Erling Haaland scored his first goals since November as champions Manchester City finally wore down Everton to claim a hard-fought 2-0 Premier League win on Saturday.
The prolific Norwegian, who recently returned to action after a foot injury, broke the deadlock after 70 minutes of a drab lunchtime encounter at the Etihad Stadium and wrapped up victory five minutes from time.
It was City’s 10th successive win in all competitions and fired out another warning to their title rivals that their momentum is growing.
City’s superior quality warranted the result, and ultimately it was not a surprise, but it was nevertheless a bitter blow for relegation-threatened Everton after a dogged display.
Guess who''s back? 👀 pic.twitter.com/s9PvwPbuaV
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 10, 2024
Toffees manager Sean Dyche may not have been seen pitchside due to a touchline ban but there was no mistaking his influence as Everton, without a league win since December, frustrated City.
The game was slow to get going, not helped by a lengthy delay early on for City goalkeeper Ederson to receive treatment after a collision with Ben Godfrey.
City controlled possession but found opportunities hard to come by. They had little space in which to attack as Everton kept men behind the ball and, with Kevin De Bruyne on the bench and Phil Foden wide, they lacked a creative spark.
Some of their brighter moments came courtesy of Jeremy Doku on the left. The Belgian twice beat Godfrey but one ball across the box was cleared by Jarrad Branthwaite and another cross was too high for Haaland.
Their best chances of the first half came following a corner just before the break as Manuel Akanji and Haaland both had efforts blocked in a crowded box.
Everton created little themselves although Jack Harrison blazed one half-chance well over.
After little change following the restart, City boss Pep Guardiola sent on De Bruyne and Kyle Walker in an attempt to inject some energy.
Doku also remained a danger and he found Haaland in the box but the Norwegian’s ball across goal was turned behind.
Rodri then shot well over but, despite increasing anxiety in the crowd, City maintained their composure and kept probing.
The champions go top thanks to an @ErlingHaaland brace 🔝#MCIEVE pic.twitter.com/Xt3ODiAX9U
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 10, 2024
The breakthrough finally came as Everton, for the first time, failed to effectively deal with a ball into the box.
A header was blocked and the ball found its way to Haaland, who met it with a fierce right-footed strike that flew past Jordan Pickford. It was a scrappy goal but reward for City’s persistence.
Everton were deflated and they were caught out again as Haaland finally found some space and was released by a fine De Bruyne through ball. The striker made no mistake as he shrugged off Branthwaite and slotted into the bottom corner.
The job was done although, with 10 minutes of stoppage time, there might have been a livelier finish had a Beto strike not been disallowed for offside.
Ben Doak could leave Liverpool this summer if their £25m valuation is metNottingham Forest have joined the race for Ben Doak after registering their interest in the Liverpool teenager. Doak was a revelation on loan at Middlesbrough last season, scoring three goals and racking up seven assists in the Championship. And his performances have caught the attention of Forest, who have cash to burn ...
Manchester United could snap up Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig this summer.Manchester United are said to be in talks to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB LeipzigManchester United are reportedly in talks to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig this summer. The 22-year-old striker agreed terms with Arsenal earlier this summer, but the Gunners made a transfer U-turn after Leipzig’s asking price rose t...
Reports from Portugal suggest Viktor Gyokeres' long floated move from Sporting CP to Arsenal could be in danger of completely collapsing.Parties cannot align terms for add-ons in deal Initial fee of €70m + €10m of conditional agreed Long-running saga continues to drag onWHAT HAPPENED?A report by Portuguese newspaper Record, suggests the summer's longest-running transfer saga shows no s...
Ex-Liverpool star Oxlade-Chamberlain's Besiktas deal torn upEx-Arsenal and Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's deal with Besiktas has been terminated, setting up the player's return to the Premier League.As per Yeni Safak, Besiktas have terminated Oxlade-Chamberlain's deal, as he was informed he would not be part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's plans going forward. The midfielder struggled with inj...
Cristhian Mosquera Arsenal 2025Cristhian Mosquera has said goodbye to his Valencia team-mates ahead of his move to Arsenal, and also spoke about his sadness in leaving Los Che.WHAT HAPPENED?The 21-year-old reported to Valencia's Paterna training ground along with his team-mates, but rather than participate in pre-season, he was there to say his goodbyes. Mosquera will be making the switch to north...
Manchester City FC v Manchester United FC - Premier LeagueA 20-year-old Manchester United fan has pleaded guilty to assaulting Jack Grealish by slapping the Manchester City star following April’s heated Manchester derby at Old Trafford. Alfie Holt admitted to the offence in court and has been banned from attending football matches for three years, while also receiving a fine for the incident...
AFC Ajax v Galatasaray A.S. - UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD8Jordan Henderson has opened up on his departure from Ajax after the Dutch club mutually agreed to terminate his contract, allowing the former Liverpool captain to return to the Premier League with Brentford. In a heartfelt message, Henderson reflected on his 'immense pride' in representing Ajax, thanking fans and teammates fo...
Corentin TolissoManchester United are reportedly looking to make a surprise move to sign France international Corentin Tolisso from Lyon, contacting the midfielder's entourage as they look to strengthen their squad this summer. Tolisso, who impressed in Ligue 1 last season, is reportedly open to joining the Premier League giants – but the Red Devils face competition from Atletico Madrid.WHAT...
Besiktas v Istanbul Basaksehir - Turkish Super LeagueEx-Arsenal and Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's deal with Besiktas has been terminated, setting up the player's return to the Premier League. WHAT HAPPENED?As per Yeni Safak, Besiktas have terminated Oxlade-Chamberlain's deal, as he was informed he would not be part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's plans going forward. The midfielder struggled ...
Toluca v Club America - Final Torneo Clausura 2025 Liga MXThis will be the ninth consecutive edition of the Campeón de Campeones held at Dignity Health Sports ParkToluca v America - Final Torneo Clausura 2025 Liga MXWHAT HAPPENED?This Sunday, July 20, América and Toluca will face off in the 2025 Campeón de Campeones, a match that will determine Liga MX’s overall champion. The ...
- 1 FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Fixture schedule, group standings, knockout round, tickets, format & everything you need to know
- 2 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 3 Bayern ready to rival Arsenal for Eberechi Eze and target move for Chelsea flop after losing Jamal Musiala to injury
- 4 Spurs get huge lift in Morgan Gibbs-White row
- 5 Marcus Rashford trains alone after returning to Man Utd for pre-season despite being given extra time off by Ruben Amorim to find new club
- 6 DAZN sports host nearly suffers wardrobe malfunction at CWC
- 7 Everton sign Villarreal striker Barry: The fans here are like crazy people, I like this!
- 8 Bayern Munich lay out terms for Luis Diaz
- 9 Meet Christian Norgaard's gorgeous wife
- 10 Chelsea's wage offer to Jadon Sancho revealed