Wayne Rooney was full of praise for a Man City star after their win over Newcastleplaceholder image
Wayne Rooney was full of praise for a Man City star after their win over Newcastle | BBC Match of the Day
The Man Utd legend praised a Manchester City star as they piled more pressure on Arsenal with a 2-1 win over Newcastle Utd in the Premier League.
The 20-year-old netted an excellent first-half brace to put his side on their way to three points in his latest impressive performance since he switched back to a midfield role. The victory means City are now just two points behind Arsenal ahead of their clash with Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby, and the Blues know they will win the league if they manage to win all of their remaining matches this season.
If the Blues go on to lift the Premier League trophy, O'Reilly will earn plenty of praise for the role he played in it, though Wayne Rooney thinks someone else was just as important to their victory over Newcastle. Erling Haaland returned from injury to lead the line, and although he didn't find the back of the net, he produced a 'scary' performance that proved there is a lot more to his game than 'just' goals.
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Haaland produces 'scary' performance in Newcastle win
It is easy to judge Erling Haaland solely on the goals he scores, but his performance against Newcastle proved he can do the dirty work required just as well. The Norwegian striker found O'Reilly with a brilliant assist for the second goal of the match, while he finished the game with the most touches in the opposition box, most duels, most aerial duels won and the joint-highest number of dribbles.
Haaland also got stuck in defensively and made important contributions in his own area, with his physical presence a key factor from defensive set-pieces. Speaking after the match, Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney piled the praise on the City star, in what was one of his most impressive performances to date.
"I thought he was excellent," Rooney told Match of the Day. "He was all over the pitch; he had a great battle with Dan Burn. He didn't get his goal; we spoke about this a few weeks ago; he is adapting his game slightly. He is becoming more of an all-round centre-forward, rather than just a goalscorer.
"Newcastle were brave leaving Dan Burn one-versus-one against Haaland, but he showed his strength, great centre-forward play. He is becoming more of a creator, rather than just that player who scores goals. Then, defensively, when you need him, back in his own box, strong, powerful. Last minute, last kick of the game, the ball comes into the penalty area, he's there, great header out, but his performance was outstanding.
"Normally, with Haaland, you would see his heatmap, and it would be central, just around the penalty area. He was everywhere, and he favoured the right-hand side. He is finding new things in his game, which is a scary thought."
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