Erling Haaland scored twice to take his Premier League tally to nine as Manchester City recovered from conceding after just 23 seconds to maintain their 100% record with victory over Brentford.
Visiting forward Yoane Wissa scored the quickest top-flight goal of the season, heading into an empty net from close range after John Stones and Ederson inexplicably messed up attempting to clear Keane Lewis-Potter's nod-back.
City were rocking but Haaland steadied the ship, driving home the loose ball after Kevin de Bruyne had been tackled inside the Brentford box.
The Norwegian was playing despite the death of a close family friend in midweek. He scored a second before the break as he outmuscled Ethan Pinnock to reach Ederson's long punt forward.
It left Haaland tantalisingly close to becoming only the fifth player in English top-flight history - and the first since 1946 - to score three successive hat-tricks.
He came close. Brentford keeper Mark Flekken tipped one goal-bound effort over the bar. Haaland then sent an instinctive first-time strike against the post and was unable to get enough power behind the rebound to take it into the net.
But, despite the crowd clearly willing him on, dad Alfie watching from the stands and manager Pep Guardiola opting not to take him off even though his side start their Champions League campaign with a 2023 final rematch against Inter Milan on Wednesday, this time Haaland had to settle for two.
As the game ticked into injury time, Haaland was confirmed as the club man of the match.
He has now taken his overall tally for City to 99 in 103 appearances. His Premier League ratio is more than one a game.
To put that into context, legendary striker Sergio Aguero took 390 games to score his club record 260 for the club. At the current rate, Haaland will overhaul the Argentine within three seasons.
And the secondary point is he scores goals from nothing, which, on days like these, is absolutely priceless.
New arrival Savinho looks a major threat. But despite getting himself into a couple of excellent positions, he could not convert.
It has been said Haaland doesn't contribute to City's overall game and sometimes restricts their fluidity. But he also ensures they win matches when they might drop points, as they almost certainly would have on this occasion had he not made his personal intervention.
It wasn't just about Haaland. There was also evidence of Jack Grealish's return to form with a smart effort that required a full-length low save from Flekken. A week out from a meeting with old rivals Arsenal, Rodri made his seasonal bow as a second-half substitute, although Phil Foden remained on the bench.
But Haaland took the accolades, which, given the personal sadness he has had to deal with this week, seemed fitting.
Source: BBC
BDST: 0904 HRS, SEPT 15, 2024
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