Haaland on fire again as Man City crush Everton

Manchester City climbed back to the top of the Premier League table on Saturday after a commanding 2-0 victory over Everton at the Etihad Stadium, with Erling Haaland once again proving the difference.

The Norwegian striker, who has been in unstoppable form this season, struck twice in the second half to seal all three points for Pep Guardiola’s side.

For much of the first half, City struggled to find their rhythm, while Everton created the better chances. Iliman Ndiaye tested Gianluigi Donnarumma with a powerful effort, and Beto missed a golden opportunity from close range. Jake O’Brien also came close to gifting City a goal when his header rattled his own crossbar.

But once Haaland found space, the story changed quickly. Nico O’Reilly delivered a pinpoint cross, and Haaland powered a header past Jordan Pickford to open the scoring. Just five minutes later, he doubled City’s lead, finishing off a low cutback from Savinho that took a slight deflection off James Tarkowski.

The brace took Haaland’s tally to an astonishing 23 goals in 13 matches across all competitions this season. The 25-year-old has now scored in 11 consecutive games for club and country.

Everton’s bright start faded as City took control, and although Pickford made two fine saves to deny Haaland a hat-trick, the visitors never looked like mounting a comeback.

The result extends City’s unbeaten run to eight matches in all competitions and puts them top of the table on goal difference, ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Fulham later in the day. Guardiola will also be boosted by the return of Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki, and Mateo Kovacic, who all featured after recent injuries.

For David Moyes, it was another painful reminder of his struggles against the league’s elite. The Everton manager has now gone 37 matches without a win over a side that finished in the Premier League’s top three. The Toffees have also failed to beat City in their last 17 league meetings, stretching back to that 4-0 triumph during Guardiola’s first season.