Manchester City’s form maintained its upward trajectory as they beat Brentford 1-0 in a Premier League match on Sunday, October 5. Erling Haaland scored the only goal of the match in the ninth minute of the match.
Pep Guardiola‘s men have now won three of their last four matches in the league and are in fifth position with 13 points from seven matches. Their football has also improved a good deal after a somewhat jittery start to the season.
Erling Haaland Keeps Contributing to Manchester City’s Form
Haaland’s 12th goal of the season won the Cityzens the Brentford vs Manchester City game. He outmuscled a Brentford defender before slotting the ball past the goalkeeper after a long pass was played to him from near the half-line.
However, it was the quality passing of Man City that stood out in the match. They finished the match with 70% ball-possession, which was more than 75% at one point in the first half. They also completed more than 700 passes in the match, which was more than twice the number of passes played by Brentford.
It was slick and stylish football from the visitors, which was also reminiscent of the game they played for the better part of their dominance in English football, that helped them win four Premier League titles in a row.
Very importantly, the Cityzens kept making the right decision as regards picking the teammates to play the ball to. Oscar Bobb made forays into the opposition box from the flanks, and Tijjani Reijnders provided the much-needed mobility in the middle of the pitch.
Still, Manchester City managed only 10 attempts at the opposition goal in the match, which was somewhat underwhelming given their obvious dominance of the ball. They continue to be overly reliant on Haaland to score goals, but the Norwegian does not seem to be complaining at all. Erling Haaland’s form is contributing to City’s progress in a significant way.
However, the injury to Rodri that forced the Spaniard out of the match after 20 minutes was a setback to Man City. They are simply not the same team without Rodri, who plays a major part in the decision-making in the middle third regarding picking up teammates with accurate passes.
Nico Gonzalez came in for him, but simply did not have the passing ability that the Ballon d’Or winner possessed.
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Manchester City’s Form To Be Tested in Upcoming Fixtures
The Cityzens have a match coming up against Everton after the international break this month. It will pit them against Jack Grealish, who is currently on loan at Everton and playing quite well there.
Manchester City will also play against Villarreal and Aston Villa in October. Both those matches might be challenging, but Guardiola’s men should be able to win them, especially considering Haaland’s form.
Guardiola’s men are genuine contenders for the league title with the kind of depth they have in their squad. With players like Phil Foden doing justice to his talent once again and other players stepping up, the target should be within their reach.
However, just as Liverpool are finding out at the moment, they cannot take anything for granted.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Sportimage
Recording Date: 05.10.2025