Erling Haaland breaks silence after missing Man City win that closed gap on Arsenal | OneFootball

Star striker was absent from key win

Erling Haaland has spoken for the first time since missing out on Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Leeds.

The striker was ruled out of the fixture at Elland Road with a minor injury that he suffered in training on Thursday, Pep Guardiola confirmed pre-match.

The Norwegian was replaced in the starting XI by Rayan Cherki, who starred in the No10 position as Omar Marmoush led the line.

Antoine Semenyo struck the winner as City moved to within two points of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.

The Gunners face Chelsea on Sunday looking to reinstate their five-point advantage.

Haaland took to his Snapchat story on Saturday night to celebrate City’s victory, posting a selfie of himself with red-tinted glasses on, and his fist clenched in celebration.

He captioned the post “So important”, with two prayer emojis and a blue heart.

The forward’s injury, according to Guardiola, was “little”, and he could return for City’s midweek game against Nottingham Forest.

Celebration: Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland / Snapchat

They then take on Newcastle away in the FA Cup, before a trip to Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16 as the fixture list begins to ramp up.

Guardiola vented his frustration at the busy schedule, sarcastically thanking the footballing hierarchies for his side’s calendar.

Haaland has been crucial to City’s competitiveness on all fronts this term, scoring 29 goals in all competitions.

The Norwegian has notched 22 times in 27 Premier League games, four clear of Brentford’s Brazilian striker Igor Thiago in second in the top-scorer charts.