Erling Haaland hailed a “fantastic team performance” which saw Manchester City overcome a “horrible” start to beat Chelsea 3-1 this evening.
Haaland played a huge role with a goal and an assist as City hit back following an early error from debutant Abdukodir Khusanov.
The Uzbekistan centre-half, a £33.8m signing from Goal this week, failed to deal with a long punt and, after allowing it to rebound, couldn’t nod the ball Press home.
Josko Gvardiol equalized late in the first half before goals from Haaland and Phil Foden secured a victory that took Pep Guardiola’s men back to fourth in the table.
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Haaland told BBC Match of the Day: “I think overall it was a great performance even though we started horrible. It was a fantastic team performance and I’m really happy.
“When we got off to a start like we did, it’s tough, but we played really well and kept pushing on. We kept pushing and the second half was the same. Ultimately, this is what we have to do. We need to lock it in at the back and continue to attack as far as it goes.
“It’s at the beginning it’s almost like you start with -1 goal. It can happen, but it’s about keeping going. It’s about that and trying to have peace of mind in your head. That’s what matters.
Haaland and Ederson combine to great effect
Haaland’s goal came after a long punt from goalkeeper Ederson with the Norway striker holding off Trevoh Chalobah’s challenge before lifting a shot over Robert Sanchez.
“It’s something we practice,” Haaland added. “We try to focus on space and then Ederson has already given me a lot of assists. This is perfect timing because it is so precise.
Khusanov’s nightmarish performance stood in stark contrast to that of Omar Marmoush, who made his first appearance since joining Eintracht Frankfurt.
Haaland said: “I saw it in the Bundesliga. It’s going to be fantastic to play with him. You can see he has something special. I can’t wait to play with him and it’s going to be a great time. »
Guardiola fell with an important victory
Guardiola was delighted with the way his players responded to their early setback which came just three days after they squandered a 2-0 lead to lose 4-2 at Paris Saint-Germain – a result which means they must beat Club Brugge on Wednesday evening to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
He told Sky Sports: “Not the best start. Fortunately, they didn’t punish us for 2-0. After recovering emotionally and putting in a good performance.
“We had more of the ball than the last games. It was really important.
He added to the BBC: “We’ve struggled recently and it’s been a tough, tough season. Most of the players have been here eight or nine years and I’m not going to change my opinion in two months. We must realize that what we are doing is not enough.
“I asked them to step up and we did. We created enough chances to score goals and in the end I’m really happy for the victory.
“Of course we need fresh legs with Omar and Khusanov and now we have one last Champions League game on Wednesday.”
Not easy for Khusanov – PEP
Guardiola is confident Khusanov will learn from his mistake.
“It’s not easy for him,” he said. “He practices once then to play against Jackson and Cole [Palmer] And Madueke and [Jadon] Sancho. It’s a process where you buy a player that young. He will learn. These types of actions are the best lesson you can take. »
