Haaland delivers, City find a way: patience pays off in a controlled 2-0 win

This was one of those Etihad afternoons when Manchester City had to earn the right to accelerate. For nearly an hour Everton disrupted the rhythm, but once Phil Foden and the left flank clicked, Erling Haaland did the rest—two strikes in five minutes to bank a 2-0 victory and keep the momentum rolling.

Haaland’s header from Nico O’Reilly’s cross and a swept finish from Savinho’s cut-back took him to 23 goals in 13 outings this season, 11 in the league. Jordan Pickford’s late saves denied a hat-trick, yet the essentials were secured: another win, another clean sheet, another reminder that City can solve problems even when the performance is more ‘job done’ than purring showcase.

A test of patience before the breakthrough

Everton’s best spell came early. Nathan Aké’s wayward pass was seized upon by Iliman Ndiaye, whose square ball rolled agonisingly across the six-yard line with Beto just unable to convert. Donnarumma then had to tip Ndiaye’s rising drive over the bar. City had their own near miss in the chaos of a Foden corner when Jake O’Brien powered a header against his own crossbar.

City’s response was to keep working the spaces. Full-backs O’Reilly and Matheus Nunes stepped high and shot wide as the territory tilted. Savinho scuffed one at Pickford and the goalkeeper stood up well to deny Jérémy Doku. The control wasn’t complete, but the pressure was building and Foden’s touch began to dictate the tempo in the manner Guardiola so admires.

The left flank delivers: O’Reilly and Savinho supply, Haaland finishes

On 58 minutes, Foden found O’Reilly advancing down the left. The full-back glanced up and delivered with precision; Haaland attacked the space and thumped a header beyond Pickford. It was the first clean sight he had been granted and, predictably, it counted.

Five minutes later, the same corridor opened again. Foden dropped the ball to Savinho, switched to the left from the right, and the Brazilian’s cut-back—skimming off James Tarkowski—sat up for Haaland to sweep in the second. In two actions City turned a complicated assignment into a comfortable scoreline, and their No 9 underlined why he has scored against everyone but one opponent he has faced this season.

Pickford spoils the hat-trick but City see it out

Everton’s best shout came at 1-0 when James Garner’s effort struck the hand of the newly introduced Bernardo Silva, but referee Tony Harrington waved play on. Thereafter City’s game management took hold, Foden knitting passages together with the composure of a player maturing, as Guardiola put it, like a good wine.

Pickford kept the margin respectable, repelling Doku in the first half and twice foiling Haaland in added time as the striker prowled for a third. That hat-trick never came, yet City’s collective authority did: the visitors were kept at arm’s length as the clock wound down.

Guardiola’s standards and strengthening depth

Guardiola joked he was disappointed Haaland didn’t score four or five and, more seriously, called for others—Savinho, Doku, Tijjani Reijnders among them—to step up with goals. The manager also noted City “found” Haaland more after the break, a small but decisive adjustment that changed the game’s trajectory.

Encouragingly, City’s bench looks healthier. Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki and Mateo Kovacic all returned from injury in the second half, bolstering options for the weeks ahead. The unbeaten run is eight and counting, the table climb continues, and even on afternoons when the machine doesn’t hum, City’s ruthlessness remains.