It had been billed as Erling Haaland’s grand comeback to the Manchester City starting XI. Perhaps there could be a shootout with Ivan Toney, the Brentford striker, who is also re-establishing himself after rather longer on the sidelines in the wake of his betting ban.
For a while, there was the possibility that Neal Maupay could upstage them both when he gave Brentford a shock lead midway through a first half made memorable by the defiance of Mark Flekken in the home goal. But, by the end, this was all about another attacker whose talent can seem utterly irresistible on nights like these.
The Premier League title is back in City’s hands after Liverpool’s defeat at Arsenal on Sunday – right where they like it. Phil Foden had the ball at his feet in front of goal, even his head at one point and that, too, is just where he wants it.
Foden does not score many with his head but he did so here to put City 2-1 up. He had got the equaliser – chest, bounce and finish – and he saved the best for his hat-trick, an explosion on to Haaland’s lay-off, each touch perfect, giving nobody in the vicinity the merest sniff.
City are on an ominous roll, winning all seven of their matches since their victorious return from the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia. Nobody in the red and white of Brentford, who did the double over City last season, could stop Foden. Will anybody be able to do likewise with his team? The question is being asked with increasing force.
Pep Guardiola had been wary. He did not need to watch the pre-match montage on the big screen to be reminded about what had happened last season. Haaland’s return to the team was the irresistible subplot and it was the first time since the opening game of the league season that Pep Guardiola was able to start both him and Kevin De Bruyne.
Brentford’s poor recent form has been well-documented and they felt the burn from City early on, Flekken given notice that he could be in for a busy evening. He made three fine saves in the first 15 minutes, two to deny Julian Álvarez, who Guardiola had started in a roving central midfield role behind Haaland. De Bruyne had a similar brief, which he took extremely literally.
Flekken also kept out a firecracker from Kyle Walker while those in front of him put their bodies on the line to make blocks, one from Ethan Pinnock to thwart Haaland on seven minutes especially vital. Flekken could do no wrong and the feeling only intensified when it was his long ball that would go down as the assist for the breakthrough goal. Call it a bolt for the sky blues because it was stunning. Perhaps the real assist ought to have been credited to Ivan Toney after he set a screen against Nathan Aké, basketball-style, which allowed Flekken’s clearance to keep on running to Maupay, who rolled past Ederson with the minimum of fuss.
Maupay seems to take delight in winding up opponents. He would clash with Rúben Dias on a defensive corner and earn a yellow card for a late crunch into Rodri. But nobody can say that he is not on fire in front of goal. He has scored in each of his past five games.
The first half became a mini-epic for Flekken, his save total reaching eight, which included the one he fumbled around the post from Foden on 44 minutes. Even when it did not go to plan, it somehow did. Special mention, too, for the one-on-one save against Haaland and when he went right to keep out Josko Gvardiol.
City had plenty of other near misses, including the moment when a goalbound Bernardo Silva hit Mads Roerslev to fly wide, but Flekken could not get to the interval with his clean sheet intact. It would have been too much.
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Brentford had threatened in the first half when Ederson clawed away Sergio Reguilón’s cross-cum-shot and Dias needed to make an important intervention to block from Vitaly Janelt with Ederson off his line. But Foden finally restored parity after Pinnock’s poor headed clearance from a De Bruyne cross.
Brentford worked tirelessly for each other in their 3-5-2 shape, which often looked more like 5-3-2, and they believed they could hurt City. There was always the possibility they could get something via a set piece. But with this City team, it can feel relentless, inevitable. So many of their matches are David versus Goliath.
They went in front in the 53rd minute and, after all of Brentford’s resistance, it was another soft concession. When De Bruyne checked in an inside left position, Foden ran off Reguilón. The cross was made to measure; the unmarked Foden strained his neck muscles to generate the power and accuracy in the header. Should Flekken have got a firmer hand to it? After his first-half heroics, it felt churlish to ask.
Brentford refused to stop believing. They created the chances to equalise. Christian Nørgaard was denied by a big Dias block, Maupay by another from Gvardiol while Toney put too much on a side-on volley when well-placed. Foden was unerring with his hat-trick opportunity.
