Brentford 0 – 1 Manchester City
Pep Guardiola’s men jumped four places up the league table with a hard-fought win.
Manchester City may not have dazzled with their performance, but a brilliant strike from Erling Haaland was enough to guide them back to winning ways.
In their Premier League title pursuit, City defeated Brentford 1-0 away from home on Sunday.
Just days earlier, City had drawn 2-2 with Monaco in the Champions League despite Haaland’s brace. The memory of that late collapse lingered, and although the margin was slim again this time, City held firm to secure all three points.
After seven matches, City now sit fifth in the table with four wins, one draw, and 13 points. Arsenal lead with 16 points, followed by Liverpool with 15. Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth occupy the next two spots with 14 points each.
It took just nine minutes for Haaland to make the difference.
Receiving a lofted pass from Joško Gvardiol, the Norwegian striker controlled the ball brilliantly under pressure, held off a defender, and finished with his left foot to put City ahead.
The goal continued Haaland’s red-hot streak—five consecutive league games and seven straight matches in all competitions with a goal. He now has 9 goals in 7 league games and 12 in 9 overall this season.
However, City were dealt a worrying moment when Rodri limped off in the 22nd minute with discomfort. The midfielder, who missed much of last season with an injury, had only recently returned, playing about an hour against Monaco after skipping the Burnley match due to knee pain.
In the 39th minute, Tijjani Reijnders wasted a golden chance to double City’s lead, his powerful effort brilliantly stopped by the Brentford goalkeeper.
City, who managed nine shots with four on target in the first half, struggled to create clear chances after the break—registering only one off-target attempt in the second half.
Brentford pushed harder in the closing stages, but their attacks lacked sharpness. They left the pitch with their fourth loss of the season, sitting 16th in the table with just 7 points from seven games.
