PEP GUARDIOLA REACTS TO ERLING HAALAND MAGIC AS CITY BLANK EVERTON
Pep Guardiola demanded more goals from his other attackers after Erling Haaland's brace beat Everton. The Man City boss warned the team cannot rely solely on Haaland, challenging his wingers and midfielders to step up.
Pep Guardiola had a fiery temper. Erling Haaland of Manchester City, after the Norwegian scored two goals against Everton on Saturday, marked his comeback to the Premier League.
Naturally, he responded by praising Haaland, who has scored 11 goals in eight Premier League games. However, in the midst of jokes about Haaland failing to score five goals against the Toffees, Guardiola chastised his fellow attackers for their poor finishing abilities.
In his quest to become the fastest Premier League player to 100 goals, Haaland added two more goals to his hat trick while playing for Norway against Israel this week.
On Saturday, Man City and their star striker struggled a little before scoring fast goals at the hour mark, and he scored with his head and left foot.
After City got back from the break and settled in before two difficult away games in the Champions League—against Aston Villa on Sunday, October 26, and Villarreal on Tuesday—Guardiola had a lot to say.
Erling Haaland remains hot, Manchester City blanks Everton, and Pep Guardiola responds.
What do you think of the game? "We lacked enthusiasm and were not there with the second balls for the first 15 to 20 minutes following the international break. We had opportunities, so it was wonderful. We accept that the energy was there and that people were coming from the bench, which was a really good thing. It is preferable to get better at winning games.
What made dismantling Everton difficult? "That group is excellent. See where they are at the table. With Tarkowski's experience and the long balls, Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, and Beto are quite powerful. We knew that was a strong team. In the first part, our procedure was not flawless.
"I am really sad that Erling Haaland did not score four or five goals," the commenter said. We must acknowledge as a team that we cannot fully depend on him. He is always there, but we need other players. Without goals from wingers and attacking midfielders, we cannot win.
"To score goals, they must step up." Naturally, we must give Haaland scoring opportunities, but we also need the other players to step up. They must demand that of themselves at that level. The opportunities from Tijjani, Jeremy, and Savio as well. We must do it, or it will become more challenging.
Always him. That is what he lives for. He provides us with a lot. Our construction is far superior. Erling is currently our primary player, and the passes are delivered much more effectively.
Regarding Nico O'Reilly: "He is muscular, young, and plays a lot of minutes." Excellent. He is a tall man with some mobility in confined areas. It was demonstrated by the opening goal; the pass was flawless.
LEGEND STATUS: ERLING HAALAND EQUALS COLIN BELL’S GOAL RECORD IN FULHAM STROLL TODAY
Erling Haaland equals Colin Bell's scoring record as Man City beat Fulham 3-0. Read how Pep’s side closed the gap on Arsenal.
Erling Haaland climbed to joint-fourth on Manchester City’s all-time scoring chart, tying with Colin Bell, as Pep Guardiola’s team brushed aside Fulham 3-0 and closed the gap on Arsenal.
Haaland’s 153rd goal for City came in a match that felt easy for the home side. They barely broke a sweat at the Etihad on Wednesday, cutting Arsenal’s Premier League lead to just three points.
Antoine Semenyo struck first, keeping his hot streak alive, and Nico O’Reilly added another in a match that was basically one-way traffic, with rain pouring down all night.
City did all their damage before halftime. Job done, Haaland didn’t even bother coming out for the second half.
After struggling for a bit, Haaland seemed to snap back into form with a clutch penalty winner at Liverpool on Sunday. Maybe that’s the spark he needed.
Matching Bell’s tally is no small feat—especially considering Haaland’s done it in just 183 games, while Bell had 492.
Honestly, this game was a walk in the park for City. In the last meeting at Craven Cottage, City led 5-1 after 57 minutes but almost let Fulham back in, scraping by 5-4. This time, there wasn’t even a hint of drama.
Fulham made it easy, coughing up possession over and over and giving City every chance to attack.
You could tell a goal was coming. Phil Foden, starting after a spell on the bench, nearly scored twice early on. O’Reilly wasn’t far off either.
The breakthrough came 24 minutes in. Matheus Nunes whipped in a cross from the right, Haaland nodded it down, and Semenyo slid in to poke it past Bernd Leno.
That was Semenyo’s fifth goal in eight games for City, and his third against Fulham this season; he’d already scored twice against them for Bournemouth back in October.
Fulham did get a sniff at goal when Harry Wilson forced a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma, but City hit right back. Haaland got clipped by Joachim Andersen on a counter, but Semenyo kept going and slipped in O’Reilly, who coolly chipped Leno for 2-0.
City’s third came after Fulham gave the ball away yet again. Rayan Ait-Nouri found Foden, Foden passed to Haaland at the edge of the box, and Haaland buried it in the bottom corner for his first league goal from open play since December.
There was a quick VAR check for a possible penalty, with Semenyo claiming his hair got pulled, but nothing came of it.
City eased off after the break. Fulham tried to respond, and Wilson had a lively run, but it fizzled out.
Even with City playing in second gear, Fulham couldn’t get anything going.
Foden tried his luck from a distance but didn’t really trouble Leno, and Josh King forced a late save from Donnarumma, but that was about it.
ERLING HAALAND’S MENTALITY IS THE ONLY REASON MAN CITY CAN CATCH ARSENAL
Erling Haaland’s late penalty at Anfield has cut Arsenal’s lead to three points, reigniting Manchester City’s title charge.
Erling Haaland isn’t giving up on the title just yet. After slotting home a penalty deep into stoppage time at Anfield, he made it clear: “The title race isn’t over until it’s actually over.” That late goal kept Manchester City’s hopes alive.
Honestly, things looked grim with six minutes left. Szoboszlai had just smashed in a free kick, and even with Bernardo Silva’s equaliser, City were still staring at an eight-point gap behind Arsenal. But that penalty—Haaland’s first league goal at Anfield—changed the mood. Now, if City beat Fulham at home on Wednesday, the gap shrinks to three points before Arsenal even kick a ball at Brentford the next day.
Haaland tried to play it cool when people pressed him about the win. “It’s just three points, that’s it. Doesn’t matter if it’s Tottenham, whoever,” he said. But then he admitted, “Yeah, I get it. It was a big one.”
He’s not getting carried away, though. “We’ve seen it before—this race goes down to the wire. Right now, Fulham’s all I’m thinking about. There’s still a lot of football left.”
Haaland’s still the league’s top scorer with 21, but his penalty at Anfield was only his second league goal since Christmas. In his first 20 games this season, he couldn’t stop scoring—30 goals for club and country. Lately, though, the goals have dried up, and he knows it.
“Honestly, I haven’t scored enough since the start of the year. I have to be sharper and better at everything. That’s on me—I owe it to the team and to everyone watching.”
He didn’t want to make excuses or talk too much about what’s behind his dip in form. “I don’t think there’s an excuse. Fatigue? Most of it’s in your head. The schedule’s brutal, sure, but for me, it’s all about staying fit and being ready to help the team. That’s what matters most.”