Manchester City

Manchester City is onto the Champions League final after dispatching Real Madrid 4-0 in the second leg of their semifinal matchup to win 5-1 on aggregate. They will take on Inter Milan, which defeated A.C. Milan 3-0 on aggregate to safely move to the final round.

The two winning sides will now face each other on Saturday, June 10 at Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET (10 p.m. local time).

Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Manchester City is a heavy -400 favorite ($400 bet to win $100) to beat Inter Milan. It's easy to see why, starting with prolific goalscorer Erling Haaland.

The Premier League's all-time single-season goalscoring leader (36 and counting with three matches left) has been a superstar in Champions League as well (12 goals in 10 appearances).

Thanks largely to his efforts, Manchester City hasn't needed to break much of a sweat in the Champions League. They've outscored their opponents 31-5 overall, knocking out Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig along the way.

Manchester City's tremendous depth shined on Wednesday, showing that they don't need Haaland to show up on the scoresheet to dominate.

The defense, led by Kyle Walker and John Stones, neutralized the fantastic Real Madrid attack. Real Madrid possessed the ball just 41 percent of the time and took just three shots on goal.

On the other side of the pitch, Bernando Silva was sensational, delivering a first-half brace. Kevin De Bruyne was sensational in his own right, setting up the first goal and receiving a massive ovation from the Manchester City faithful.

The entire Etihad sings Kevin De Bruyne's name as he comes off the pitch.

A huge embrace from Pep Guardiola.

What a performance over two legs from Man City's engine 👏 pic.twitter.com/9SXjSGOPkm

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 17, 2023

Simply put, it will be a tall order for Inter Milan to hang with Manchester City, especially with there being doubt about Henrikh Mkhitaryan's availability after he was forced off the pitch due to injury before halftime of the second leg on Tuesday. Mkhitaryan scored Inter Milan's second goal in the 2-0 win in the first leg.

Luck has also been on Inter Milan's side to a certain extent. According to Football Reference, Inter Milan has had a smaller expected goal amount than its opponent in five of its 10 Champions League wins or draws.

On the flip side, Inter Milan has held its opponents scoreless in five or six knockout round matches. Lautaro Martínez has also scored some clutch goals for the team, including one in the 74th minute of the second leg against A.C. Milan that all but put that match away.

Ultimately, the Champions League final isn't a lock for Manchester City by any means even if it is the heavy favorite. Inter Milan can come out and play the game of their lives, or Manchester City can struggle mightily. Anything can happen in a single match.

However, on paper, the guess is Manchester City wins fairly comfortably. They are simply too good everywhere on the pitch and have the best player in the world right now, and that should be enough. The pick is for Manchester City to win 3-1.

Manchester City is looking for its first-ever Champions League crown. They've reached the final once, losing 1-0 to Chelsea in 2021.

Inter Milan is a three-time European champion, taking the then-European Cup in 1964 and 1965. They won the Champions League in 2010 versus Bayern Munich, marking the last time a Serie A club won it all.

Kevin De Bruyne has the clutch gene.

With Manchester City trailing Real Madrid 1-0 on a goal by Vinicius Jr. in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal matchup Tuesday, De Bruyne found the back of the net in the 67th minute to set up what should be an exhilarating second leg later this month.

KDB unleashes one for the equalizer 😤

(via @TUDNUSA)pic.twitter.com/1QXkvakWaX

— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 9, 2023

The goal marked De Bruyne's third straight tally in the first leg of a Champions League semifinal match dating back to the 2021 semifinals against Paris Saint-Germain.

Additionally, it was the Belgian's 11th goal for City in the knockout stages of the Champions League, the most by any Sky Blues player in the tournament's history, according to ESPN Stats and Info.

After falling to Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals last season, Manchester City enter the second leg in much better position to reach the final for the first time since 2021, and fans praised De Bruyne for his clutch play:

This is the THIRD consecutive season in which Kevin De Bruyne has scored in a Champions League Semi-Final game.

BIG GAME PLAYER 🇧🇪💙 pic.twitter.com/XST3Reo9o7

— ManCityzens (@ManCityzenscom) May 9, 2023

https://twitter.com/warrens999/status/1656041010231689247

Makes me laugh when people make excuses about De Bruyne. Make no mistake, he is probably one of the best midfielders of all time and is just a CL away from removing any doubt. An absolute weapon.

— Syndicate (@DaRealGunner) May 9, 2023

Kevin De Bruyne with a beautiful goal in another big game. Big game player and the best midfielder itw pic.twitter.com/qpCrWgViQE

— 17 (@DxBruyneSZN) May 9, 2023

https://twitter.com/stevee_ke/status/1656041066238230532

https://twitter.com/CFC_Janty/status/1656033540213972993

Kevin De Bruyne has scored 11 Champions League Knockout round goals for Manchester City. No Man City player has ever scored that many.

Leader. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/TonDhrW2BC

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) May 9, 2023

If Haaland doesn’t want to win the Ballon D’or we’ll give it to Kevin De Bruyne.

— Don (@Opresii) May 9, 2023

https://twitter.com/CFCMod_/status/1656034240549535759

Big players deliver in these games. Vinicius, De Bruyne. I’ve got a feeling we could see another goal like that for the winner

— Gary Neville (@GNev2) May 9, 2023

I will take this draw to the Etihad, we have actually done well tbf.
Kevin De Bruyne coming in clutch for us at the Santiago Bernabéu, a big game player.

— Nwanneka Omeche 4PEAT🏆🏆🏆🏆 (@nwanneka_omeche) May 9, 2023

While Manchester City will look to De Bruyne to keep his clutch play going in the second leg, it will also hope Erling Haaland can find the back of the net.

If City reaches the final, it would take on AC Milan or Inter Milan, which will play leg 1 of their semifinal Wednesday.

Man City has never won the Champions League.

Erling Haaland already passed Liverpool's Mohamed Salah for the most Premier League goals in a 38-game season, surpassing the former record of 32 goals with a whopping seven league games remaining.

And now he holds the overall record as well.

The irrepressible Manchester City forward scored his 35th Premier League goal on Wednesday, surpassing the 42-game scoring record of 34 goals set by both Andrew Cole in 1993-94 and Alan Shearer in 1994-95.

ERLING HAALAND BREAKS THE PREMIER LEAGUE SINGLE SEASON GOAL-SCORING RECORD!

📺: @USANetwork | #MCIWHU pic.twitter.com/3yC7xuaqiF

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 3, 2023

Erling Haaland has now scored 35 goals this season.

The most in a single Premier League season all-time.

Haaland (35) also breaks Andy Cole's (34) record for most in a debut PL season. pic.twitter.com/yBDMeMJDjj

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 3, 2023

Erling Haaland has equalled Thierry Henry's record for most home goals scored in a Premier League season 👀

Henry 2003/04
👕 19 appearances
⚽ 22 goals

Haaland 2022/23
👕16 appearances
⚽ 22 goals

Erling Haaland breaks records for fun 🤯 pic.twitter.com/c5jVVvQuGP

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 3, 2023

Haaland accomplished the feat in just 31 matches played, and City still have five more matches for him to add to his tally. Oh, and he's only 22 years old. And this is his first year in the Premier League, which many people consider the strongest domestic league in world football and the most physically demanding.

Up next for Haaland is trying to catch Ron Davies, whose top-flight record preceded the formation of the Premier League:

35 - Erling Haaland has scored 35 Premier League goals this season, the most by a player in a single campaign in the English top-flight since Ron Davies in 1966-67 (37). Inevitable. pic.twitter.com/FaRiUbSsPi

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 3, 2023

There's an argument to be made that Haaland has just registered the greatest season in Premier League history, and it's not even over yet. He's more than likely going to win a title with City this campaign, and he has the chance to even hit 40 goals and put some serious distance between himself and everyone else on the single-season scoring list.

At this point, the only question seems to be which records he won't smash:

Could Haaland beat Beatles’s record of sold records too?

— Jan Aage Fjørtoft 🇳🇴 (@JanAageFjortoft) May 3, 2023

If injuries don't slow him down in his career or if he doesn't grow bored of the Premier League and decides to seek a new challenge, it's possible that we are witnessing the opening act from a player who will one day be considered the greatest forward in Premier League history.

It's hard to imagine anybody ever having a better debut season than this.

On the day that Manchester City all but won the Premier League title, Erling Haaland made history.

The unstoppable City forward scored his 33rd EPL goal in City's 4-1 shellacking of Arsenal on Wednesday, surpassing the former record of 32 goals held by Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.

Hair down and a record-setting goal.

ERLING HAALAND 🎯

(via @NBCSportsSoccer) pic.twitter.com/ZmhvDtyT8H

— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 26, 2023

ERLING HAALAND BREAKS THE RECORD FOR MOST GOALS IN A 38-GAME PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON 👑 pic.twitter.com/iOInT5j1co

— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 26, 2023

The utter absurdity of Haaland's record-setting day is that City still has seven Premier League games remaining. Haaland has played in 29 of the club's 31 EPL contests, meaning he's scored an absurd 1.14 goals per game this season.

Yes, that means if he plays in the remainder of City's games, he's on pace for 40 goals.

Manchester City, meanwhile, still trails Arsenal by two points on the table. But the Citizens hold two games in hand and have a massive advantage in goal differential (plus-53 to plus-40), meaning they are well in the driver's seat to win a fifth EPL title in the past six seasons.

Manchester City coasted into the Champions League semifinals by defeating Bayern Munich 4-1 on aggregate following a 1-1 draw Wednesday at Allianz Arena.

Erling Haaland scored Manchester City's goal in the 57th minute, finishing a counterattack by dribbling past Dayot Upamecano and powering a shot by Yann Sommer.

Erling Haaland punishes Bayern Munich and he has his 35th Champions League goal. 💥 pic.twitter.com/6HnLkAMAYn

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 19, 2023

That marked Haaland's 12th Champions League goal this season, his 35th UCL goal in 27 career matches and his 48th goal in 41 contests for Manchester City.

Joshua Kimmich pulled one back late for Bayern Munich from the penalty spot after a handball, but Manchester City's advancement never was in doubt.

This marked another incredible effort by Haaland, who also scored Manchester City's third goal in the first leg.

Haaland also had a great chance in the first half after a handball led to a penalty kick, but he skied his shot over the crossbar.

Still, Haaland has been nothing short of tremendous for City, and the Premier League side remains the clear favorite to win this year's Champions League. Haaland is the main reason for that, as he continues his historic scoring pace.

Twitter was enamored with his efforts.

A statistic that sounds fake.

Erling Haaland has now played 2,000 minutes in the Champions League, scoring 35 goals in that time.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest scorer in the competition’s history, with 140 goals.

He scored a total of 0 goals in his first 2,000 minutes.

— VisualGame (@avisualgame) April 19, 2023

⚽️ Erling Haaland 🇳🇴already has as many career Champions League KO stage goals (13) as Luis Suárez and Neymar.

He's only 22 🔥 pic.twitter.com/i1Hsodcat8

— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) April 19, 2023

Erling Haaland silenced the Allianz Arena 🤫 pic.twitter.com/Tl1YnIGE0Z

— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 19, 2023

Haaland. He always scores, never in doubt. EVER

— 𝐄𝐑 (@ErlingRoIe) April 19, 2023

Haaland is the new “Mr champions league.” pic.twitter.com/ykf1M77qAx

— ELI LEE (Fan) (@EliLeezayy) April 19, 2023

Haaland really feels like the difference at this level, doesn't he? You need a killer. We have one.

— Steven (@StevenMcinerney) April 19, 2023

Erling Haaland’s game by numbers vs. Bayern Munich:

100% aerial duels won
19 touches
4 shots
2/2 dribbles completed
2 big chances missed
1 penalty missed
1 goal

Even on an off day. 💥 pic.twitter.com/xwhYmTd9b9

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) April 19, 2023

If you don’t have enough penalty box threats in the Champions League, you’ll suffer. The sequence where Coman’s cross wasn’t followed in by a Bayern attacker & was quickly followed by Haaland’s deadly finish, was a summary of the tie as a whole. Two opposite ends of the spectrum.

— Premier League Panel (@PremLeaguePanel) April 19, 2023

Erling Haaland averages a goal every 48 minutes in the Champions League.

Crazy from the Cyborg. 🤖 pic.twitter.com/rYOdoPgJEy

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) April 19, 2023

Manchester City will play defending champion Real Madrid in the semifinals. A Milan derby will take place in the semifinal, with AC Milan facing Inter.

Erling Haaland continues to tear up the Premier League and etch his name into the record books.

During Manchester City's 3-1 win over Leicester City on Saturday, Haaland tied Mohamed Salah's record for the most goals in a 38-game season when he tallied his 32nd goal of the 2022-23 campaign in the 25th minute.

Haaland also scored on a penalty shot in the 13th minute.

ERLING HAALAND TIES MO SALAH’S RECORD FOR MOST PL GOALS IN A 38-GAME SEASON (32) 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dTyxNG4jTF

— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 15, 2023

It’s too easy for Erling Haaland 👌

(via @NBCSportsSoccer)pic.twitter.com/wbo4sdfAyT

— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 15, 2023

"I want him to break all the records," Man City manager Pep Guardiola told reporters after the game. "That means he scores a lot of goals and that helps, but I think what he wants is to win the title and be there. We still have to play eight games, and he is close to playing all of them. We have to take care of him because his injuries are long so after 45 minutes it was good for him to rest."

Manchester City signed Haaland from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in June 2022, agreeing to a five-year deal with the Citizens.

The signing has helped propel the team to the top of the Premier League table as they sit second with a 22-4-4 record and 70 points, three points behind first-place Arsenal.

Haaland and Manchester City will be back in action on April 19 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Bayern Munich.

Manchester City inched closer to the Champions League title it has coveted for years with a 3-0 win over Bayern Munich in the first leg of their quarterfinal clash on Tuesday.

An impressive strike from Rodri got City on the board in the 27th minute:

RODRI. TOP BINS. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/q5SXNEMSIq

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 11, 2023

The Spanish midfielder had a total of 15 goals in 193 appearances across all competitions in his Manchester City career entering Tuesday. Fans certainly weren't expecting him to unleash such a venomous strike, with his weaker foot no less.

what an out-rodri-ous goal

— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) April 11, 2023

Hard enough playing City without Rodri doing things like that with his left foot. One of the most measured strikes with a weaker foot I can remember.

— Daniel Zeqiri (@ZeqiriDan) April 11, 2023

Poor from Bayern to not have anticipated the 25-yard left-foot Rodri curler.

— Tom Williams (@tomwfootball) April 11, 2023

Top hit, weak foot, incredible. Tuchel fuming at Musiala switching off on tracking Rodri I presume.

— Raj Chohan (@rajsinghchohan) April 11, 2023

https://twitter.com/Chris78Williams/status/1645872188061523968

Rodri’s first half by numbers vs. Bayern Munich:

90% pass accuracy
7 ground duels won
4 tackles won
2/2 dribbles completed
1/1 long ball completed
1 interception
1 goal

Pick that one out. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/MEhvv8vElI

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) April 11, 2023

That was a beauty from Rodri. Beautiful. Haaland might be jealous.

You don’t stop that.

If you search top bins in the dictionary, Rodri is the definition. #ManCity #MCFC

— Mike Minay (@MikeMinay) April 11, 2023

Manchester City used its press to force Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano into a mistake for its second tally. Erling Haaland's cross found the head of Bernardo Silva, who doubled his club's lead in the 70th minute. Seven minutes later, Haaland got himself in position for a typically straightforward finish.

“He just leaves a trail of destruction through every defense he encounters”

Erling Haaland is different gravy. ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/31p7zOtpFT

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 11, 2023

Erling Haaland is the 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 Premier League player in history to score 45 goals in a single season.

ANOTHER RECORD FALLS. 🇳🇴 pic.twitter.com/ZKsRskLyPg

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 11, 2023

.@ErlingHaaland sets a new record for goals scored by a @premierleague player in all competitions! ✨ pic.twitter.com/AHiRhRzbJL

— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 11, 2023

45 goals in all competitions 🤯
Haaland perfect striker in the perfect team for him. The chances City create and the type of striker he is 🙌🏽 match made in heaven 👏🏽⚽️

— Elliott Bennett (@Ebenno88) April 11, 2023

In general, it wasn't a dominant performance by Pep Guardiola's side from start to finish. The way in which Manchester City put the screws to Bayern in the second half sent quite the message, though.

A one-goal deficit against the reigning English champion was somewhat manageable. Even going two goals down wasn't the end of the world. But Bayern Munich's hopes of advancing to the semifinals unraveled in short order.

Bayern had only conceded two goals in the Champions League this season.

Man City 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 put three past them today 😱 pic.twitter.com/FRsdk7YMW2

— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 11, 2023

I’m not sure you can play football better than City are atm. Flawless.

— James Whaling (@jjwhaling) April 11, 2023

Destruction from Man City. Only Real Madrid’s UCL aura has a chance of being strong enough to stop them this year.

— Scott Saunders (@__scottsaunders) April 11, 2023

tie: OVER

— jamie jackson (@JamieJackson___) April 11, 2023

Man City are a different level to everyone. If we do somehow scrape through Real Madrid then it’s going to be a very difficult game. #MCIBAY

— Frank Khalid OBE (@FrankKhalidUK) April 11, 2023

Bundesliga fans watching Man City make Bayern Munich look like the farmers for once pic.twitter.com/PKoZ6GlrWd

— ODDSbible (@ODDSbible) April 11, 2023

If this was boxing they would stop the fight. City looking ridiculous the last couple weeks. Bayern desperately need a goal can’t see them overturning a 3 goal deficit

— Neil Robertson OAM (@nr147) April 11, 2023

Bayern will host the second leg on April 19, but the tie might be academic at this point. Scoring three goals will be difficult enough. Manager Thomas Tuchel will have to find a way for his players to put their foot on the gas without being carved open by Manchester City on the counterattack.

The eight clubs vying for supremacy in the Champions League now know what path they have to take to get there after Friday's draw for the quarterfinals and semifinals.

Headlining the quarterfinal draw is a clash between Manchester City and Bayern Munich. The German side dominated Group C with a perfect 6-0 record and plus-16 goal differential. It continued that trend in the first stage of the knockout round with a 3-0 aggregate win over Paris Saint-Germain.

Since their back-to-back draws against Copenhagen and Borussia Dortmund in group play, City have kicked things into high gear with three consecutive impressive outings.

Pep Guardiola's squad put a bow on the round of 16 with a 7-0 win in the second leg over RB Leipzig on Tuesday.

Here's the lineup for the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals and semifinals:

• Agg. 1: Real Madrid v. Chelsea
• Agg. 2: Benfica v. Inter Milan
• Agg. 3: Manchester City v. Bayern Munich
• Agg. 4: AC Milan v. Napoli
• Semifinal 1: Real Madrid/Chelsea winner v. Manchester City/Bayern winner
• Semifinal 2: Benfica/Inter Milan winner v. Milan/Napoli winner

First-leg quarterfinal matches will be played on April 11-12. Second-leg quarterfinal matches will be played on April 18-19.

The first leg of the semifinals will be on May 9-10, followed by the second leg on May 16-17. The final will be played at Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on June 10.

The other headline showdown in the quarterfinal is a rematch between Real Madrid and Chelsea.

The draw didn't do the Stamford Bridge club any favors with Bayern and Manchester City on the same side of the bracket.

Chelsea fans realising they're on the same side of the draw as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Man City 🙃 pic.twitter.com/B9pxTdYEhb

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) March 17, 2023

This will be the third consecutive year Real Madrid and Chelsea have met in the knockout stage of the Champions League. The Blues won in the 2021 semifinals en route to winning the title.

Los Blancos got their revenge last year with a 5-4 aggregate win in the semifinals. They went on to beat Liverpool in the final for their first Champions League title in four years.

Chelsea's defense has been on point with just four goals allowed in eight Champions League matches thus far. Head coach Graham Potter will hope that trend continues against a potent Madrid attack that eliminated Liverpool 6-2 on aggregate in the previous round.

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland put on a show in Tuesday's UEFA Champions League match against RB Leipzig, scoring an astonishing five goals in a 7-0 victory.

Thanks to Haaland's scoring outburst, Man City took a 8-1 win on aggregate and advanced through to the quarterfinals.

Haaland did his damage early and often opening the scoring with a penalty kick in the 22nd minute. He followed with another goal two minutes later, and he put in his third in extra time at the end of the half.

He didn't let up from there, putting in another goal in the 53rd minute and quickly finding the back of the net once again in the 57th minute. Haaland's five-goal game puts him in elite company, joining Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano as the only players ever to post that number in UCL play. Messi is the only other player to do it in a knockout game.

The 22-year-old now has 33 career goals in UCL and became the youngest player to reach the 30-goal mark in league history, surpassing Kylian Mbappe's previous record. Haaland accomplished the feat in just 25 career UCL games.

Fans on Twitter were blown away by Haaland's performance on Tuesday, and they didn't hold back their adulation:

ERLING HAALAND HAS FIVE GOALS IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MATCH. UNREAL 🤯

(via @CBSSportsGolazo)pic.twitter.com/YUcAbxah87

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 14, 2023

Unbelievable. 🖐️ pic.twitter.com/gC6sC8CIGQ

— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 14, 2023

2̶9̶ ̶3̶0̶ ̶3̶1̶ ̶3̶2̶ 33 #UCL goals and counting for Erling Haaland... 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Q9HyXU6HaD

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 14, 2023

HAALAND'S STAT LINE IS RIDICULOUS! 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/XEWo5ywj29

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 14, 2023

Erling Haaland is the 3rd player in UEFA Champions League history to score 5 goals in a game after Lionel Messi in the 2011-12 Round of 16 and Luiz Adriano in the 2014-15 Group Stage.

Pep Guardiola was also Messi's head coach in his 5-goal game. pic.twitter.com/qoL79bn1Fi

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 14, 2023

Five goals in a single Champions League games. Unbelievable player. 👽🧘🏼‍♂️ #UCL pic.twitter.com/aC8FzDZz87

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 14, 2023

HAT-TRICK HAALAND DOES IT AGAIN!

3-0 MANCHESTER CITY.

⁰⁰(via @CBSSportsGolazo)pic.twitter.com/Stia3oKc6z

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) March 14, 2023

Defences trying to deal with Erling Haaland in the Champions League: pic.twitter.com/lJDIKXIYpH

— Simon Harrison (@simonhfootball) March 14, 2023

Erling Haaland has now scored 1.9% of all Man City goals in PL & CL history

— Duncan Alexander (@oilysailor) March 14, 2023

The only players to score five goals in a Champions League knockout game 🤝 pic.twitter.com/plZxdg2dld

— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 14, 2023

Pep is Lionel Messi's biggest fan. The Haaland substitution confirms it.

— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) March 14, 2023

Haaland has 28 goals in 26 PL games and 10 goals in 6 CL games this season. This man isn’t human omd

— Conn (@ConnCFC) March 14, 2023

“But Haaland makes Manchester City worse and only scores tap ins” lets see your striker score 5 goals in a UCL game then pic.twitter.com/OTjcsgzzWD

— 17 (@DxBruyneSZN) March 14, 2023

Remember when people said Man City were a better team without Haaland 🖐 pic.twitter.com/3VSMg9SpUF

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) March 14, 2023

Man City has a gem on its squad with Haaland, as the Norwegian is has continued to assert himself in the conversation for best player in the world.

Tuesday's outing was yet another showcase to add to the highlight reel for Haaland, and it's clear that the youngster is just getting started.

Erling Haaland was supposed to be the final piece in Manchester City's quest to taste European glory. He was anything but Wednesday as the club drew 1-1 with RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League.

Riyad Mahrez put City ahead with a goal in the 27th minute, but the reigning English champions couldn't press their advantage. That allowed Joško Gvardiol to equalize in the 70th minute.

Joško Gvardiol catches Ederson dancing on his line and Leipzig are back in this one. 🌶 pic.twitter.com/D1uWIRZ76p

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 22, 2023

Manchester City was held to just three shots on target despite maintaining 74 percent of possession. A lot of that had to do with Haaland being totally anonymous across the 90 minutes.

Gvardiol did a good job of marking the star striker, and Kevin De Bruyne's absence was sorely felt as Pep Guardiola's squad struggled to create chances.

Despite Haaland's prolific haul already this season, the extent to which he and Manchester City have a mutually beneficial partnership is increasingly under debate. This kind of result will provide ammunition for the skeptics.

The Haaland thing is part impressive part concerning. It would obviously be better if he could have a few chances (!!) but he hasn't, and hasn't really touched it either, but City are still dominating. If Pep wants to boss games with Haaland then this is it https://t.co/rY0hDZxCUc

— Sam Lee (@SamLee) February 22, 2023

Just before the equaliser, Erling Haaland had his first touch in the box…

It came in the 67th minute 😬#MCFC #UCL

— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) February 22, 2023

There was a potential counter where Leipzig players showed the best way to approach Haaland. Gundogan had the ball at the halfway line, with Haaland running on the right, and two of the defenders did something which seemed reckless by ignoring Haaland and closing down Gundogan.

— Zito (@_Zeets) February 22, 2023

unpopular opinion

Man city play better with out Haaland

— aa9skillz (@aa9skillz) February 22, 2023

City players when Haaland makes a run pic.twitter.com/gJTTCC8Qoz

— Shanks♦️ (@Mun_yaaah) February 22, 2023

I’m pretty sure Pep has told the players not to pass the ball to Haaland because what is this 😭

— 17 (@DxBruyneSZN) February 22, 2023

Phil Foden at the start of the season was unreal. G/A basically every weekend, involved in plenty of chances and had a great relationship with Haaland. Then he was suddenly dropped and hasn’t appeared since the World Cup. I really don’t understand what’s going on. Baffling.

— Real Talk Manchester City (@RealTalkMCFC) February 22, 2023

That would frustrate the life of me if I was Haaland. The man is a freakishly good athlete. As soon as he picks up any speed, you make the pass.

— Steven (@StevenMcinerney) February 22, 2023

Erling Haaland spectating tonight whilst waiting for a decent pass#UCL | #RBLMCI pic.twitter.com/2I7EgRGHan

— 101 Great Goals (@101greatgoals) February 22, 2023

You expect things to almost iron themselves on their own. Guardiola is one of the best managers in the world, and Haaland is perhaps the most lethal pure finisher anywhere.

The 22-year-old is also the kind of player who doesn't need a lot of service to find his groove on the pitch. He can register little impact for long stretches before he makes one or two touches that totally change a game.

Manchester City will host the return fixture on March 14. You still expect City to advance, but the door is firmly open for Leipzig to pull off the upset.