Haaland: 'I spared Arsenal a red card'

Erling Haaland claims he "rescued" center-back Gabriel Magalhães from receiving a red card in Manchester City's pivotal win against Arsenal.

The Norwegian striker's goal in the 65th minute became the decisive moment of the clash, securing a vital victory for Pep Guardiola's side in the Premier League title race.

After Kai Havertz equalized for Arsenal, canceling out Rayan Cherki's opener, Haaland appeared at the right moment with a close-range finish to earn three precious points for Man City.

Not only scoring, Haaland also engaged in several heated clashes with Gabriel throughout the match. In another incident, the Man City forward even had his shirt torn by the opponent during a dispute.

Tensions escalated further at the end of the game when, after a physical confrontation, Gabriel lost his composure and made a headbutting motion towards Haaland. However, the Norwegian striker did not overreact, thereby helping the Arsenal defender avoid the risk of a three-match suspension for violent conduct.

VAR determined Gabriel did not use excessive force and was only penalized lightly. Nevertheless, Haaland believes if he had fallen on the pitch or reacted more strongly, the outcome would have been very different. After the match, Haaland shared: "I think if I had fallen in that situation, which I wouldn't do unless actually attacked, it might have been a red card. I'm not sure, but possibly."

He added: "I haven't reviewed the incident, but that's how it was. I don't fall easily like that. Getting a yellow card for that, I don't understand, when he went straight into my face."

The 25-year-old forward further asserted: "Matches like this always involve a lot of contact and battles. Others will judge who wins, but I scored the decisive goal, so at that moment, I was the winner."

With this win, Man City will move to the top if they defeat Burnley in the midweek match due to a superior goal difference. However, Haaland remains cautious. He emphasized: "Every match from now on is a final. Next Wednesday, we will have another final. Recovering and preparing for Burnley is as important as this match."