City forward breaks scoring drought to take the reigning champions provisionally top of the league
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland ended his brief Premier League scoring drought with a decisive early goal that secured a 1-0 victory over struggling Southampton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. The victory propelled City to the top of the Premier League with 23 points from nine matches, putting them two points ahead of Liverpool, who face Arsenal on Sunday. Southampton, still without a win since returning to the top flight, remain second from the bottom with just one point.
Haaland, who had netted a stunning goal in City’s 5-0 Champions League rout over Sparta Prague earlier in the week, found himself without a Premier League goal for three matches but quickly corrected that record in the fifth minute. After a tussle with Southampton defender Jan Bednarek, the 24-year-old Norwegian forward scored with a toe-poke into the roof of the net while falling, bringing his tally to 11 goals this season, leading the league.
Southampton came close to equalizing just before halftime when Cameron Archer struck the crossbar. Haaland continued to press throughout the second half with several close chances, including a near-miss from close range that left him in disbelief.
Despite his missed opportunities, Haaland’s early goal was enough to clinch the win for City, keeping them firmly in the title race as they await Liverpool’s result at Arsenal.
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