Erling Haaland scored his 300th club career goal as Manchester City beat Coventry FC 1-0 to go top of the Premier League. The striker's 26th-minute header was his 165th for the club and sealed their third consecutive win of the season.
This marks Haaland's 165th goal for City, having hit 86 goals previously for Borussia Dortmund, 29 for Red Bull Salzburg and 20 for Molde FK.
The 125 million pound signee from Argentina and former Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez made his debut in Man City colours and was involved in Haaland's goal. Playing as a stand-in for an injured Nico O'Reilly, his pass to Antoine Semenyo was the precursor to Haaland's header in the 26th minute.
Coventry were not easy opponents to play against, with summer addition Taiwo Awoniyi fluffing his one-on-one chance with Gianluigi Donnarumma, while the goalie also made saves against Jack Rudoni and Ellis Simms. Frank Lampard's side are yet to score a goal since their return to the top flight of English football.
Post-Match Comments
Enzo Maresca
After the win, manager Enzo Maresca said, as quoted by the club's official website, "It is an important win, different from the first two. They have all been different."
“Today, 9/10 times you finish conceding because we kept them alive by missing chances. In the end, we finished by suffering together, and it is an important win."
"I am very happy. I know the players day-by-day, we know each other. It means we will get better and better," he signed off.
Frank Lampard
Coventry boss Lampard said, as quoted by Sky Sports, "Good performance from us. Felt like we deserved something from the game. Our defensive organisation was great. We created moments of pressure, three big chances. The players took on the challenge really well; they are disappointed and so am I."
"I never criticise players, because I understand pressure. This is the level. It's the brutal reality of it. But we do not play Manchester City every week. The Premier League is a high level, but on reflection there is a lot of good to use in our mentality."
"Against Arsenal it felt like a first Premier League game in 25 years. Today felt like a competitive Premier League team coming with a clear idea and threat. The fixture list has been tough on us. We cannot lose belief off the back of three games, and so we must look forward," he signed off.
(ANI)
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