The Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland scored his 28th goal of the season to secure the three points for the Citizens against tough Palace
Man City striker Erling Haaland admits that there are no simple matches in the Premier League after he scored his 28th top-flight goal of the season to secure a 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Despite defending champions City being held up by Palace for most of the match, Haaland’s penalty in the 78th minute secured a critical victory in the title race at Selhurst Park.
Haaland claims patience was the key to victory
The Norwegian referenced Liverpool’s 1-0 loss against Bournemouth earlier in the day as an illustration of how challenging it can be.
“In the end all that matters is three points,” he told Sky Sports. “It’s not easy. Every single game is not easy. You saw Bournemouth beat Liverpool. Every single game is a fight and you saw that [for City], and we won and I am really happy.”
Haaland explained that their previous encounter with Palace, where they had to come back from a 2-0 deficit to win 4-2, taught them not to panic and stay patient, which helped them secure the win in the goalless game on Saturday.
“I was not concerned, I just tried to do as I do every single game and that was to focus on my game,” he said. “The last game against [Palace] we were 2-0 down, and this time we were 0-0, so it’s not that bad, we had to keep going. As I said, it’s not easy, but I’m really proud.”
“I have to keep going and try to get the next chance“
Haaland expressed frustration over missing a chance in the 28th minute of the game when he put Nathan Ake’s cross over the bar, even though the chance had a low expected goals (xG) rate of 0.2.
“Of course, I don’t like to miss chances,” he said. “I had one in the first half that I should have scored, it was a small thing in the grass that made the ball bounce a bit higher, but what can I do?
“I have to keep going and try to get the next chance, and I got my chance and I scored and we win, so I’m happy.”
City go two points behind leaders Arsenal who’ll play Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
