The phenomenal Erling Haaland took his Manchester City goal tally to 99 as the champions recovered from a first-minute setback to beat Brentford 2-1 on Saturday.
Haaland struck twice and was the width of the post away from becoming the first player in Premier League history to score hat-tricks in three successive games as City recorded their fourth straight win.
Pep Guardiola’s men were stunned by a goal from Yoane Wissa after just 22 seconds but Haaland, who now has nine for the season, turned the game around with a first-half double.
A thread of players to have scored nine goals in the first four games of a @premierleague season:@ErlingHaaland ✨ pic.twitter.com/yqFns4Jszn
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 14, 2024
The striker had been a doubt for the game following the death of a close family friend but his performance was as good as ever.
The victory underlined City’s strong start to their latest title defence. It may be a difficult time off the field with their long-awaited hearing into alleged breaches of financial rules due to begin next week, but on it all looks in fine order.
Brentford were the last away team to win at Etihad Stadium in November 2022 and, after a sensational start, they may have eyed an unlikely repeat.
The game had barely kicked off when Thomas Frank’s side claimed the lead.
Kristoffer Ajer clipped a cross into the City box and Keane Lewis-Potter headed back across goal. John Stones got into a muddle with Ederson and his sliced clearance looped up for Wissa to head into an empty net.
The setback initially appeared to rattle City and things could quickly have got worse.
Rico Lewis needed to scramble clear after Bryan Mbeumo got behind the defence and City had another let-off when the same player failed to connect with an overhead kick.
Nathan Collins then forced a save from Ederson from a corner, with the keeper also needing to rush out of goal to break up another attack.
City eventually settled and levelled when Kevin De Bruyne’s pass was deflected into the path of Haaland. The Norwegian turned and fired past Mark Flekken, with the aid of a ricochet off Ethan Pinnock.
City turned up the pressure and, although Pinnock headed just over, De Bruyne almost put the hosts ahead with a fierce low drive.
Their second came just after the hour as Haaland raced onto a long ball from Ederson. He checked his run slightly as Pinnock chased back and, after the defender bumped into him, he then accelerated away and clipped casually over Flekken.
City immediately wanted more and Jack Grealish forced Christian Norgaard to clear over his own bar.
To their credit, Brentford battled on and Lewis-Potter tested Ederson after cutting inside but lost Wissa to injury before the break.
City welcomed back Rodri for the first time this season in the second half and summer signing Savinho blasted over before Flekken made a good one-handed save from Grealish.
Further chances came as Flekken palmed away from Haaland and then denied Savinho at close range after Kyle Walker had shot over.
Haaland had three chances in quick succession to complete his treble – and his first City ton – but saw one effort rebound off the post before his follow-up was blocked and Flekken saved another shot soon after.
City switched off in the closing stages and substitute Yehor Yarmolyuk almost snatched an unexpected stoppage-time equaliser when he dragged a shot wide.
[(SK Slovan Bratislava) Strength]: 1. Coming into the UEFA Europa League Play-off round, SK Slovan Bratislava hope to grab the advantage of advancing in this home game, with full motivation.2. SK Slovan Bratislava defeated MFK Skalica 1-0 at home in the last Slovak Super Liga game. They kept unbeaten in the first 3 league games with 2 wins and 1 draw.3. SK Slovan Bratislava scored in 6 of the last...
[(SC Preussen Munster) Strength]: 1. SC Preussen Munster will play at home in this match. The team must defend their home honor and their fighting spirit is beyond doubt.[(SC Preussen Munster) Weakness]: 1. SC Preussen Munster suffered a defeat in the midweek DFB-Pokal match, being eliminated 3-5 by Hertha BSC after a grueling battle that went all the way to penalties, which is a blow to their mor...
[(Real Betis) Strength]: 1. Real Betis failed to start with a win in the first La Liga game this season. They are eager to win and boost their morale.2. Real Betis' new signing midfielder Rodrigo Riquelme contributed an assist in the first league game, showing decent performances.3. Real Betis scored in each of the recent 6 games, boasting stable offense.4. Real Betis received 10 wins, 7 draws, an...
[(Palmeiras) Strength]: 1. In the first leg, Palmeiras secured a resounding 4-0 away victory over Universitario de Deportes, gaining a huge advantage in the race for advancing. Hosting this game at their home ground, Palmeiras will naturally go all out to avoid being reversed by the opponents, ensuring a smooth advance to the next round and continuing their charge towards the Copa Libertadores tro...
[(River Plate) Strength]: 1. The two teams drew 0-0 in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores Round of 16. Returning to their home ground for this game, River Plate are united in their determination to beat Club Libertad and advance to the quarter-finals, with a strong desire to win.2. Red-hot River Plate kept unbeaten in the last 7 games with 4 wins and 3 draws. They beat Godoy Cruz Antonio Tomba...
[(NK Rijeka) Strength]: 1. NK Rijeka, powerhouses in Croatia, have a strong pursuit of honors. After dropping down from the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, the team are eager to prove themselves in the UEFA Europa League, aiming to enhance their stature in European football and bring glory to both the club and their supporters.[(NK Rijeka) Weakness]: 1. NK Rijeka defender Mile Skoric will miss t...
[(KFUM-Kameratene Oslo) Strength]: 1. KFUM-Kameratene Oslo have achieved 7 wins, 5 draws and 6 losses in the league so far this season, scoring 29 goals and conceding 20 in 18 league games, and currently rank 7th in the league standings. The team will play at home in this game with great desire to win.2. KFUM-Kameratene Oslo's major forward Johannes Nunez has performed steadily in the team's front...
[(Vaasan Palloseura) Strength]: 1. Vaasan Palloseura have been in poor recent form. In this home match, they are motivated to rebound.[(Vaasan Palloseura) Weakness]: 1. Vaasan Palloseura drew 0-0 with HJK Helsinki on the road in the last game. They are on a 1-game winless run.2. Vaasan Palloseura were winless in 7 consecutive home games, failing to show their home advantage.3. Vaasan Palloseura co...
[(West Ham United F.C.) Neutral]: 1. West Ham United F.C. recently expressed their desire to sign their upcoming opponents Chelsea's player Andrey Santos, but their offer was rejected. Chelsea informed West Ham that they have no intention of selling the player.2. West Ham United F.C. scored 46 goals in 38 league games last season, averaging over 1 goal per game. However, their offense is still con...
[(Aberdeen F.C.) Strength]: 1. If Aberdeen F.C. can advance to the UEFA Europa League group stage, it would mark a historic milestone for the club. This huge honor will undoubtedly greatly boost the team's fighting spirit.[(Aberdeen F.C.) Neutral]: 1. The two sides have never met before, and there are no relevant track record available for reference at present.[(Aberdeen F.C.) Weakness]: 1. Aberde...
- 1 Liverpool signing Leoni: I want to learn from Van Dijk
- 2 BVB, Monaco and Ajax go for unwanted West Ham midfielder Alvarez
- 3 ngland cricket legend’s granddaughter stuns in bikini
- 4 Alaves vs Levante Prediction for today 17 August 2025 - Football
- 5 Lamela explains retirement decision: It started 11 years ago...
- 6 Estevao Willian set for 'key' Chelsea role after debut vs Palace
- 7 TIPS - Gwangju FC VS Daejeon Hana Citizen
- 8 Emotional Arne Slot admits he had wanted to bring late Diogo Jota on as a substitute in Liverpool's dramatic victory over Bournemouth
- 9 Benjamin Sesko vs Viktor Gyokeres: Man Utd-Arsenal showdown sets early stage for big-money No.9s to show the Premier League what they can offer
- 10 Man United Make Goalkeeper Decision Amid Onana and Bayindir Uncertainty