Haaland breaks Brentford's resistance
Erling Haaland took Manchester City to within one point of Premier League leaders Liverpool but the champions were made to sweat for a 1-0 win over Brentford on Tuesday. Just two points separate the top three in a fascinating title race with Arsenal one point adrift of City with 13 games to go. Haaland was keen to make amends for a frustrating night in front of goal as City were held 1-1 at home by Chelsea on Saturday. But the Norwegian was made to wait until 19 minutes from time to break the deadlock when he raced onto Julian Alvarez's pass to slot in his 22nd goal of the season. Pep Guardiola left Kevin De Bruyne on the bench for the entire match as he manages the Belgian's minutes after he missed the first five months of the season due to a hamstring injury. De Bruyne's ingenuity was missed as City struggled to make their domination count despite enjoying nearly 70 percent possession and having 25 shots on goal. The Bees were the last visiting side to win at the Etihad 14 months ago and had their chances to spring another huge surprise. However, City remain well in the hunt to become the first side ever to win four consecutive English top-flight titles for a reason. One slip by Brentford defender Kristoffer Ajer provided the moment Haaland had been waiting for as he galloped clear on goal and kept his composure to score for just the third time in his last eight games. (AFP)