For 89 minutes, had endured certainly one of his quieter video games. Crowded out by ’s three centre-backs, he had an help however his common mantle as match-winner was being handed to an inconceivable mixture of Matheus Nunes and Maxime Esteve. And by the point the ultimate whistle was blown, Haaland had a brace to take his tally to 14 objectives in his final seven outings for membership and nation.
Such might be the way in which for a participant with a rapacious urge for food for scoring. Such might be the way in which when these groups meet, too: this was the sixth time in Burnley’s final seven journeys to the Etihad Stadium that scored at the very least 5 objectives.
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It was, although, one thing of a false scoreline. “5-one does appear actually harsh on us,” stated Burnley supervisor . He had some extent; partly as a result of two of Metropolis’s objectives had been inadvertently donated by a luckless Burnley defender, or because the Clarets had been degree for 23 minutes after equalising, or as a result of Lyle Foster and Quilindschy Hartman threatened to place them forward early within the second half.
However Haaland has a behavior of distorting scorelines. He did once more. First he hooked in a cross from Jeremy Doku. Then Hjalmar Ekdal and Esteve went for a similar header, the Swede contriving to ship Haaland galloping clear. He steered a shot previous Martin Dubravka to turn into the highest-scoring Norwegian in Premier League historical past, displacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, his supervisor at Molde.
“It’s his job, two objectives,” shrugged , his supervisor at Metropolis. “The primary half, he was not a lot concerned. We’ve got to seek out him extra.” After they do, as Guardiola added: “The numbers are insane. We joke however it’s actually unimaginable.”
And but the afternoon turned on one other four-minute double: not Haaland’s, which impacted the objective distinction however not the consequence, however from Nunes. It wasn’t one thing that tended to occur in ’s heyday. Not even when Metropolis had a participant Guardiola described as one of many best full-backs ever.
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A Metropolis right-back didn’t are likely to each rating and make a objective on the Etihad Stadium, not to mention as rapidly. Not when Walker’s final strike on the bottom he known as residence for eight-and-a-half years got here again in 2019. Sadly for him, a brand new teammate proved extra prolific.
Haaland’s late brace put Burnley to the sword and secured extra factors for Man Metropolis (Getty Photographs)
With 25 minutes to go, Esteve was on a hat-trick: however for Metropolis, after twice by chance diverting the ball into his personal web. He grew to become simply the sixth participant to attain two personal objectives within the Premier League match. Ridiculously, solely Haaland has extra objectives for Metropolis this season than the unlucky Frenchman.
When Dubravka parried Doku’s shot, the ball rebounded in off Esteve simply as he utilized the of entirety to Nunes’ cross. The very fact it was an personal objective denied the Portuguese an help. Nunes was nonetheless a game-changer; a participant whose duties lay primarily in defence made a distinction in assault. “The 2 objectives had been hammer blows,” lamented Parker.
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Nunes had popped up, six yards from the Burnley objective, to latch on to Haaland’s header and lash in a volley simply as a capability to materialise in related territory had produced certainly one of Metropolis’s most vital objectives final season, an injury-time winner in opposition to Aston Villa.
All of which might not be totally stunning. If Nunes is happier within the remaining third than his personal defensive third, it’s as a result of he’s the right-back who isn’t actually a right-back. “He’s a midfield participant within the remaining third,” stated Guardiola. “He has the imaginative and prescient to offer good passes and I encourage him to do it once more. We’d like his physicality and I encourage him to make use of his tempo extra with the vitality he has. He has unimaginable legs to go backwards.”
Matheus Nunes proved his attacking high quality for Metropolis regardless of persevering with his position as a makeshift right-back (Martin Rickett/PA Wire)
However a midfielder stays a makeshift alternative, with distinct defensive deficiencies. Burnley’s first-half equaliser might be attributed partly to him: he afforded Hartman an excessive amount of room to cross and Jaidon Anthony, Burnley’s participant of the season to date, stabbed in his fourth objective of the marketing campaign through a deflection off Ruben Dias. It was a objective Metropolis in all probability wouldn’t have conceded with Walker in his prime.
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If final season and the undignified finish to Walker’s Metropolis profession supplied ample proof that these days are consigned to the previous, there was a little bit extra on his comeback. The slippery Doku skated previous him at instances. Walker was booked for a late problem on Phil Foden. This was a novel expertise for him, a 5-1 defeat on the Etihad.
However the broader difficulty is that Metropolis haven’t changed Walker; by no means, provided that, whereas signing 12 gamers in 2025, none is a specialist right-back. It didn’t value them right here; it could do in future. If Metropolis may first lament that Nunes isn’t any Walker, they might then be grateful that he confirmed a penalty-box presence his predecessor lacked. If Haaland can typically camouflage every thing else with a glut of objectives, Walker is a reminder that distinctive gamers can really feel irreplaceable.