Manchester City striker Erling Haaland stopped to speak to newspaper journalists for just the second time and the Manchester Evening News was there again
Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland
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It took Erling Haaland more than three years at Manchester City to speak to reporters after a game, and his second trip to the mixed zone in three months came slower than it might have done. The clutch of journalists waiting for the Norwegian striker heard the clatter of his boots on the Anfield corridor long before he reached the microphones.
Admittedly, Haaland kept journalists waiting for less time than Virgil van Dijk did. The Liverpool skipper speaks to Merseyside reporters almost every week and to get anyone to talk after a defeat is a bonus, so it is no criticism of him but he was delayed first by Dutch teammate Nathan Ake and then by City manager Pep Guardiola.
With Haaland, it was his own limbs that were stopping a speedier entrance. Guardiola may have been irked by his No.9 not running as much as he wanted, but to say he had been crashed into by Van Dijk for 100 minutes and still found the strength to defend City's goal after his assist and penalty had put them ahead, said a lot about the effort he had put in.
Haaland has looked shattered for ages, with his performance levels dropping over the last six weeks or so while he led the line again and again with Omar Marmoush occupied at the Africa Cup of Nations. Guardiola has tried to provoke his star striker back into form - starting him against Exeter in the FA Cup or suggesting publicly his mind could overcome his body - but nothing has really worked.
Even at Anfield, it was another one of those struggles before he came alive for the final 20 minutes and held his nerve. The effort had been questioned, and the quality had been lacking before the showstopper ending where Haaland stood up and did something he had never done before (score at Anfield) and two things he has by no means always done (set up a teammate and score a penalty) to provide what could be a pivotal moment for this team and for this season.
Understandably after such an effort, and a number of interviews already under his belt, plenty of the words that Haaland spoke didn't quite convey what he wanted to say. He was refreshingly clear and frank about having no excuses for his lack of goals recently but other answers when typed up didn't quite convey what his body was saying.
"It's three points, it’s three points, it’s three points, simple as that, no matter who you play, if it is Tottenham or whatever," he said when asked if the win felt like more than three points. "But I know what you mean. And yes, definitely. It's true, yeah."
"No, not really," he said when asked if the result sent a message to Arsenal. "But it sends a good statement to our fans."
With both of those answers his facial expressions and body language said a lot more as he was torn between wanting to let out the adrenaline of an incredibly uplifting victory and not wishing to appear to be too carried away by a single game. Given the state of exhaustion that also came across, it was easier to do that with some questions than others.
What the whole performance over less than five minutes did say, including several references to the fans witnessing their first victory at the ground since 2003 - "They deserve it, after supporting us, week in, week out, and, yeah, they definitely deserve to win at Anfield" - was that Haaland and City are very much alive. They are human, they are vulnerable, and their weak points may stop them from closing the gap on Arsenal and winning the league.
And, as assistant Pep Lijnders said as he made his way out after a successful return to Anfield, "That was okay!" If City are going to keep putting shifts in through every game and competition until they are almost too tired to speak in order to try and have the success that they feel the fans warrant, there are going to be many more days to celebrate ahead in the dressing room and the stands.