Man City 5 Wolves 1: Erling Haaland scores FOUR as Guardiola’s reigning champions go within a point of leaders Arsenal
THERE are only a few rounds left now and the two heavyweights continue to go at it blow for blow.
Arsenal thought they had landed a punch earlier in the day that might make Manchester City wobble.
But their 3-0 home victory over Bournemouth was not going to make the knees of this Champion team buckle.
They are made of tough stuff.
With a striker, who bares an uncanny resemblance to the fearsome Ivan Drago from the Rocky films, pounding away mercilessly.
Erling Haaland’s first-half hat-trick decided this before the half-time whistle was blown. He added a fourth after the break.
He still wasn’t happy, chuntering away to himself and throwing some strapping to the ground when he was subbed just before the end.
Manager Pep Guardiola had whispered something in his ear as he came off.
Two fierce competitors who always want more.
Haaland a machine powering his way to a second successive title for himself, another Golden Boot and with it a record breaking fourth successive Premier League for City.
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They will really have to let their guard down to let this slip now.
Liverpool’s glass jaw has already ruled them out.
So here we have it, two pals in Pep Guardiola and his former assistant Mikel Arteta starring each other in the eye wondering if either will blink.
Arsenal have two to go with a point advantage, City three.
The Gunners are clinging to the fact that of those Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the one that could trip Guardiola’s team up.
They are, after all, their ‘bogey’ team.
As if there is some mystical magic at work that is going to pull the rug from under City based on past results.
True, in the league, they have lost four times at Spurs new home not even scoring in that time.
But Ange Postecoglou’s side are a team currently on a run of three straight defeats ‘mate’.
City are unbeaten in 32 going back to December 6th, if you don’t count a penalty shoot-out as a defeat.
So no bogey man is going to be scaring this lot. Wolves certainly weren’t.
Arsenal fans sat glued to their TV sets more in hope than expectation.
Hope that soon turned to despair as Haaland scored twice from the spot and once with a towering header all before the break.
Number one came after just 12 minutes as Rayan Ait-Nouri clumsily went through Josko Gvardiol as he hit a volley and a penalty was awarded.
Ait Nouri suggesting that he himself had hurt his lip whilst executing his karate kick was not going to sway referee Craig Pawson.
Up stepped Haaland and when goalkeeper Jose Sa made the slightest hip movement to the left, it was enough for the Norwegian to roll the ball to his right and in.
It was two on 35 minutes with City’s incredible pressing not giving the visitors a moment to breath.
The ball is so quickly nicked back from opponents by this team who seem to have twice the energy of any other.
So when Kevin De Bruyne assumed control he fed Rodri whose deep cross was met by Haaland at the far post with a thumping header back across Jose Sa and in.
Nelson Semedo was meant to be on him and did not even take to the air.
Had he, it would have been a forlorn effort, as he would have needed a fireman’s ladder to get as high as Haaland did to reach the ball.
It needed a look at the screen at the side of the pitch for a second penalty to be awarded in first-half injury time.
Semedo was finally adjudged to have clipped the breaking Haaland as he motored into the area.
This time, while the goalkeeper went the right way, the power on Haaland’s penalty was enough to evade his outstretched hand.
There was some brief joy for the travelling faithful when Wolves got one back on 53 minutes.
Ederson helped Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s cross on to Hwang Hee-Chan with a flapping hand, and the South Korean swept the ball back into the goal.
The response from City came within a minute.
For all the talk of City’s tiki-taka football they can use the long ball to brutal effect too as they did for Haaland’s fourth.
Ederson passed the ball out to Footballer of the Year Foden whose brilliant 50 yard ball fell into the stride of 6ft 4” forward who then cut inside Max Kilman and walloped the ball into the far corner.
Sub Julian Alvarez, who came on for Haaland, added the fifth in the 84th minute with a fine finish from Rodri’s through ball.
At the final whistle Haaland entered the field to get the match ball and take the acclaim of the fans. He’s a knockout.
The final bell is about to be rung, the champion’s arms about to be raised again.
Catch up on all the action below…