Roy Keane has seemingly admitted he got it wrong after watching a “leader” impress in the 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Emirates on Sunday. The Gunners needed a stunning 90+3rd-minute equaliser from Gabriel Martinelli to cancel out Erling Haaland’s opener.
It was a strange game, given Mikel Arteta’s men were in control but a goal down, and Pep Guardiola set his side up to play on the counter-attack. The opener came against the run of play, but it was an excellent move from the visitors, which ended with Haaland finding the bottom corner with a neat right-footed finish.
Haaland took his tally for the season to five goals in four league games, and he’s been at his very best after injuries hampered his past campaign. The Norwegian frontman would have scored yet another winner if not for Martinelli’s late chip.
Arsenal 1-1 Man City: Roy Keane Performs Erling Haaland U-Turn
Haaland has been a revelation at City, putting up goalscoring numbers unheard of in English football. The 25-year-old hit his 131st goal for Guardiola’s Cityzens in the draw in North London, continuing a red-hot start to his fourth season.
There aren’t many who criticise Haaland, but Keane did just that last year when the two sides met at the Etihad. The Manchester United icon said the Norway international was “almost like a League Two player” after he was kept quiet by William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Keane has now eaten humble pie after watching him net at the Emirates and dubbed him a “machine” while speaking on Sky Sports: “Haaland is like a man possessed. He is a beast up there. He is knocking people over. Great leadership skills here and he got his goal as well. He’s a machine.”
Haaland was up against the same defensive duo this afternoon and fared well, proving tough to handle alongside Jeremy Doku who caught the eye despite a surprisingly pragmatic approach from Guardiola. He will be vital if City are going to rival Liverpool for the Premier League title this season.
Erling Haaland Won’t ‘Really Care’ About Roy Keane’s Opinion
While Haaland has gone up in Keane’s estimations, it wouldn’t bother the City forward, given how he responded to the pundit’s previous analysis that he wasn’t of top-flight quality. That assessment was put to him shortly after his quiet showing at home to Arsenal in the league last season (via Standard Sport):
“I don’t really care that much about that man, so that’s all right.”
Keane and Haaland’s father, Alf Inge, has a storied history for all the wrong reasons after duelling in the Manchester derby. The former United captain was hit with a lengthy ban, which caused the former City midfielder to suffer an ACL injury.
Haaland has almost certainly outshone his father and continues to write his name in the club’s history books. Some of his best moments have come against Keane’s former club, United, such as last weekend when he hit a brace in a 3-0 win in the derby.