Manchester City hard-fought 1-0 victory at Brentford

Erling Haaland’s first-half goal gave Manchester City a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Brentford, moving them within three points of Premier League leaders Arsenal and offering some good news on Rodri’s injury. City dominated the opening half, with Haaland powering past Sepp van den Berg to smash in his 18th goal of the season—his best scoring streak yet, with nine straight games on the scoresheet. Caoimhin Kelleher denied Tijjani Reijnders with a superb save, while Phil Foden squandered several chances. 

Brentford failed to register a single touch inside City’s box as the visitors controlled the game. However, Rodri’s early substitution after clutching his right thigh raised concerns for Pep Guardiola, who had been carefully managing the Spaniard’s minutes following his recovery from an ACL injury last season. Despite that scare, City’s strong display secured another crucial win.