Things got a bit interesting at the top of the Premier League table last week as both the frontrunners, Arsenal and Manchester City, were in action.
The imperious Gunners came up against a resolute Southampton and were eventually held to a draw by the Saints.
1-1 at St Mary’s meant that Arsenal were unable to capitalize on City’s loss against Liverpool and pull further ahead of the champions.
With the ball back in City’s court, they welcomed Brighton to the Etihad, a chance to regain some ground in the title race.
The Cityzens were quick on the offense and assumed control of the game early on.
Eventually, all the pressure paid dividends as Erling Haaland popped up and scored a goal that encapsulates his profile.
Tenacious, strong, and pacey, the Norwegian outran and outmuscled the Brighton defense before slotting it into an empty net.
The 22-year-old wasn’t done there, as he converted a penalty on the cusp of half-time, securing a routine brace from himself.
Kevin De Bruyne added a third in the second half, and City walked away with all 3 points.
Post-match discussions once again revolved around the striker, and how easily he’s adapted to life in the Premier League.
However, that wasn’t the entire discourse, as Liverpool fans soon budded in after discovering a clip featuring Haaland and former Red Adam Lallana.
Presently at Brighton, the 34-year-old spent 6 years at Anfield, a spell which was filled with promises but ultimately ruined by a string of injuries.
Nevertheless, the clip displays Lallana taking a cheap shot at the Norwegian, as he basically barged into the striker before making a beeline toward the referee.
The move was clearly intentional, as the midfielder purposely altered his pace before ramming into Haaland. Taking on the 6’5 Norwegian certainly requires bravery, so props to Lallana.
As for the effect, minimal seems an apt description.
Barely fazed, Haaland quickly spun around after receiving the shove. His urgency soon turned into ridicule, as he couldn’t but scoff at the 5’8 midfielder’s audacity.
In fact, Kevin De Bruyne looked far more annoyed than Haaland, with the latter simply laughing the matter off.
The former Dortmund forward even confronted Lallana with a wide smile, he clearly found the shove far more amusing than troubling.
Nevertheless, Haaland may have been unimpressed but Liverpool fans online certainly were, as they appreciated their former player’s spirit on Twitter.
