With one powerful swing of his boot, but this time with his right foot, Erling Haaland made his triumphant return. He stormed towards a fervent corner of the Etihad Stadium, as if the events leading up to this moment had been erased from memory. His presence revitalized Manchester City’s title defense, lifting their spirits even higher.
Haaland’s intervention was desperately needed. Throughout the afternoon, Manchester City had failed to register a single shot on target. Everton, settling comfortably into their defensive tactics, began to manipulate the clock with only 19 minutes remaining. The frustration grew in the stands, on the home bench, and in the hearts of the City faithful. It was a recipe for something extraordinary.
Then, a bouncing ball descended just eight yards away from Jordan Pickford’s goal line. The penalty area was crowded, but once Haaland connected with the ball, nobody could get near it. Pickford, if he had managed to exert a stronger hand on the shot, might have risked losing a finger.
It was a strike of the purest form—a testament to Haaland’s exceptional skill. He ended the day with a brace, now totaling an impressive 52 goals in 53 Premier League appearances, relentlessly pursuing the rewriting of history. In the short term, City would have dropped crucial points without him.
Pep Guardiola had warned of the dangers posed by the early kickoff, and his premonition proved accurate. It wasn’t necessarily the atmosphere that affected City’s performance; in fact, Everton’s disruptive tactics oddly played into their favor. Rather, it was a sense of lethargy that permeated their overall play. Some of the bigger names were rested, and those who filled their positions failed to make a compelling case for future weeks.