Erling Haaland misses Leeds with knock as City win 1-0, posts two-word message | OneFootball

Erling Haaland missed Manchester City's 1-0 win at Leeds, then celebrated the result on social media.

According to Leeds Live, some Leeds fans had suggested he withdrew to avoid facing his beloved club, but his absence followed an issue in training and is not thought to be serious. City hope he could be fit for Wednesday against Nottingham Forest, though Pep Guardiola would not commit to a date.

From the sidelines, the 25-year-old posted a clenched-fist selfie on Snapchat captioned "So important", with prayer and blue heart emojis. He also reposted the club's "A hard-fought victory" update on Instagram with a blue heart.

With Haaland sidelined, Rayan Cherki came into the XI and played a key part in the winning goal as City edged a combative contest at Elland Road.

Guardiola said, "We don't have spies in the training centre to deliver the info to our media. I think it is not a big issue. We will see." He called it "A huge victory for us", praised his side's control against Leeds' intensity, and said they then relied on their passing to quieten the crowd.

Leeds stay 15th. Tottenham, in 16th, visit Fulham on Sunday and a win would lift them above the Whites. Daniel Farke's side host Sunderland on Tuesday, March 3, 7:30pm.

Source: Leeds Live