Kevin de Bruyne is back, Phil Foden is firing… and now Erling Haaland has found his shooting boots. So, how do you stop Manchester City?
The defending champions have been building momentum for weeks but, until Saturday, they were doing it without any goals from the most prolific striker in the land.
Haaland’s wait was mostly down to the foot injury that sidelined him for most of December and January, but he had still gone 419 Premier League minutes without a goal and had endured a run of 17 efforts that did not find the net.
That changed against Everton, when the Norwegian ended his worst scoring drought since moving to England in 2022 – and gave his side a crucial lead – in spectacular style.
For more than an hour at Etihad Stadium, Everton’s defensive resilience frustrated City and meant Haaland was given few opportunities to find the right finish.
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Then, after 71 minutes during which he barely had a touch, the ball broke for him from a corner, and he did not hesitate before smashing it home.
“The changes in the second half gave us another rhythm and of course Erling is back,” City boss Pep Guardiola said afterwards. “To have this player, when the ball is there from a corner, and the finishing was amazing.”
De Bruyne was one of the changes Guardiola was referring to, with the Belgian emerging to lift City’s passing tempo just before the hour mark, and linking up with Haaland for City’s second goal.
But it was Haaland’s first finish which won him the most plaudits, and was a reminder of his instinctive talents in front of goal.
“Haaland hadn’t had a sniff before, but he doesn’t care,” TNT pundit Rio Ferdinand said. “He is in his absolute prime in terms of physical capabilities.
“He looked way off the pace, but he doesn’t care. ‘Let the ball bounce anywhere near me, and I’ll bag it.’