- Man City edged past Arsenal
- Haaland and Gabriel had many individual battles
- Striker has the last laugh
Erling Haaland and Garbriel were battling hard on Sunday, and Wayne Rooney has been impressed by how the Norwegian came out on top.
Manchester City and Arsenal were both desperate to overcome each other in a Premier League clash which had it all.
There was not much to separate the sides, but Erling Haaland was able to push Man City towards victory with a second half strike.
The striker did not take all his chances, but he found the net to put his team ahead at a crucial time in the game.
Wayne Rooney praises Erling Haaland
Haaland was man-marked by Gabriel throughout Man City’s win over Arsenal, but he was able to deliver the key moment for his side despite the defender’s persistence.
Wayne Rooney has explained in detail what the centre forward did, and how this enabled him to win his battle against Gabriel.
Haaland v Gabriel was box office 🍿
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) April 20, 2026
Who do you think came out on top in this one? pic.twitter.com/PqKg3UQA0G
He told Match of the Day 2: “It was a good old school battle wasn’t it, I think. He [Haaland] was causing him [Gabriel] problems all day.
“Here, just being in the right place, being a nuisance. Not switching off, anticipating where the ball’s going to drop.
“That’s a good touch and probably should do a bit better again with the finish,” Rooney said when watching a moment where Haaland missed a close range effort.
“Yeah and then this on the goal. I really like this. He’s always on the back of Gabriel. You can always see his number. And now Gabriel doesn’t know where he is, and then he gets involved.
“And once Gabriel gets involved, he loses focus, he loses positioning. Erling Haaland is a strong man, uses all his power and that’s a fantastic finish.
“He had these little battles, knocking him off his feet, making him have to touch him, have to foul him. He didn’t like it at all.”
The ex-United striker added: “And again here, he’s all over his back. Haaland’s being strong, being a nuisance. This is what you want to see from Erling Haaland in every game.
“If he does this, he is unplayable. And then a little bit of handbags and Gabriel’s probably a little bit lucky [not to be sent off].”
Haaland’s performance was not perfect
Interestingly, Haaland only actually landed one shot on target against Arsenal. Three of his efforts went wide, while one was blocked.
The 25-year-old missed two big chances, showing that there is still room for improvement despite the fact he became the match winner.
On the whole, Haaland will be pleased with his play during Man City’s latest victory, but he needs to ensure he is taking the chances which come his way more often than not.
Delivering against Burnley is essential for Haaland
After Sunday’s victory, Haaland highlighted the importance of City building on their win against Arsenal by beating Burnley.
Defeating the team at the top of the table is all well and good, but it is quickly rendered useless if the Citizens drop points against a side lower in the league.
It is therefore of great importance that Haaland is at his best on Wednesday night, to ensure there is no problem sealing a victory which could put City in first place.
