Erling Haaland’s domestic goal drought is over, but even though he proved the difference in an unexpectedly tight 1-0 win for Manchester City over Southampton, this was not a performance that banished any recent doubts. If anything, his blunt display confirmed the notion that the Norwegian is an enigma, capable of ridiculous athletic feats in one game and woeful misses in the next.
Haaland struck for the first time in four Premier League matches to give City an ideal start in what many people expected to be a bloodbath against the division’s second-bottom team, sliding in to net a Matheus Nunes cross in the fifth minute. But he couldn’t build on his fast start, despite having eight attempts on goal.
The Norwegian missed a near-open goal in the second half and then, receiving a dream cross with the net gaping in front of him, managed to head the ball backwards. Haaland was not the only one to have a bad day at the office, as City faced the unusual situation of seeing less of the ball than their opponents.
Southampton did very little with their possession, aside from attempts from Cameron Archer, who struck the bar, and Adam Armstrong at the end of each half. But they used holding on to the ball as a defensive mechanism and City were at a loss to know what to do. Still, Pep Guardiola’s side recorded their seventh win of the season and extended their unbeaten home run to an incredible two years.
GOAL rates City’s players from the Etihad Stadium…