Many believed that signing Viktor Gyokeres would provide the lift Arsenal required to finally end their 22-year wait for the Premier League title. But on Sunday, the Sweden international spent most of the biggest game of the season sitting on the bench, all while his fellow Scandinavian showed him how it is done.
Haaland has become the main actor on the pitch in this sizzling rivalry, and so it felt inevitable that it should be he who had the final say. He was raring to go from the first minute, when he chased down David Raya and almost scored, and stayed in the thick of the action, sparking danger in the build-up to Cherki hitting the post before then firing against the woodwork himself.
When Haaland sent a shot into the South Stand in the first half it looked like this might not be his day, but this being Haaland against Arsenal, he kept plugging away and eventually made the Gunners pay for missing their own chances.
In eight matches against Arteta’s side, Haaland has scored six goals and contributed two assists. When you consider that Arseal have been City’s greatest competitors during the Norwegian’s time at the club, it is the perfect riposte to the accusation that he goes missing in the biggest games.
