Erling Haaland thrilled by unexpected Man City development, Van Dijk responds
Erling Haaland sent a thrilled update to fans after unexpectedly captaining Man City in their 4-0 Premier League win over Newcastle on Saturday (February 15).
The 24-year-old provided the assist for James McAtee’s goal before being substituted in the 88th minute with a suspected knee injury.
January signing Omar Marmoush bagged his first of three goals after just 19 minutes, lobbing Martin Dubravka in the Newcastle goal after Ederson’s remarkable pass.
The Egyptian scored his second just five minutes later before rounding off his hattrick in the 33rd minute thanks to an assist from Savinho.
BBC pundit Chris Sutton was incredibly impressed with Savinho’s Man City performance, suggesting he left one Newcastle defender “absolutely petrified”.
City fans were left stunned by Marmoush’s performance against Newcastle, urging Pep Guardiola to start him in their Champions League second leg against Real Madrid.
Man City’s win over Newcastle sees them re-enter the Champions League qualification spots, one point above Bournemouth and Chelsea in fifth and sixth, respectively.
Erling Haaland sends ‘special’ message to Man City fans
The striker has been key for Guardiola this season, starting all 35 of his games across all competitions, scoring 27 goals, and providing three assists in his 3077 minutes of action.
Haaland took to Instagram to send a message to the fans, saying: “What a special honour to captain this team, thanks to everyone for the support!”
There was widespread response, including from Liverpool captain and A-lister opponent Virgil van Dijk.
City have an uphill battle to overturn their 3-2 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid as they travel to Spain for the second leg on Wednesday (February 19).
Guardiola’s side will then host Premier League leaders Liverpool in the game after Real Madrid, hoping to further cement their place in the top four.
In other news, Exclusive: Man City turn attention to Florian Wirtz as overhaul intensifies.
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