Erling Haaland had a day to forget in Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat against AFC Bournemouth.
Micah Richards claimed Bournemouth “smothered” Haaland while reviewing City’s latest loss.
Haaland reacted to Manchester City’s loss to Bournemouth by sending a message on Instagram that read: “Head down. Back to work.”
Norway’s all-time top goalscorer could not emerge as the saviour for Pep Guardiola on a day where his side could have really done with taking home the all-important three points.
Manchester City could have maintained their spot as the Premier League leaders on Saturday.
Instead, Haaland and Co failing to even get a result meant Liverpool leapfrogged them in the league table as they also remained fruitless in punishing Arsenal who lost 1-0 to Newcastle United earlier in the day.
Erling Haaland misses three big chances for Man City vs Bournemouth
Cesc Fabregas compared Haaland to Lionel Messi, claiming that the rest of the Manchester City players would feel assured that he is capable of winning them every single game like he did about the Argentine at Barcelona.
Mateo Kovacic likened Haaland to Cristiano Ronaldo as well in terms of his knack of stepping up in the biggest moments.
According to Statman Dave, the two-time Premier League winner missed three big chances against Bournemouth.
Haaland’s misses emerged after he failed to convert an inviting cross from Matheus Nunes from close range at first.
In the dying embers of the contest, the former Borussia Dortmund striker’s initial header was saved by Mark Travers as the ball struck his foot and his follow-up effort in front of gaping goal struck the post.
On another day, Haaland could have had a hat-trick on the south coast.
The first chance the Leeds-born marksman missed was not an easy one to score as he was it was a first-time volley while his second miss was merely a brilliant save from Travers.
But a finisher of Haaland’s ilk will rue his missed opportunities, particularly the last and final one as it was an open-goal miss.
Considering the decorated frontman is still the Premier League’s top goalscorer with 11 goals to his name, it would be harsh to state that he is out of form due to failing to score in four league outings.
However, at his clinical best, Haaland would likely have dispatched two out of the three big chances he missed and led Manchester City to a crucial victory.
Knowing that such is the case will haunt the Manchester City number nine, especially after his previous outing involved him scoring an excellent brace against Sparta Prague.
Haaland’s record vs Bournemouth is a shock
Haaland will likely be driven to get back to scoring goals against Sporting CP in the Champions League now.
World-class players like the Norwegian tend to channel their disappointment in the best possible way by redeeming themselves on the pitch.
However, Haaland could well be left scratching his head about why his goal record against Bournemouth does not make for the best reading.
| HAALAND GOAL RECORD VS BOURNEMOUTH | ||||
| DATE | SCORELINE | MAN CITY | BOURNEMOUTH | GOALS |
| AUGUST 13, 2022 | 4-0 | WIN | LOSS | 0 |
| FEBRUARY 25, 2023 | 1-4 | WIN | LOSS | 1 |
| NOVEMBER 4, 2023 | 6-1 | WIN | LOSS | 0 |
| FEBRUARY 24, 2024 | 0-1 | WIN | LOSS | 0 |
| NOVEMBER 2, 2024 | 2-1 | LOSS | WIN | 0 |
In five starts against the Cherries, Haaland has scored a mere goal.
Notably, in all the games Manchester City have won as well, they have scored a combined 15 goals in four outings.
Even in such instances, Haaland scored just one goal.
Pep Guardiola will perhaps help his star striker work out why he struggles to get on the scoresheet against Bournemouth.
