Former Manchester City captain Andy Morrison couldn’t help but notice something about Erling Haaland after he scored against Nottingham Forest.
City took three big points on Sunday to keep the pressure firmly on Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.
Arsenal had beaten Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 earlier in the day, so it was vital for City to respond. It was not a stellar performance at the City Ground, and the Reds had quite a few chances, but the visitors got the job done.
And there was a goal for Erling Haaland, who came on as a substitute in the second-half, replacing Jack Grealish.
Haaland had missed the last couple of games with a knock, but was back in action on Sunday – and he bagged his 21st Premier League goal of the season.
It was a well-taken goal, and former City captain Andy Morrison saw what it did for him…
Andy Morrison noted how happy Erling Haaland was after scoring goal against Nottingham Forest
It has been a bit of a frustrating campaign at times for Haaland.
That seems crazy to say, considering he has scored 32 goals now across all competitions.
But the Norwegian megastar has had some injury problems this time around and has also had some games where he has missed relatively easy chances.
We have seen him cut a frustrated figure at times this season, but on Sunday against Forest that was certainly not the case. He scored a great goal after a lovely ball from Kevin De Bruyne, and former City captain Andy Morrison has suggested that then gave him a lot of confidence, stating that the player was ‘meticulous’ for the rest of the game.
He said (via mancity.com): “When it’s so tight, a couple of yards creates that space. He times the pass and Erling does the rest.
“I’m so pleased. Erling’s had some rest but there was a big smile on his face when he scored and then everything he did afterwards was meticulous.
“He never gave it away, he moved it and he pushed them back. That will be massive for the next four games.”
BBC pundit Chris Sutton loved the goal, branding it ‘so clever’.
You could tell Haaland was more delighted than usual to score
You could definitely tell that Haaland was particularly happy with this goal.
There may be a few reasons for that. Forest were very much in the game and it essentially killed the Reds’ hopes of getting something from the contest.
Obviously, we know how incredibly competitive Haaland is and it will have meant a great deal to win the game and keep the pressure on Arsenal.
There may have also been some relief in there for the 23-year-old. He’s just come back from another injury, so to make an impact that quickly will have been satisfying.
You could also see after the full-time whistle how pumped Haaland was, and that is certainly ominous for Arsenal in these next few weeks.