Erling Haaland sets another record as Man City dig deep to beat Brentford - 5 talking points

Erling Haaland's goal was enough for Manchester City to beat Brentford and ensure they remain in the Premier League title race.

Haaland blasted City in front after bullying his way into the Brentford box and it would have been 2-0 had it not been for a fine reaction save from Caoimhin Kelleher to deny Tijani Reijnders.

Having dominated the first half, Brentford could have gone level early in the second period but Igor Thiago made a mess of a one-on-one chance with Gianluigi Donnarumma. City sat deep and defended, repelling late pressure from the home side, but looked relatively untroubled.

Three points moves City up to fifth in the Premier League, but they are just three points adrift of leaders Arsenal going into the international break. Here are the talking points.

READ MORE: Devastated Rodri suffers injury blow as Man City handed huge worry

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1. Haaland shows his strength

Haaland is enjoying one of those periods where he looks like scoring every time he gets a sight of goal. His early strike here meant he has now scored at 22 of the 23 stadiums he's played at in the Premier League, the highest ratio of any player in Premier League history at 96 per cent. Anfield is the only stadium he is yet to notch at.

His goal felt like a throwback, with Josko Gvardiol putting the ball in behind the Brentford defence, asking Haaland if he could make anything of it. And it was his strength that turned a simple pass into a goal as he bullied Sepp van den Berg and blasted the ball past Kelleher at the near post.

He has now scored 18 times in 11 games for club and country this season and has only failed to find the back of the net in one match: the 2-0 defeat by Tottenham in August. A Haaland goal is the closest thing in the Premier League to a sure thing right now.

2. Injury strikes for Rodri

The look on his face told a story. Rodri went down in the first half and knew something was wrong. City brought on Nico Gonzalez as a crestfallen Rodri walked off the pitch and down the tunnel with a gloomy expression on his face.

Rodri missed most of last season with an ACL injury and was a huge miss for Pep Guardiola's side, having won the Ballon d'Or for his performances in the previous season. The Spanish midfielder's ball-winning capabilities and passing are crucial to Guardiola's plans and if he is sidelined for a considerable period again, it will undoubtedly be a significant blow to their ambitions in 2025/26.

3. Long throws here to stay

Brentford are the masters of the long throw and, as their former set piece coach, Keith Andrews knows a fair bit about them. The Bees have had the most success of any Premier League club with the tactic over the past few seasons, having worked with throw-in coach Thomas Gronnemark.

Michael Kayode is able to launch his throw flat and far, the perfect combination, giving Brentford a real weapon. But they were unusually sloppy at set pieces against City, who never really looked troubled defending them.

4. City's lacking depth

Guardiola rotated his side for the trip to west London, handing starts to Oscar Bobb and Savinho on the wings while giving Jeremy Doku a rest. Bobb showed some bright touches, producing a stunning piece of skill to wriggle into the penalty area in the first half, but Savinho was very quiet on the opposite flank.

Savinho was on the market in the summer but ended up staying and he has started the season slowly, returning just one goal and no assists in seven appearances so far and his performances are in stark contrast to Arsenal's new-found depth, which could be a decisive factor in the title race.

5. Gritty City

This was far from a classic, but the match was certainly a potential banana skin for City. Brentford beat Manchester United 3-1 at home last weekend and are a tricky side to face, with their direct playing style posing plenty of questions for their opponents.

We have seen Guardiola adapt his tactics this season, parking the bus at Arsenal to get a point, and the grittiness to his side was obvious once again as they sat deep and held on at the Gtech Community Stadium. It worked on this occasion and City are now just three points off top spot.

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