Erling Haaland’s double secures a vital win for Manchester City as they take advantage of Liverpool’s stumble in the Premier League. Read about the thrilling match.
In a 2-1 victory over Brentford, Erling Haaland’s pair of goals secured Manchester City’s place as the Premier League leaders with three points ahead.
Despite a disastrous start, City managed to stretch their 100 percent record to four games and move clear at the top by taking full advantage of Liverpool’s defeat.
Haaland’s early-season form continues to be unstoppable. Although he narrowly missed breaking the Premier League record for three consecutive hat-tricks, the Norwegian striker is still performing at a top level.
After his deflected shot brought City to an equal score, the 24-year-old followed up with a mix of might and agility that allowed him to shake off Ethan Pinnock. With Mark Flekken quickly approaching, he then delicately chipped the ball over for another goal.
Haaland only missed out on another hat-trick post-half time, nonetheless he has set a new Premier League record with nine goals in the first four games of the season.
“Haaland is an absolute machine in front of goal and I cannot praise him highly enough,” City’s Jack Grealish remarked about Haaland, who was uncertain because he had recently lost a dear friend.
READ ALSO: Haaland Scores Hat-Trick at West Ham, Puts Man City on Top
“His mental strength speaks volumes about him as a person.”
A comfortable 3-0 win at Southampton allowed Manchester United to relieve the pressure on Erik ten Hag.
After being humiliated by Liverpool, United had to endure a two-week break before bouncing back with a slow start against Southampton.
A penalty save by Andre Onana was necessary for the Red Devils to prevent Cameron Archer from scoring. However, with two goals scored in a span of five minutes right before half-time, the game took a decisive turn towards favoring the visiting team.
Matthijs de Ligt scored his inaugural goal for United with a nod, while Marcus Rashford broke his six-month dry spell by expertly curling the ball into the bottom corner.
Southampton’s return to the top flight has been difficult, as they have failed to earn a single point in their first four games. On top of that, things got worse when Captain Jack Stephens received a red card for recklessly lunging at Alejandro Garnacho.
In stoppage time, the Argentine cleared off any dust and completed the scoring with a powerful strike into the top corner of the net.
Ten Hag said that after Andre blocked the penalty and Matthijs de Ligt scored a goal, they took control of the game and dominated it.
AFP
