Erling Haaland scored for the first time since November as the Manchester City striker’s brace lifted the champions to the top of the Premier League with a convincing 2-0 win over Everton in Saturday’s early afternoon kick-off.
Pep Guardiola’s side were below form as they tried to knock out stubborn rivals Everton at the Etihad Stadium. The 0-0 score after the first half made the Cityzens worried. But Haaland scored twice at the end of the second half to put his name on the scoreboard for the first time since returning after nearly 2 months of absence due to a leg injury.
It was the Norwegian star’s first goal in the Premier League since he scored against Liverpool on November 25 and his first goal in five matches in all competitions since he scored against Liverpool on November 25. Leipzig in the Champions League on November 28.
Man City are unbeaten in their last 22 matches at the Etihad, but the team ranked third from bottom, Everton, made it difficult for the host. Everton have not beaten City since 2017 but Guardiola has painful memories of last season’s 1-1 draw and has urged his players not to let their guard down.
Man City monopolized more than 80% of possession in the first half hour, finding it impossible to exploit Everton’s crowded defense. Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden saw their shots blocked as the Everton players lunged recklessly into the tackle.
Kevin De Bruyne entered the field in the 57th minute and created many opportunities for the strikers. But it wasn’t until the 71st minute that the score was opened when Everton’s defense failed to clear the ball well after a corner kick. The ball bounced back and forth between many players before Haaland found space to volley the ball past Pickford into the net.
In the extra minute, Erling Haaland coordinated with Kevin De Bruyne to eliminate Jarrad Branthwaite, escaped to face Jordan Pickford, before easily putting the ball neatly into the net. That was Erling Haaland’s 50th goal in 50 starting matches, making him the first player to score that many goals in his first 50 starting matches in the Premier League.
Hero Erling Haaland said after the match: “I missed the game a lot. It’s good to be back. We knew what was going to happen, that the game was going to be tight, but we managed to turn things around.” “The situation is in our favor. We just need to be there. We need to keep winning.”
Man City returned to the top of the table for the first time since November 24, but Liverpool regained top spot by beating Burnley at Anfield later in the day.