In Manchester, England, Erling Haaland expressed his frustration by pushing a television camera after failing to score a goal in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea. This was the first time in his Manchester City career that he had taken nine shots without scoring.
Despite this, Rodri managed to score a late equalizer, allowing City to avoid their first loss at the Etihad in 15 months.
City manager Pep Guardiola commented, “That’s good, it’s good to have nine shots. Next game he is going to score. I was a football player, I played 11 years, I scored 11 goals. One goal a season. It’s football, it’s human beings.”
After the game, as the players gathered on the pitch, Haaland pushed aside a live TV camera focused on him.
Haaland, who had previously set scoring records in his Premier League debut season, continued his prolific form before a broken foot sidelined him for nearly two months. He scored twice in City’s 2-0 win over Everton last weekend, reclaiming sole possession of the league scoring lead with 16 goals.
Despite Haaland’s efforts, City remained third in the table with 53 points, four behind leaders Liverpool and two adrift of Arsenal, but with a game in hand. They can climb to second with a victory over visiting Brentford on Tuesday.
Former City player Micah Richards commented, “If Haaland put away the chances we’re not even talking about this. I never worry about Haaland, his mentality is completely different to most strikers in world football. He always gets an opportunity. He misses a lot of chances…if he wasn’t getting these chances, that’s when I would be worried.”
During the game, the 23-year-old Norwegian looked frustrated, missing several chances, including two headers over the crossbar and a late unmarked close-range header he sent over the bar before burying his head in disbelief.
Many City fans around the world shared his frustration.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing, editing by Ed Osmond)
