Man City get Erling Haaland boost after Arsenal suffer major worry

Norway vs Austria brought a sight that nobody at Arsenal wanted to see.

Martin Odegaard limping off a pitch would never be good news, but ahead of a week where they face Tottenham, Atalanta and Manchester City away from home, the timing could hardly be worse. All fingers at the Emirates are crossed that the injury is not a serious one, although it is a major worry.

In contrast, any City fans tuning in will have been delighted to see Erling Haaland in action. Not only did he play 90 minutes for the second time in a matter of days for his national team, he scored a late winner.

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The timing of the goal was, in a sense, classic Haaland. Slagged off by those who should know better after failing to score against Kazakhstan last week, his response was to score the winner against a good Austria side.

Breaking down the goal itself, it stands out as a vintage strike from the towering forward. The awareness to find space, the strength to hold off onrushing defenders and the deftness of touch to control the ball and nick it past the goalkeeper are all traits that the world-class forward possesses.

And yet, it felt like another goal from Haaland this season that he may not have been in the position to score last year when he was more plagued by injury concerns. For the third time in his last four games, the Norwegian has netted a sharp finish in the last 15 minutes of a match as his fitness has shone through.

City would probably have preferred their No.9 kept his feet up for a fortnight, yet his appearances for the national team have reinforced how strong Haaland