated Brentford 1-0 in the Premier League. According to Pep Guardiola, this is a strong response from the Norwegian striker.
“Top strikers typically score a lot of goals. Do not condemn him for not knowing how to score. “Haaland has silenced his critics,” coach Pep Guardiola stated in the post-match press conference.
Haaland was heavily criticized for wasting scoring chances in Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea on February 18. This striker was also chastised by football commentators in the English Premier League, who said that his form had deteriorated significantly after two months out due to injury.
“Few people realize Haaland had a rough week. His grandmother passed away, but he continued to play. This is difficult for a person. Haaland isn’t in great shape. But he’s steadily overcoming it. In difficult matches, such as against Brentford, you need players like Haaland to score the most vital goals and shift the scenario. “Face the match,” coach Pep Guardiola said.
With his single goal against Brentford in the 71st minute, Haaland set a Premier League record by scoring against every opponent he has ever faced. This is Haaland’s 22nd goal of the season after 28 matches, with 17 coming in the Premier League.
The result propelled Manchester City to second place in the Premier League, one point behind leaders Liverpool (56 vs 57), and pushed Arsenal to third place (55 points).
“Overcoming Brentford is not easy. Last season, we dropped 6 points to them after losing both matches. So, this victory has given Manchester City a lot of motivation. “We will push harder for the championship race against Liverpool and Arsenal,” coach Pep Guardiola stated.
The Spanish coach of “Green Man” also stated that midfielder Kevin De Bruyne did not participate due to “hamstring problems”. But this is only a warning; this star will return to action this weekend, when Manchester City travels to Bournemouth at 0:30 on February 25 in round 26 of the Premier League.