Erling Haaland Fires Man City To Victory Against Brentford

 

Manchester City edged past Brentford with a 1–0 win in west London, a result that will please Pep Guardiola’s men far more than the performance itself. 

Under the bright West London sun, City began with all the familiar signs of a routine victory. Neat passing, slick movement, and a sense that they were two or three levels above their hosts. Phil Foden looked sharp from the get-go, forcing an early corner inside seven minutes. And it wasn’t long before the inevitable happened.

The Norwegian striker, Haaland, bullied his way past the Brentford centre-backs, shrugged off challenges, and rifled home a low-cut shot past Kelleher. Josko Gvardiol played him in with a cross-pitch lob from the midfield, and he latched onto the ball, maintaining control amidst three defenders before guiding a shot into the net. 

Brentford's best moment came immediately after the restart. A hopeful long ball slipped through City’s backline, gifting Igor Thiago a golden one-on-one. But under pressure and perhaps with too much time to think, he fluffed his lines, Donnarumma rushing out to smother the weak effort.

As Pep Guardiola extended his winning streak to 250 in 349 Premier League games, City moved up to fifth, having earned the maximum points from the victory against Brentford. 

Overview 

It was a match that started with City looking like the elite machine of old, but by the final whistle, they were clinging to control rather than asserting dominance.

Even as City seemed as if they could open up the hosts at will, they were yet unable. As dominant as their possession was, chances were curiously scarce. City’s control lacked the cutting edge of seasons past. a familiar theme in recent weeks.