LONDON ( Associated Press) — Eric ten Haag has sought time off after starting his stint at Manchester United with a disappointing loss. It didn’t take long for Erling Haaland to show the impact he was having with Manchester City.
Manchester City’s two biggest signings faced each other on Sunday to begin their Premier League season.
Ten Haag stood on edge after watching United’s 2-1 loss to Brighton at Old Trafford. His team was overwhelmed in the first half and their effort to bounce back in the second half was not enough.
Haaland made a brace to guide Manchester City to a 2-0 win over West Ham. He scored from a penalty in the first half and extended it with a low shot in the second.
After being 35 points behind champion City last season, Ten Haig came to United to try to close the gap between City’s rivals.
But the gap now appears to be wider – thanks in part to Haaland.
The Norwegian striker was recruited by City for a scoring reference after Pep Guardiola played almost the entire last season without a fixed striker. The imposing attacker will add a whole new dimension to the team which scored 99 goals last season.
“We didn’t have a single doubt. While he was accustomed to scoring since he was born, he was sure to score here”, remarked Guardiola on Haaland’s debut.
While United fans will still have to wait to see what effect Ten Haag will have after a disappointing performance against Brighton, in which weaknesses remain.
“Definitely a blow, really disappointing,” admitted Ten Haag. “I knew from the beginning that it would not be easy. It is a process, it takes time.
Pascal Gross scored a brace in the first half as Brighton took control against a time-bound United side without any clear thought, until Cristiano Ronaldo came on as a substitute in the second half. The Portuguese boosted the attack and United moved closer to their own goal from Argentine midfielder Alex MacAllister.
Players were booed by United supporters as they walked off the pitch after a performance that dispelled any notion that Ten Hag could quickly fix problems that plagued the team last season. Was doing.
If the city had a problem to solve, Haland seemed to answer.
Following Liverpool’s draw with Fulham on Saturday, City sent out an early warning that they were still a team to beat in England. With Haaland at the helm, Guardiola will find it more difficult to take the title from the club.
brentford recover
Brentford recovered from a two-goal deficit to draw 2–2 with Leicester when substitute Josh DaSilva leveled the score in the 86th minute.
Leicester dominated most of the game and deserved to go 2-0 up after Timothy Castane and Kiernan Duesbury—haul goals in each half—before Ivan Toney brought the visitors closer in the 62nd minute.
DaSilva fired a one-sided shot from the edge of the box to equalize with four minutes to go.
