Erling Haaland finally clinched the win for Manchester City because his second-half performance helped City secure a very welcome victory against Brentford with a 1-0 scoreline in favor of Manchester City. Before tonight, Haaland had scored against 20 out of the 21 Premier League teams he had faced.
In Short
He has now added Thomas Frank’s men to his list and secured three valuable points for Manchester City. City are now only one point behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League standings after the hard-fought victory over a resilient and focused opponent.
The pace 🔥
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 21, 2024
The finish 🥶@ErlingHaaland's match-winner 👇 pic.twitter.com/psAn69gBhO
Here’s what happened
City started as they always do – probing and pressing in search of an early breakthrough. The passing was crisp and accurate as they tried to unlock Brentford’s early defenses. But as the first half progressed, Brentford grew into the game and had several good opportunities. Dangerous Yoane Wissa, the match-winner from last season, played at 11 minutes.
However, thanks to the ability and agility of defender John Stones to fend off the danger with an impressive block, there was no option for the Congolese international other than conceding defeat against Manchester City. For the opposition, Visser, who ran tirelessly throughout, played an aggressive Frank Onyeka at 16 minutes, but thankfully, Manchester City’s dependable number 31 comfortably saved his final shot between the sticks, denying glory to Toni, who was lurking with intentions at the far post.
Then, at 19 minutes, Toni himself fired a fierce 25-yard free-kick over the Brazilian crossbar. But it remained a first-half dominated by buzzing bees as the Hornets buzzed around, and City kept coming back at their own opportunities. Julian Alvarez netted a high and beautiful shot from the turn-fly above the bar after Christopher Ajer’s clearance led to a goal-bound effort in the 26th minute.
The World Cup winner suffered an injury to his right foot two minutes later, but his tasty drive went wide as he fell back in disappointment. Then, in a four-minute flurry of chances for the Sky Blues, as they gained momentum, Bernardo came close in the 34th minute with a fantastic move.
Rodrigo flicked the ball to Kyle Walker on the right, who teased it into the Portuguese’s path, but whenever the crowd anticipated a roar, the charging midfielder skewed his shot off target. Manuel Akanji, not known for his scoring prowess, then attempted a curling effort towards the goal after a clever through-ball by Mark Flekken.
The 30-year-old Dutchman found himself in a similar situation a while later, bravely diving down to intercept a header from Ruben Dias. Though the best chance of the first half went to Oscar Bob, making his Premier League debut. The 20-year-old got into the box, feigned a shot, waited, and then, somehow managed to fire his final attempt past our academy graduate, Ben Mee.
Such a pivotal occasion it would have been for the Norwegian amidst this significant match. Manchester City continued to press until the end of the half, Brentford steadfastly resisting to keep them at bay.
Pep Guardiola on Manchester City
Pep Guardiola’s men certainly showed effort and endeavor, but Thomas Frank’s bees displayed qualities of resilience in the toughest spots.
The roars of ‘Come on City’ echoed around the stadium as supporters were on the edge of their seats, with the clock ticking close to the end, and Guardiola conducting the Etihad orchestra, rallying the fans. It took some desperate measures and a lot of scrambling around in search of an important goal, but finally, Erling Haaland broke the deadlock at the 71st minute, finishing cleverly after a quick through ball by Alvarez.
Our star striker then found the net again in the 81st minute, redirecting the ball into the goal after a Walker cutback, but the sight of the assistant’s flag dampened the celebrations even before they could begin. As the clock ticked into stoppage time, Phil Foden made a flying attempt, which Flekken stopped adeptly with a smart save in the 88th minute.
Additional minutes saw more close calls, with Brentford’s keeper rushing forward to block a goal-bound shot before the final whistle brought relief and cheers from the fans.
Player of the Match: Manuel Akanji
Manuel Akanji displayed his versatility in the win against Brentford. The 28-year-old, primarily a center-back by trade, has been filling in midfield several times this season, taking on the role that our treble-winning season saw John Stones comfortably perform.
Stones has been dealing with injury issues during this campaign, which has seen the former Borussia Dortmund man shine in the heart of the City wheel. However, tonight, he reverted to his old ways, putting in a solid performance on the left side of the backline against busy bees, contributing to a clean sheet with his defensive duties.
Guardiola’s Reaction
“We really defended well.
“We talked about set-pieces and corners, and if we defend well, then we’ll have to celebrate a goal because they are a danger in every department.
“I’ve never seen a team create so many dangerous situations and Brentford creates these kinds of situations.’
“Every corner and free-kick is a nightmare. People – the likes of Erling, Rodrigo, Bernardo, with their smartness – help us in defending these situations.”
