Erling Haaland’s incredible miss caused a lot of astonishment in the football world. “That was probably the worst miss I’ve ever seen at this level,” marveled former world-class attacker Gary Linker on X (formerly Twitter).
“I have no explanations for this,” added former United captain Roy Keane. The top scorer shot the ball over the empty goal from just under two meters shortly before half-time in Manchester City’s 3-1 win in the derby against Manchester United on Sunday.
“Best player in the Premier League”
Phil Foden turned the game around with two goals after United took the lead. Haaland then scored his 18th goal of the season to make it 3-1 and made coach Pep Guardiola rave. “The great players I’ve met – and I’ve been lucky enough to coach some of them – have this ability to forget in an instant,” Guardiola explained. “And if he misses five more chances, he can think about it for ten seconds. Then he has to delete it and it continues.”
Guardiola also praised Foden as “the best player in the Premier League at the moment. “He was always a talented player, but now he is more mature and understands the game better, especially in defense,” said the Spaniard, praising the 23-year-old. “He loves football, he lives for football. “He’s a joy and his work ethic is incredible,” added Guardiola.
The England international has been playing for City since he was eight years old. Guardiola once helped him make his debut in the club’s first team as a 17-year-old. This year he has established himself as an absolute cornerstone of the team at City. In 27 games this season he scored eleven goals for the team second in the table.
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Despite the Haaland oddity, Guardiola’s team deservedly won 3-1 against local rivals Manchester United and are in second place in the Premier League, one point behind Liverpool FC, coached by Jürgen Klopp. Both teams will meet next Sunday (4.45 p.m. on Sky) at Anfield Road in Liverpool.