Manchester City moved up to second place in the Premier League table, just one point behind leaders Liverpool, after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Brentford at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night. Erling Haaland scored the only goal of the game in the 71st minute, breaking the deadlock and the resistance of the visitors, who had frustrated City for most of the match. It was Haaland’s 21st goal of the season, and his first against Brentford, completing his set of scoring against every Premier League team he has faced.
Brentford pose early threat with Wissa and Toney
City started the game with their usual intensity and dominance of possession, but Brentford were not intimidated by the champions and showed their quality and ambition in the first half. The Bees had several chances to take the lead, with Yoane Wissa and Ivan Toney causing problems for the City defence. Wissa was denied by a superb tackle from John Stones in the 11th minute, and then set up Frank Onyeka for a shot that was saved by Ederson in the 16th minute. Toney, who scored the winner against City at the Brentford Community Stadium last season, tested Ederson with a powerful free-kick in the 19th minute, but the Brazilian goalkeeper tipped it over the bar.
City respond with Alvarez and Bobb
City gradually found their rhythm and created some opportunities of their own, with Julian Alvarez and Oscar Bobb leading the attack. Alvarez, who won the World Cup with Argentina in November, had two attempts in quick succession, but his shot on the turn went over the bar in the 26th minute, and his curling effort went wide in the 28th minute. Bobb, who made his Premier League debut, came close to scoring a memorable goal in the 38th minute, when he dribbled past two defenders and saw his shot cleared off the line by Ben Mee. The 20-year-old Norwegian winger impressed with his pace and skill, and was a constant threat for the Brentford backline.
Haaland breaks the deadlock with clinical finish
The second half was more of the same, with City dominating the ball and Brentford defending well and looking for counter-attacks. City had a few chances to break the deadlock, with Bernardo Silva heading wide in the 49th minute, and Manuel Akanji forcing a fine save from Mark Flekken in the 54th minute. But it was Haaland who finally made the difference, when he latched onto a through ball from Rodri and slotted it past Flekken with a cool finish. It was a typical Haaland goal, showing his strength, speed and composure in front of goal. The Norwegian striker celebrated with his trademark smile, as he added Brentford to his list of victims.
Brentford push for equaliser but City hold on
Brentford did not give up and tried to find a way back into the game, with Toney and Wissa still posing a threat. Toney had a header saved by Ederson in the 77th minute, and Wissa had a shot blocked by Dias in the 83rd minute. Brentford also had a penalty appeal turned down in the 85th minute, when Toney went down under a challenge from Stones, but the referee waved play on. City had to defend well and keep their concentration, as Brentford pushed for an equaliser. But City held on and secured a vital win, which moved them to second place in the table, with 56 points from 25 games. Brentford remained in seventh place, with 40 points from 25 games.
