“Puts Away 99 Times Out of 100!” – ‘Rusty’ Erling Haaland Defended After Manchester City Star Fired Blank vs. Chelsea

Published 02/18/2024, 5:27 AM EST

Manchester City’s recent performance against Chelsea isn’t being taken well by many. The reigning champions settled for a share of the points with the Londoners as they endured a 1-1 draw in the Premier League. But the focus has shifted beyond the scoreline to Erling Haaland, who failed to make an impact on the scoresheet. As fans question the striker, the Norwegian superstar has found unexpected support, with an emphasis that ‘things weren’t quite as slick as they have been‘ for him.

In ESPN Live, Mark Donaldson questioned Rob Dawson about whether Haaland has lost his spark ever since he came back from his injury. While highlighting 23 year old’s brace against Everton, Dawson replied, “People assumed immediately that he’s back from injury, and it’s the same old Haaland.” The journalist claimed that Haaland wasn’t the same player in midweek. “He did look a little bit rusty [against Copenhagen], maybe slightly off the pace and I thought today it was the same again,” he added. The support didn’t end there.

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Dawson further continued, “That header from Kevin De Bruyne’s cross in the second half—that’s the chance that he puts away 99 times out of 100.” Notably, Haaland missed nine clear chances against the Blues. These are the most shots he has had in a PL game without scoring since he arrived at City. “It’s just one of those days where things weren’t quite as slick as they have been. A couple of passes were misplaced and a little bit sloppy,” said Dawson. While insisting that Chelsea deserve praise for knocking City’s rhythm, he guaranteed that Haaland would be back on his scoring ways. Interestingly, Dawson isn’t alone in backing the striker.

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Pep Guardiola doesn’t ‘blame’ Erling Haaland for firing blank

Pep Guardiola wasn’t furious over Erling Haaland’s absence from the scoresheet. During the post-game conference, while insisting that he isn’t a ‘proper man‘ for mentoring strikers—given that he scored 11 goals in 11 seasons—the City manager said, “We created the chances and next time he’s going to score. I don’t blame him. Next day, he’ll score.”

“We Were a Bit Scared” – Rodri Exposes Manchester City’s Fear of Chelsea’s Counter Attack After 1–1 Draw

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Notably, Raheem Sterling opened the account for Chelsea in the 42nd minute. Thankfully, Rodri came to save his side with a brilliant equalizer in the 83rd minute. With the draw, they slipped to 3rd behind Arsenal and are 4 points behind Liverpool. Nevertheless, let’s see if both City and Haaland can make a comeback in the next fixture against Brentford.

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Written by:

Abhishek Mishra is a senior Soccer Writer at EssentiallySports. His early exposure to playing soccer earned him many accolades at college divisions, making him a sports enthusiast. While closely following daily updates for over a decade, Abhishek is well-versed in European soccer and now the MLS, as well.

Edited by:

Sreeda U M

“Puts Away 99 Times Out of 100!” – ‘Rusty’ Erling Haaland Defended After Manchester City Star Fired Blank vs. Chelsea

Pep Guardiola doesn’t ‘blame’ Erling Haaland for firing blank

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