PEP GUARDIOLA: ERLING HAALAND'S 100 PREMIER LEAGUE GOALS ARE 'INSANE'
Haaland's 100th goal was the calm part of City's 5-4 win over Fulham. Guardiola calls the striker's pace "insane."
Pep Guardiola of Manchester City described Erling Haaland's quick entry into the Premier League's 100 club as insane.
Haaland reaching his 100th goal against Fulham was maybe the only normal part of City's crazy 5-4 win at Craven Cottage.
He only needed 17 minutes to score at Craven Cottage, making him the 35th player to reach 100 Premier League goals. He did it in just 111 games.
Alan Shearer held the record, hitting the same mark in 124 games, 30 years prior in 1995.
When I got here, if someone told me he'd score 100 goals in 111 games, I'd ask, 'Are you sure? In this league? 'But he did it. The numbers are insane. "Insane," Guardiola stated.
He's definitely one of the best. For strikers, it's all about numbers, and his numbers speak for themselves.
You Brits bring the best strikers to this country, and Erling is one of them.
I'm glad for him and for the team for making this day special for him. Let's keep going.
Haaland said he'd always remember the match, telling City's website, "Of course, it means a lot."
First off, scoring 100 goals in the Premier League for City is something I wanted to do when I joined.
But I didn't think it would happen this fast. Now that it has, I'm very proud. It's a big deal.
I think later in my career, looking back at this, this game will be a big moment and something I'll always remember.
No one at Craven Cottage will forget this match anytime soon.
City was up 5-1 shortly after halftime. Tijjani Reijnders built on Haaland's opener, Phil Foden scored twice, and Sander Berge redirected Jeremy Doku's shot into the net.
Emile Smith Rowe scored before the half, but things got really wild when Alex Iwobi curled in a second for the home team.
Samuel Chukwueze, a substitute, then scored twice in quick succession, leaving City hanging on. Josko Gvardiol cleared Josh King's shot off the line in stoppage time.
"It's disappointing because we didn't get anything from our fight, but we have to look at the bright side," Iwobi said.
We put on a show, but sadly, it wasn't the result we wanted.
ANALYTICAL: NICO O’REILLY'S IMPACT, HAALAND'S ADVICE KEY TO MAN CITY'S MADRID VICTORY
After an emotional Bernabéu night, Nico O’Reilly discusses his breakthrough UCL goal, crediting Erling Haaland’s advice and praising Man City’s current good form.
Nico O'Reilly was thrilled after scoring his first UEFA Champions League goal, which helped us win 2-1 against Real Madrid.
Rodrygo scored for the home team just before the half-hour mark, but O’Reilly quickly equalised 10 minutes before halftime. He scored from close range after Thibaut Courtois saved Josko Gvardiol’s header.
Two minutes later, Erling Haaland scored his 55th Champions League goal from a penalty after Antonio Rudiger fouled him, putting us ahead.
In the second half, Jude Bellingham missed a chance, and Endrick's header hit the bar as Real Madrid tried to tie the game. Jeremy Doku’s shot was then saved by Courtois, as we tried to increase our advantage. The second half ended without any goals.
“It was really special; I’m really happy about it,” O’Reilly said after the game.
“I’ll always remember this goal. Getting the three points was most important, and we did. Erling has been giving me some advice!
“It feels great. The atmosphere and stadium are amazing; it’s hard to play here.
“We got the three points, which is what matters. I’m enjoying it, taking it all in. I'm working hard in every game and practice, and I’m loving it.
“I started a little slow and could've prevented their goal, but I made up for it later.”
With this win, we now have 13 points from six League Phase games, which means we still control our chances of finishing in the top eight with two games left.
O’Reilly thinks that the determination we showed in Madrid goes well with our current strong performance in all competitions.
“We know Real Madrid is a good team. We’ve played them a lot over the past few seasons. They are that good.
“Winning here shows how well we’re playing right now.”
PEP GUARDIOLA: XABI ALONSO CAN SURVIVE MADRID PRESSURE; MY CITY RECORD WOULD FAIL
Pep Guardiola believes Xabi Alonso can succeed at Real Madrid despite intense pressure, contrasting his own 'sackable' Man City record.
Pep Guardiola believes Xabi Alonso can turn things around at Real Madrid, even though he thinks his own record at Manchester City last season would have gotten him fired in Madrid.
Alonso, who became Real's boss this summer, is already feeling the heat at the Bernabeu Stadium.
Some suggest that the former Liverpool midfielder might be fired if Real loses to Guardiola's Manchester City in their Champions League match on Wednesday.
Guardiola, who coached Alonso at Bayern Munich, said, I feel for him because we worked together for about two years. It was great working with him. We shared a lot, not just as managers, but with our families too.
But Barcelona and Madrid are the toughest clubs to manage, mainly because of the pressure and the environment. If I had done last season what Alonso is doing, I would have been fired six months before the season even ended. It's tough there. But Alonso knows this; he's been there. It's all about winning.
Real Madrid had a good start under Alonso, but after losing to Liverpool last month, things have gone downhill, with rumours of problems in the locker room. They've only won two of their six games since then, which ended with a discouraging 2-0 loss at home to Celta Vigo on Saturday.
When asked if he thought Madrid might be weak, Guardiola said, I don't think so. I know they have several people out, and I know what it's like when you're building something. Xabi knows what he needs to do, and I know what kind of team we're up against. He can get the job done.
The match on Wednesday is just the latest in a rivalry that has grown over the years. The clubs have played each other in five of the last six seasons, most recently in the playoff round last February, when Real won over two games.
Guardiola hopes his players are ready for the challenge. He said, We're in the group stage, so it's different, but all our knockout games have been close and exciting. We have some key players who will be playing at the Bernabeu for the first time. We're still getting used to things. You have to go through this if you want to move forward in Europe. It's a great place to see what you're made of.
City will still be without midfielder Rodri, and defender John Stones is now injured with a leg problem.