At Anfield, where Manchester City have so often found the margins unforgiving, Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Liverpool carried a weight beyond the scoreline. It was City’s first match since the Premier League found the Etihad club guilty of 115 breaches of its financial regulations, and Erling Haaland described the occasion as one the squad and supporters would hold onto.
“For everyone connected with Manchester City, including our fans, this is a special day that will stay with us for a long time,” Haaland said after the final whistle. “It was demanding and difficult, but the character of the team was exceptional from the beginning to the end. I am hugely proud of everybody.”
A difficult afternoon turned into a statement
City’s Norwegian forward stressed that visits to Liverpool remain among the most testing assignments in English football, whatever the wider circumstances around the club.
“The record shows how hard it is to come here,” he said. “In the years with Pep and Klopp, it was difficult for both sides and that has always been the case. We need to be mentally strong, stay together and focus on what is in our control. That means playing well and fighting as a group.”
Haaland was also quick to praise Elliot Anderson, saying his team-mate had dictated the contest through his willingness to compete and impose himself. “He took charge of the game, went into the tackles and did what the team needed. He is a very good player,” Haaland said.
Haaland responds after early miss
The striker scored in the win, but revealed that he had first passed up a major opportunity. Rather than allowing that miss to linger, he said, he concentrated on ensuring he was ready when another opening arrived.
“I missed a big chance just before, so I had to make sure I stayed focused for the next one,” Haaland said. “The opportunity came and I took it.”
The goal moved him to six for the Premier League season, leaving him one clear of Chelsea’s Joao Pedro at the top of the scoring chart.
In the stands, Haaland’s father Alf-Inge celebrated the result enthusiastically. The City forward said he had not seen him during the game despite looking for him, but had noticed the travelling support enjoying their afternoon in a manner that reminded him of last season.
“I think he enjoyed it, so I will send him a message now,” Haaland said.
For City, Haaland reduced the immediate purpose of the trip to its simplest terms: winning, performing well and doing so collectively. He called the Liverpool fixture “a mental battle”, particularly after the interruption of the international break, but City left Merseyside with three goals, three points and a defiant response to a turbulent week.
