Author – Amrit Santlani
Manchester City star Erling Haaland apparently mentioned Arsenal after the Premier League leaders dropped more points following their 3-3 draw with last-placed Southampton. For the third week in a row, Mikel Arteta’s side dropped points with their third draw in a row and now Pep Guardiola’s Man City seem to have an advantage in the title race, as they are five points behind Arsenal but have two games in hand. Haaland seemed to mock Arsenal’s performance after they needed a last-gasp goal from Bukayo Saka to seal a draw after trailing 3-1 to Southampton.
Shortly after the referee blew the final whistle in London on Friday night, Haaland posted an update on social media that could be linked to Arsenal’s draw. The Norwegian star posted pictures of himself training for Man City’s next game, with an intriguing caption: “
Still waiting
“, read the caption of Haaland’s post on Twitter.
When Arteta was asked what he said to his players after they lost points for the third week in a row, the Spaniard replied: “That I love them. Because I know how hard it was for them today, especially when you make a big mistake like that at the start.”
“It’s very difficult psychologically, but the way we played, the courage we showed under that pressure. Obviously, we’re unhappy with the result. We made things very difficult again for ourselves, but mistakes are part of soccer, but the way we reacted, I love my players more than ever” he added.
The Premier League leaders are currently on 75 points from 32 games, while Guardiola’s side have 70 points from 30 games. In addition, Arteta’s side play away to Manchester City on Thursday, which could be important in deciding the fate of the league crown. The last result against Southampton would be the last blow to Arsenal’s title hopes, but there was also good news. The point earned by the Gunners puts them 22 points ahead of their north London rivals, especially Tottenham, who have 7 games remaining this season, meaning Arteta’s side will finish ahead of Spurs in the Premier League for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
Erling Haaland and Manchester City return to action on Saturday when they face Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-finals, and then turn their attention to the decisive clash against Arsenal at the Etihad.
The Norwegian would love to increase his goal tally when City host the Premier League leaders, having already scored 48 goals in all competitions, including 32 league goals, and the closest to him is Harry Kane, who has 23 goals.