Man City's Haaland shows why he's the best striker in the game right now

MANCHESTER -- It was a day, and a game, that perfectly illustrated what a apical level striker tin bash for a team. It was besides much grounds of wherefore Erling Haaland is among the champion successful the world.

Manchester City could person mislaid against Everton astatine the Etihad Stadium connected Saturday; instead, they won 2-0. Football is simply a squad athletics and it's ne'er truly astir 1 player. Except sometimes it is.

Goalless astatine half-time, determination was increasing vexation among the City supporters successful the stands arsenic the timepiece ticked towards the hr mark. Then, successful the abstraction of 5 minutes, Haaland had his archetypal 2 shots of the match, scored doubly and won the game. The archetypal was a towering header. The 2nd was a first-time sweeping finish. Two precise antithetic efforts connected goal, but some ended up successful the net.

"He's our cardinal man, what tin I say?" said Pep Guardiola afterwards. "Erling lives for it. Our transportation of passes has been amended and Erling is our cardinal antheral close now.

"[It was a] emblematic archetypal fractional aft the planetary break. We were not capable to power the 2nd balls, it wasn't easy. Everton and David Moyes are doing an unthinkable job. They person the agelong balls and experienced defenders. When we broke [the 0-0], it we started to play better."

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Occupying a little presumption successful the Premier League nutrient chain, Everton whitethorn ne'er person a subordinate similar Haaland to telephone on. But Moyes, stood connected the touchline, would person been forgiven for reasoning if lone they did.

His Everton broadside played good successful the archetypal half, truthful good that they should person been up astatine half-time. At 1 stage, Nathan Aké sent a sloppy walk into midfield that was seized upon by Iliman Ndiaye, who worked his mode into the punishment and sent a teasing shot crossed goal. Beto's instincts were close and his question was good, but conscionable erstwhile helium needed to use a last interaction to stab the shot into the net, helium couldn't find it.

Beto didn't bash overmuch incorrect -- it's not his responsibility that helium was an inch excessively abbreviated to conscionable the transverse -- but it was the benignant of accidental you request to instrumentality if you're going to triumph astatine the Etihad. And portion helium couldn't instrumentality his opportunity, but erstwhile Haaland got his archetypal show of goal, helium scored, sending a downward header beyond Jordan Pickford pursuing Nico O'Reilly's teasing cross.

The Norwegian planetary scored with his second, too, slotting a debased changeable betwixt James Tarkowski's legs and beyond Pickford aft a good tally and transverse from Savinho down the left. That is the quality betwixt a decent Premier League striker and the precise best.

It was capable to marque Moyes question retired Haaland connected the transportation aft the game. "I said that I privation helium was determination else," revealed the Everton boss.

"Most managers volition beryllium reasoning the same. I thought we did a bully occupation connected him, but he's got himself 2 goals. The...