Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has allayed fears of an injury scare to top scorer Erling Haaland ahead of next week’s Champions League trip to Real Madrid.
Haaland went down clutching his leg in the latter stages of the champions’ 4-0 Premier League thrashing of Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and was immediately substituted.
Losing the Norwegian would be a major blow to City’s hopes of overturning a 3-2 deficit in the second leg of their play-off tie at the Bernabeu on Wednesday but Guardiola was not overly concerned.
The City manager said: “When he was down everyone was scared, but I think he stood up and he was smiling like always.
“I didn’t speak with him and I didn’t speak with the doctors, but the doctors didn’t come with bad news, so hopefully we’ll be fine.”
Until Haaland’s enforced departure two minutes from time, City had enjoyed one of their best afternoons of the season as they ruthlessly put one of their top-four rivals to the sword.
Unusually it was not the prolific Haaland, who was standing in as captain for the rested Kevin De Bruyne, who did the damage for City this time.
The day belonged to new signing Omar Marmoush, who scored a scintillating hat-trick in the space of 14 first-half minutes to effectively put the game beyond the Magpies.
They were his first goals for the club in his fifth appearance since his £59million move from Eintracht Frankfurt last month.
Guardiola said: “The highlight was him, the three goals. We knew it.
“In Germany, with Frankfurt, he made good numbers and against (Leyton) Orient he had three clear chances but couldn’t score.
“We knew sooner or later if his dynamic with the group was good and the performance was good, he would show what he is.
A very happy @OmarMarmoush 💫@okx 🤝 pic.twitter.com/bZ8aFhRjUA
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 15, 2025
“Hopefully, he can handle the biggest compliments that are coming because this is non-stop.”
City’s victory lifted them back into the top four, three points above Newcastle, who slipped to seventh after a lacklustre display.
Manager Eddie Howe was strong in his assessment of the visitors’ performance.
“It was painful to watch from the sidelines,” he said. “We were a yard off where we needed to be.
Eddie Howe on this afternoon''s defeat at the Etihad Stadium 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/uXn3wvsTJd
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) February 15, 2025
“We seemed to be reactive and we allowed their good technical players too much space.
“Now, they do have outstanding players. They’re still for me, with the ball, the best team in the Premier League.
“But we weren’t competitive enough, we weren’t in their face enough. We’re disappointed, very disappointed, with our general performance.
“I expected us to be really competitive but, in terms of trying to deliver a really competitive, energetic performance, it wasn’t there.”
Man United dealt major blow in Jean-Philippe Mateta pursuitMan United have reportedly been dealt a major blow in the race to sign Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta due to their lack of Champions League football.The 27-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Man United this summer, but their lack of European football could prove to be a significant stumbling block.Ruben AmorimR...
Zanetti speaks exclusively to FlashscoreAhead of the Champions League final against PSG this Saturday, Flashcore had the opportunity to speak exclusively to Inter Milan legend Javier Zanetti.How did you see this season and for what reasons do you think Inter reached the final?"I think it was a positive season, because I think we were competitive in all the competitions we played. We have the last ...
Inter Milan president Marotta highlights Oaktree support ahead of UCL finalInter Milan president Beppe Marotta has highlighted the support of owners Oaktree as they prepare for the Champions League final.Marotta insists the hedge fund has been supportive in their financial running of the club.He told the Athletic: "First of all, the owners have to have confidence in the management. If you have the...
Marcus Rashford Man Utd Barcelona 2025Barcelona are reluctant to match Manchester United's asking price for Marcus Rashford but are eager to sign the attacker this summer.WHAT HAPPENED?Rashford's hopes of securing a move to Barcelona this summer have taken a hit as the La Liga champions are not willing to meet United's €40 million (£34m/$44m) asking price, according to Sport. Their repo...
David de Gea Fiorentina 2025David de Gea is set to extend his stay at Fiorentina with a new contract which will run until 2028 after an impressive first season in Serie A.WHAT HAPPENED?Former Manchester United goalkeeper De Gea is set to extend his stay at Fiorentina with a new three-year contract after an excellent first season in Serie A, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. The 34-year-old helped...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Who would win this dream clash? Thoughts? BEST CAPTION WINS! Chelsea: Gotta catch em all B Fernandes stays or goes to Saudi Imposter from London Trust the process Admit it. We all did this when we were bored at school didn't we? Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, AZRorganization, originaltrollfootball)...
Liverpool have reportedly made an improved second bid for the transfer of Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz.According to David Ornstein of the Athletic, the Reds now look set to pay a staggering total package of around £109m for the Germany international.See below for the details from Ornstein, posting on his official page on X, who says the figure for Wirtz comprises of the...
Manchester United are reportedly ready to rival Liverpool, Arsenal and others for the potential transfer of Brighton star Yankuba Minteh, according to Stretty News.The talented 20-year-old has really caught the eye in the Premier League in recent times, and it seems inevitable that he’ll move to a bigger club at some point, as so many other of Brighton’s best players have in recent tim...
AC Milan have set a €130 million price-tag on Rafael Leao, with Bayern Munich exploring a possible move to pair the AC Milan forward with Harry Kane.Milan set a €130m price tag on Rafael LeaoPortuguese winger scored 12 goals last seasonBayern, Arsenal also monitoring the 25-year-oldWHAT HAPPENED?According to Corriere dello Sport, AC Milan have set a €130 million price tag on Port...
De Gea agrees long-term Fiorentina contractDavid de Gea is set to extend his stay at Fiorentina with a new contract which will run until 2028 after an impressive first season in Serie A.Inzaghi insists he's 'happy' at Inter despite talks with Al-HilalSimone Inzaghi claimed that he's "happy" at Inter despite reports of a €30 million (£25m/$34m) agreement with Al-Hilal."I've said several ...
- 1 Andy Carroll and Lou Teasdale look loved up
- 2 Gyokeres' words about joining Arsenal
- 3 Ronaldo appears to confirm Al-Nassr exit
- 4 Chloe Kelly stuns Arsenal fans as she heads straight to local PUB
- 5 Daily Laugh - Arsenal open talks with Sesko
- 6 Liverpool vs Crystal Palace Prediction 25 May 2025
- 7 Goodbye Jack Grealish?! Pep Guardiola axes Man City star from squad for crucial Fulham clash as transfer talk continues to swirl
- 8 Chelsea making progress over Caicedo deal
- 9 Bonnie Blue kicked out of PL stadium while performing x-rated gesture
- 10 Amorim promises revival after disaster