Erling Haaland celebrations after Man City win vs Crystal Palace shows perfect attitude

Erling Haaland took a deep breath, looked to the sky, and began his run-up. It's hard to believe a striker still operating at more than a goal in game in mid-March could ever be under pressure, but this felt like it was as hot under the collar as Haaland has been since he joined Manchester City.

He had endured another dispiriting afternoon in a team struggling to find their rhythm with him as the focal point. While most City signings start slowly and then explode, Haaland is inverting that trend. There has always been something a little bit different about the 22-year-old.

But with 13 minutes to go in a game where City had rarely looked like scoring, the ball was on the penalty spot and Haaland was responsible for what happened next. Vicente Guaita went one way and the ball the other.

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Had his radar been sharper Haaland could have had another hat-trick against Palace, having signalled his arrival in the Premier League against them back in August. Those heady days have become more distant in recent weeks, however. If you wanted to know how badly Haaland felt he needed a goal you only had to see his reaction at full-time.

He punched the air and screamed to the heavens when Rob Jones brought the game to an end. He then celebrated with gusto in front of the away end, pumping his fists and shouting to the supporters. This felt like a release of all that tension.

He had agitated the home fans with one aerial challenge with Marc Guehi in the first half and as he left the pitch at the end of the game he spent 15 seconds eyeballing the regulars in the Holmesdale Road end. This felt like Haaland unleashed. The marauding presence who can terrify defences. But