Manchester City 2-1 Brentford: Cityzens maintain 100 per cent record as Haaland downs visitors
Erling Haaland's two goals propelled Manchester City to a 2-1 victory over a determined Brentford team, marking their 32nd consecutive home match in the Premier League without defeat since their loss to the Bees in November 2022.
The Etihad Stadium was taken aback just 22 seconds into the match when John Stones inadequately cleared a header from Keane Lewis-Potter, allowing Yoane Wissa to capitalize and score the fastest home goal ever conceded by City in the league.
Brentford maintained their attacking momentum, with Bryan Mbeumo nearly outpacing Rico Lewis, while Nathan Collins' instinctive shot was thwarted by Ederson.
Despite their initial difficulties, City equalized in the 19th minute when the ball fell to Haaland, whose first-time shot deflected slightly off Ethan Pinnock and found the back of the net.
Pinnock later saw a header rebound off the crossbar but was soon overpowered by Haaland, who seized on Ederson's long pass and skillfully lifted the ball over Mark Flekken to turn the match in City's favor.
Savinho and Jack Grealish each had attempts thwarted, but Thomas Frank faced further adversity before halftime as Wissa was forced to leave the pitch due to an injury sustained from a challenge by Mateo Kovacic.
Pep Guardiola implemented two substitutions at the start of the second half, including Rodri's first appearance of the season, as the home side began to dominate, although they initially failed to test Flekken significantly.
Lewis-Potter squandered a promising opportunity during a rapid Brentford counterattack, while Flekken remained the more active goalkeeper, parrying Grealish's curling shot and tipping Haaland's attempt over the bar, thus preventing the Norwegian from achieving a third consecutive hat-trick and keeping his team in contention.
As the pressure mounted, Kyle Walker narrowly missed the top of the net with a shot from outside the penalty area. Subsequently, one attempt from Savinho was saved, while another shot went agonizingly wide of the target.
Haaland then struck the post, had his follow-up attempt blocked by Collins, and was thwarted by Flekken shortly thereafter. This ensured that Manchester City’s 13th consecutive Premier League victory was the first in that streak to be determined by a single goal.
For Brentford, this may serve as a minor consolation, particularly considering that their only two losses in five competitive matches this season have been against Liverpool and the current champions.
SportsLigue