VIDEO: Erling Haaland burned chances to deny Manchester City a win over Chelsea. Coach Pep Guardiola made a joke at his expense

Manchester City took on Chelsea on Saturday night and were able to close the gap on Liverpool, who are leading the Premier League. But it didn’t happen as the Citizens only drew 1-1. Erling Haaland did not have his day, but Pep Guardiola stood up for him.

Citizens were in a solid position on Saturday. They were 5 points behind Liverpool, who are at the top of the Premier League, after the afternoon, but they had two games to play. However, they squandered the first one and put the Reds in a slightly more comfortable position.

On Saturday evening, Manchester City played Chelsea on their home ground and although they were the favourites against the groping Londoners, the result did not confirm it. It was evident on the field who was in better form and who was the better team. But the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Pep Guardiola’s charges were clearly the better side. 70% ball control, 31 shots against 9 on the Blues side, the expected goals statistic also played clearly in favour of the reigning champions (2.81 vs 1.42).

There were several interesting chances for sharpshooter Erling Haaland, by the way, the top scorer of the Premier League so far this season with 16 goals. But the Norwegian had a very bad day. He should have scored at least once (xG 1.71), but unfortunately.

In total, Haaland got in nine shooting attempts, three chances were really big. However, he didn’t score once. Thus, he scored an unwanted first. According to Sky Sports, no player with such a high xG value has come out of a game this season without scoring a goal.

Manchester City lost, yet Guardiola joked

So, instead of Manchester City breathing down Liverpool’s neck with the fact that they are one point behind them with a game to spare, now even if they use their game to spare, they will be one point behind the current leaders. Moreover, Arsenal have leapfrogged him in the table.

Is Pep Guardiola extremely worried about this? Not really. Of course, he was sorry for the loss, but he didn’t lose his sense of humour after the game. In an attempt to defend Erling Haaland, he made jokes at his and his team’s expense.

“I played for 11 years and scored 11 goals. So I can’t give him much advice. In the next game he will assert himself. We didn’t play well in the first half, we have to improve that for the next game,” the coach told Sky Sports.

Manchester City have three more games before the end of February. Fans are definitely hoping that the Norwegian star will improve his taste and reputation in the next duels. Already on Tuesday, the Citizens will face Brentford, after which they will have a duel on Bournemouth’s ground. Guardiola’s charges will finish the month with a clash against Luton in the FA Cup.

Source: Sky Sports, Premier League