City Star Shines Again with a Brace as Haaland Narrowly Misses Historic Hat-Trick
Erling Haaland added two more goals to his Manchester City tally, bringing his total to 99 as the Premier League champions overcame an early shock to beat Brentford 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
Despite conceding within the first 22 seconds to Yoane Wissa’s opener, City rallied through Haaland’s first-half double, securing their fourth consecutive league win. The Norwegian striker, who now has nine goals this season, came agonizingly close to becoming the first player in Premier League history to score hat-tricks in three successive matches, hitting the post late on.
The game began disastrously for Pep Guardiola’s side as Brentford capitalized on a defensive error. A cross from Kristoffer Ajer was nodded across goal by Keane Lewis-Potter, with John Stones’ misjudged clearance gifting Wissa an easy header into an open net.
Brentford, the last team to win at the Etihad in November 2022, threatened to extend their lead, with City looking rattled early on. However, City eventually found their rhythm, equalizing when a deflected pass from Kevin De Bruyne landed at Haaland’s feet. The striker fired past Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken, helped by a deflection off Ethan Pinnock.
City took control of the game and grabbed the lead just after the hour mark. Haaland latched onto a long ball from Ederson, shrugged off a challenge from Pinnock, and finished with a composed chip over Flekken.
Despite City’s dominance, Brentford continued to fight. Substitute Yehor Yarmolyuk came close to a stoppage-time equalizer, but his shot went wide. Haaland, meanwhile, had three chances late in the game to complete his hat-trick, but he was denied by the post and some last-ditch defending.
The victory keeps Manchester City’s title defense on track amid ongoing off-field concerns related to financial rule breaches, set to be addressed next week.
Lineups:
- Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson 7; Walker 7, Stones 6, Akanji 6, Lewis 7; De Bruyne 8, Rodri 7, Savinho 6 (Bernardo Silva 68); Grealish 7, Haaland 9, Foden 7.
- Brentford (4-3-3): Flekken 7; Ajer 6, Pinnock 6, Collins 7, Henry 6; Norgaard 6, Onyeka 6, Jensen 6; Wissa 7 (Yarmolyuk 80), Mbeumo 6, Lewis-Potter 7.
Referee: Michael Oliver.
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