Erling Haaland continued his blistering form this season as his early strike secured Manchester City a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Brentford on Sunday.
The Norwegian striker struck in the ninth minute at the Gtech Community Stadium, earning City their third win in four Premier League matches and lifting them to fifth place in the table.
Haaland’s goal — his 12th in nine appearances across all competitions this season — maintained his status as the league’s most lethal finisher. He has also scored six times in two recent outings for Norway, with Tottenham the only team to stop him from scoring in the current campaign.
“He has been so important for us this season,” said City boss Pep Guardiola. “We need more goals from the others, but the chances were there.”
City are now unbeaten in seven games in all competitions since their defeat at Brighton in August, and they trail leaders Arsenal by three points heading into the international break.
However, Guardiola’s evening was slightly marred by an injury to Rodri, who was forced off in the first half with what appeared to be a hamstring problem.
The Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder has been struggling to regain full fitness following ACL surgery earlier this year and had only recently returned to the starting lineup.
“Hopefully, it will not be huge,” Guardiola said of Rodri’s setback.
The match also marked Guardiola’s 250th Premier League victory, and he hailed his side’s first-half dominance.
“We played an outstanding first half, close to our best in many things,” he said. “When you don’t score more, it becomes difficult later. But in general, I’m really pleased with this month.”
Despite Jeremy Doku starting on the bench, City controlled the first half with ease. Josko Gvardiol missed an early header from a Phil Foden corner before Haaland finally broke his Premier League duck at Brentford, one of only two grounds — alongside Anfield — where he had yet to score.
Gvardiol’s long pass split the Brentford defence, allowing Haaland to sprint through and hammer a fierce shot past Caoimhin Kelleher. The strike extended his astonishing record in London to 21 goals in 22 league appearances in the capital.
City lost momentum after Rodri’s injury, with Foden missing a good chance and Tijjani Reijnders testing Kelleher with a powerful drive.
Brentford grew into the game after the break. Igor Thiago forced a fine save from Gianluigi Donnarumma, while Michael Kayode headed over from a Kevin Schade cross.
Kayode’s long throws created late tension, but City’s defence held firm to seal a narrow yet vital victory — one that underlined both Haaland’s efficiency and Guardiola’s pursuit of perfection.
BBC
