Haaland’s Early Double Secures Lead for City
A hat-trick from Erling Haaland helped Manchester City to a 4-2 pre-season win over error-prone Chelsea in Columbus. Haaland, 24, scored twice in the first five minutes, profiting from two disastrous Chelsea mistakes as Enzo Maresca’s side gifted the Premier League champions an early lead.
Capitalizing on Mistakes: Haaland’s Quickfire Goals
The first goal came from a Tosin Adarabioyo loose pass, with Levi Colwill bringing down Haaland for a fourth-minute penalty, which the Norwegian scored after a re-take. Haaland doubled City’s lead almost straight away when he intercepted a miscued Moises Caicedo pass to slot in.
Second-Half Surge Extends City’s Commanding Lead
Another quick-fire pair of soft goals in the second half saw Pep Guardiola’s champions build a commanding lead. City’s third came as substitute Raheem Sterling’s mistake enabled Oscar Bobb to score through a near-post shot in the 55th minute. Haaland got his hat-trick just one minute later after another error from Malo Gusto.
Chelsea’s Late Response Not Enough
Chelsea did get two goals back after Raheem Sterling volleyed in a cross after 59 minutes and then Noni Madueke scored on the counter-attack in the 88th minute in front of 68,000 supporters at Ohio Stadium.
Maresca Reflects on a “Strange” Game
Maresca insisted that his team played well in a “strange” game and both managers also blamed the “dry” pitch for errors in possession. City now return to the UK to face Manchester United in the Community Shield next Saturday. Meanwhile, Chelsea remains in the United States for a match against Real Madrid on Tuesday night before facing Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge next Sunday.
Tactical Challenges for Maresca
It is clear to see that former Leicester boss Maresca is needing time to bed in his tactical approach after just five weeks in the job at Chelsea, compared to Guardiola’s eight years in charge. All four goals were due to mistakes playing out from the back, and while Maresca has said errors are inevitable with his approach, he believes it will ultimately lead to progress.
Grealish, Haaland, and Bobb: A Deadly Trio
Jack Grealish is using the disappointment around his Euro 2024 omission from the England squad to fuel further success in the coming season. The winger, 28, helped set up the first goal with some sharp pressing and was close to Haaland throughout, allowing him to link up to create dangerous attacks.
Promising Young Talent in Man City’s Lineup
A host of Man City youngsters impressed, including Bobb who shot through Colwill’s legs for the goal and could have scored another after a brilliant dribble. Among City’s starters were Rico Lewis, James McAtee, who claimed two assists, Josh Wilson-Esbrand, and Nico O’Reilly. Julian Alvarez, Kevin de Bruyne, Jeremie Doku, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, and Savinho are yet to begin pre-season with the main squad, so Grealish, Haaland, and Bobb could be the trio to start at Wembley Stadium against Manchester United next weekend.
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