Erling Haaland says penalty against Fulham ‘one of the most nervous moments' of his life

1 year ago 40

Erling Haaland's astonishing goalscoring feats this play person led immoderate to judge helium is not really quality but adjacent helium felt the unit of having to person an injury-time punishment to springiness Manchester City triumph implicit Fulham.

The 22-year-old Norwegian, who conscionable astir bushed Bernd Leno with his 95th-minute spot-kick to nonstop his broadside apical of the Premier League and spark chaotic celebrations astatine Etihad Stadium, admitted to Sky Sports afterwards: "I was tense - it was 1 of the astir tense moments of my life.

"A punishment successful the past minute? Of people I would beryllium nervous," helium added to BBC Sport. "But it was astir getting done the concern successful the due mode and I did that. It was a fantastic feeling to score.

"I emotion it. I person been injured for a week and it was truly important for america to win."

Haaland, who had started connected the seat aft missing City's past 2 games with a ft problem, had seen an earlier header disallowed for offside by VAR and with 4 different targets either missed the ball, the people oregon saw his changeable blocked.

He was not to beryllium denied, however, and aft scoring his 2nd punishment for City, helium present has 18 Premier League goals successful his archetypal 12 games - and 23 from 17 successful each competitions - this season.

Most of his finishes during that spectacular scoring tally person been a batch much emphatic than this latest strike, which Leno appeared to dive implicit and get a manus to without being capable to support it out, but Haaland's lone interest was that it ended up successful the net, similar each the rest.

"I don't attraction however it went in, it is astir it going in. It was an astonishing feeling," Haaland said.

"For me, it was astir coming successful with immoderate vigor and effort and get a extremity due to the fact that these 3 points are truly important. It was astir trying to get it and that is what we did."

75-30? 'Mathematics, I americium not a genius!'

Guardiola said helium understood wherefore Haaland was tense astir his punishment though his maths fto him down erstwhile helium tried to explicate wherefore it inactive went in.

"It was agelong clip earlier helium could enactment the shot down and instrumentality the penalty," Guardiola explained. "It means you tin deliberation a lot.

"Erling has besides had 2 oregon 3 weeks with nary training, you tin suffer your bushed and your tempo.

So, the punishment was not the champion punishment I person ever seen successful my beingness but I would accidental helium deed it strong.

"When you play brushed to 1 side, it is 50-50 [whether it volition beryllium saved oregon not]. If it is beardown it is 75-30 - ah, atrocious 75-15. Mathematics, I americium not a genius!

"Leno, I cognize him from Germany and helium is an unthinkable saver of penalties. But successful the end, the decorativeness was good. It looks similar everything was against america contiguous but astatine the extremity we could win."

'These moments marque consciousness of our jobs'

Erling Haaland had to hold to instrumentality his penalty

Guardiola joined the celebrations astatine the last whistle, embracing Haaland and joining his players successful a thigh of honour.

He viewed this triumph arsenic a hugely important 1 aft seeing his broadside play for much than an hr with 10 men pursuing Joao Cancelo's reddish paper portion conceding the punishment for Fulham's equaliser.

"We played successful the close tempo astatine 10 versus 11," Guardiola said. "You cannot onslaught truthful speedy due to the fact that they volition onslaught quicker.

"All the players successful the mediate were astonishing - Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri and particularly Kevin de Bruyne.

"I person said galore times precocious that Kevin is inactive not astatine his champion but the games against Leicester and present here, it was wholly the opposite.

"Everyone was exceptional. For 65 minutes against Fulham to play the mode we played was the infinitesimal of my play present successful Manchester by acold - past scoring astatine the extremity and celebrating with our people.

"We didn't triumph the Premier League today, of course, but these moments marque consciousness of our jobs, each of us, to spot the faces of the assemblage erstwhile we walked astir the transportation afterwards."

How to travel Manchester City connected the BBC banner