Even if Erling Haaland is expected to miss out on the Ballon d’Or next week, his campaign to win the bauble in 2025 is well underway.
Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior is the favourite to take soccer’s most prestigious individual prize on Monday in Paris, but Haaland has been in near-unstoppable form this season in England.
The Norwegian goal machine scored for the 14th time in 13 games for Manchester City to send the Premier League champions to the top of the standings after beating Southampton 1-0 on Saturday.
He needed just five minutes to score the decisive goal at Etihad Stadium, following on from his double against Sparta Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday, which included a spectacular mid-air, heeled volley.
His close-range effort against Southampton was more routine, but it was enough to send City two points clear of second-placed Liverpool, who play Arsenal on Sunday.
City manager Pep Guardiola described Haaland as a “guarantee for us” after the forward sealed three points against a Southampton team yet to win in the league since promotion last season.
Haaland, the EPL’s top scorer for the past two seasons, leads the way again with 11 goals. Bryan Mbeumo is second with eight for Brentford, while Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood has seven.
On a day of late drama in the Premier League, third-placed Aston Villa dropped home points after Evanilson scored in the sixth minute of added time to earn Bournemouth a 1-1 draw.
Villa were moments away from moving within a point of Liverpool after Ross Barkley’s goal in the 76th looked like being enough before Brazilian Evanilson’s last-ditch equaliser.
“At the last moment we didn’t control the match,” Villa manager Unai Emery said. “It’s painful but we have to accept it.”
Brentford have been known for their fast starts this season after becoming the first Premier League team to score in the opening minute in three consecutive games.
Against Ipswich, though, Thomas Frank’s team had to rely on a last-gasp goal from Mbeumo to seal a comeback 4-3 win.
His second goal of the match came in the sixth minute of added time and settled a thriller, in which Brentford went 2-0 down early and blew a 3-2 lead.
“Let’s put it this way, when we play, it is exciting,” Frank said.
Wolves also staged a dramatic fightback by scoring in the 88th minute and then in stoppage time to salvage a 2-2 draw at Brighton.
After experiencing the agony of going down to John Stones’ late winner for Man City last week, Wolves responded impressively.
Gary O’Neil’s team went behind to goals from Danny Welbeck in the 45th and Evan Ferguson in the 85th, but staged an improbable comeback through Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha.
Wolves are second from bottom on two points, one ahead of last-placed Southampton.
Continuing the late goals theme in the day’s late match, substitute Beto’s stoppage-time header earned Everton a point as they drew 1-1 with Fulham at Goodison Park.
The striker nodded home in the fourth minute of added time to cancel out former Everton winger Alex Iwobi’s 61st-minute strike and extend the hosts’ unbeaten run to five matches.
© AAP