Gary Lineker believes that Manchester City would have likely beaten Crystal Palace if Erling Haaland was available for the clash.
The Norwegian international was injured as his side were held to a 2-2 draw by Roy Hodgson’s side on Saturday.
In the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, Gary Lineker suggested that Manchester City perhaps missed the £51 million (Eurosport) man.
Gary Lineker says Manchester City would have likely defeated Crystal Palace if Erling Haaland was playing
In the 23-year-old’s absence, Julian Alvarez was starting for the Sky Blues.
However, the Argentine did not get the required level of service to do what he does best and put the ball in the back of the net.
Even so, Gary Lineker believes Manchester City would likely have found a way to beat Crystal Palace had Erling Haaland been fit.
“If Haaland had been playing, it might have been all over but we didn’t have to say that about Manchester City but credit to Crystal Palace for coming back”, he said on The Rest Is Football podcast.
Erling Haaland may have changed the game but there are still question marks
With Erling Haaland being the outstanding goalscorer he is, many would perhaps side with Gary Lineker regarding his theory about the dramatic draw between Manchester City and Crystal Palace.
Last season, notably at the Etihad Stadium, the treble-winner scored a hat-trick to lead City’s comeback from 2-0 goals down to beat Palace in an eventual 4-2 victory.
At Selhurst Park as well, the Leeds-born striker bagged a crucial penalty in the 78th minute to secure a 1-0 win for the visitors.
But then again, Erling Haaland has started in games against the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur this campaign in which Manchester City have surrendered their leads right before the final whistle.
Until Pep Guardiola’s men learn to resolve this issue, they will continue to be on the receiving end of such shock results, regardless of the personnel available to them.
