Erling Haaland impact for Man City shows where Liverpool FC and Arsenal have gone wrong

Erling Haaland scored his first goals for Manchester City since November as the Blues beat Everton 2-0 on Saturday.

City made it 10 wins in a row in all competitions and six straight Premier League successes but it was a nervy afternoon at the Etihad in a Saturday lunchtime kick-off that Pep Guardiola had warned against.

The Blues struggled to break the visitors down for large parts of the afternoon but Haaland slammed a home volley with 20 minutes to go and then sealed the win as he raced on to a Kevin De Bruyne through ball late in the game.

Haaland picks his moment

We know by now that Erling Haaland doesn't need to be heavily involved in the flow of a game to make an impact, but it was difficult to remember a game he was less a part of than this tense affair against Everton.

City player ratings vs Everton

City vs Everton as it happened

He sent in one dangerous low cross early in the second half but beyond that just couldn't get himself into the match, barely threatening at all for three-quarters of the afternoon. But then there is a reason he is so rarely taken off.

Having toiled for 70 minutes he was in the right place at the right time to break the deadlock with an unstoppable right-foot volley. Everton couldn't clear a corner and the last man they wanted the loose ball to fall to was Haaland. Even with an angle to work against, he made a clean connection and put so much power on the shot that Jordan Pickford getting a hand to it only changed the trajectory at which it hit the net.

It was a vital moment in a game that was threatening to end in frustration for City and it was Haaland's first goal since November 28. That sniff of goal was back and it didn't take him long to add another. It was a familiar combo