The two biggest offseason arrivals in Manchester had starkly different starts to the
Ten Hag looked grim-faced on the sideline as the Dutch coach watched United slump to a 2-1 loss to
Haaland scored twice to lead Man City to a 2-0 win at West Ham, netting from the penalty spot in the first half then adding a clinical finish in the second.
Ten Hag was brought in by United to help close the gap to its crosstown rival, having finished 35 points behind champion Man City in the league last season.
If anything, the gap seems to have only grown — thanks largely to Haaland.
The
“We didn’t have any doubt. When a guy has scored goals since he was born, why should he not score here?” Guardiola said of Haaland's debut performance.
United fans, meanwhile, are still waiting to see what kind of impact Ten Hag will have after a dispiriting performance against
“Definitely a setback, a real disappointment,” Ten Hag said. “I knew from the start it will not be easy. And it’s a process, it takes time. But you don’t have time, we have to win games. We should have done better.”
United's players were booed off the field by the home fans after a performance that dispelled any notion that Ten Hag could provide an instant fix to the many issues that plagued the team last season.
If there was an issue that City needed to fix, Haaland seems to have provided the answer.
Haaland showed his speed to accelerate away from two defenders as he ran onto a pass into the box from
He calmly dispatched the penalty by sidefooting into the left corner in the 36th minute and then sat down cross-legged in a meditative pose — his trademark goal celebration that could become a frequent sight in the
The second goal came in the 65th, when the Norwegian timed his run perfectly to meet a through ball from
Haaland, whose father Alfie is also a former Man City player and was in the stands Sunday, is already looking right at home in the
“It’s a big moment for me, debuting in this competition," Haaland said.
After
“The way we are going to play is not going to change much (because of Haaland)," Guardiola said. "We are going to adapt. We know now we have a threat there. He is an incredible deep runner and especially is a good finisher. ... And we are going to find him more and more and more. And hopefully we can give him the opportunity to score goals.”
BRENTFORD RALLIES
Brentford came from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw at
And in the closing stages, Dasilva slammed home a shot from the edge of the penalty area to equalize after cutting inside on to his left foot.
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