Manchester City were under pressure to deliver a result and while it was far from vintage, they got what they needed against a Brentford side that failed to take their chances.
The game began with immediate control from City. It looked like Brentford were willing to sit off and let Guardiola’s men dominate the ball while they searched for a moment to pounce. Haaland opened the scoring in the 9th minute — turning brilliantly off Van Den Berg after a pass from Gvardiol and placing the ball past Kelleher with his usual calm.
Still, City weren’t creating clear chances like we’ve seen them do in previous games. Guardiola’s team were always known for their ability to break teams open and rack up the goals but Brentford held their line well. In this game, Manchester City dominated the ball but couldn’t find the second goal that would have buried Brentford’s hopes early.
It looks like Pep’s men were aiming to seal the game before halftime and they almost did — Reijnders met a brilliant ball from O’Reilly and forced a strong save from Kelleher. Bobb also caused problems with his quick feet and twice created openings for Foden whose final effort went just wide.
Worthy of note was how Brentford’s midfield tried to stay compact. They didn’t see much of the ball but when they did, they tried to go direct with Schade running at defenders and Kayode offering support. In some moments, City had to retreat as Brentford pushed forward with urgency late in the second half.
It seemed like Manchester City were going to drop deeper and invite pressure but Brentford couldn’t take advantage. Jensen whipped in a dangerous cross in the final ten minutes but no one was there to finish it off and the moment was gone.
If anyone would get praises, it has to be Haaland who scored the winner and showed again why he remains City’s most dangerous weapon. He took his only clear chance and made it count. His goal came at a stadium where he had never scored before, and with that strike he has now scored in 22 of the 23 Premier League venues he’s played at. Even with Rodri going off injured and Brentford pushing for a late equaliser, Haaland’s early strike was enough.
Through and through, it was a great game for Manchester City.
