Erling Haaland confident Man City have plenty to play for

Convinced can still “do things”

Erling Haaland is convinced Manchester City can still “do things” this season after making a goalscoring return to action.

The prolific Norwegian grabbed the only goal as the champions moved back into the Premier League’s top four with a 1-0 win at Tottenham on Wednesday.

Haaland had been forced to sit out as City exited the Champions League at Real Madrid last week and as they were beaten by Liverpool on Sunday because of a knee injury.

The lay-off compounded his frustration with what has been a difficult campaign for City but the 24-year-old remains hopeful of a strong finish.

After four successive title wins, City’s relatively modest league aim is now to finish in the top four while they still have silverware opportunities in the FA Cup and Club World Cup.

Haaland, whose winner at Spurs was his 28th goal of the season, said: “I feel good – it’s good to be back.

“It’s been a horrible week but that’s life. You have to look forward, you have to keep going and you have to stay positive because we can still manage to do things.”

Haaland had felt discomfort towards the end of City’s clash with Newcastle on February 15.

Scans did not show any damage but he continued to feel pain and was not risked in the subsequent two matches.

“As a footballer, all you want to do is play but sometimes you have to listen to your body,” he said.

Haaland put City ahead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when he turned in a Jeremy Doku cross after 12 minutes.

He thought he had scored a second in stoppage time but it was disallowed for handball.

“It should have been two, definitely,” Haaland said. “I think it was a big mistake to disallow it but that’s what happens and in the end we won, and that’s the important thing.”

Published: 27/02/2025 by Radio NewsHub