Erling Haaland leaves pitch with bloodied sock after tough clash against Newcastle — how bad is it?
Manchester City’s star striker Erling Haaland was left bruised and bloodied after a tough encounter against Newcastle United, but it wasn’t just the physical scars City were left licking.
A 1-1 draw at St. James' Park saw Pep Guardiola’s men drop points for the second Premier League game in a row, raising questions about their form.
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City drop points again, Haaland gives injury scare
It was a bruising battle, especially for Haaland, who clashed with Newcastle’s Dan Burn, leaving him with a torn sock and a battered Achilles. Despite the physical toll, the Norwegian warrior stayed on and kept troubling Newcastle’s backline.
City took the lead in the 35th minute thanks to a brilliant solo effort from Josko Gvardiol, who slotted past Nick Pope after a slick move from Jack Grealish.
However, City’s celebrations didn’t last long as Anthony Gordon equalized for Newcastle from the penalty spot early in the second half.
While City had moments of magic, they were missing the composure and control usually provided by the now-injured Rodri.
Newcastle, spurred on by their home crowd, kept pushing for a winner, and City found themselves on the back foot for large parts of the second half. Bernardo Silva almost stole the three points in stoppage time, but his effort were stopped by Nick Pope, leaving City with yet another frustrating draw.
🔵🇭🇷 Joško Gvardiol is the defender who has been involved in more goals in 2024 in Premier League with 6 goal contributions, @footballontnt reports.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 28, 2024
Fantastic signing for Man City. ✨ pic.twitter.com/lCUuUXIZiK
What's next for Man City?
Haaland, who has already racked up 10 goals in just six league games this season, now faces a potential injury concern heading into the next set of fixtures.
City fans will be hoping the Achilles issue doesn’t linger as the team heads into Champions League action next week against Slovan Bratislava. With two consecutive draws, Guardiola's side needs to find their rhythm again, especially with the absence of key players like Rodri.
