BBC Sport’s Kelly Cates, Danny Murphy and Micah Richards discuss Liverpool’s denied penalty claim for a pull on Alexander Isak’s shirt by Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber and whether the Reds can feel hard done by.
MATCH REPORT: Premier League – Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal
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BBC Sport’s Kelly Cates and Micah Richards discuss how rounded Declan Rice has become in Arsenal’s midfield, while Danny Murphy argues that if he was more selfish he would score more goals.
MATCH REPORT: Premier League – Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal
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Arsenal win at Anfield for the first time since 2012 to earn a three-point lead at the top of the Premier League table following an end-to-end match that leaves Liverpool frustrated to have taken nothing.
MATCH REPORT: Premier League – Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal
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Arsenal record first win at Liverpool in 14 ttempts thanks to Kai Havertz goal
Published On 1 Nov 20261 Nov 2026
Arsenal went three points clear of Manchester City at the top of the English Premier League after a statement 1-0 win at Liverpool.
The Gunners had not won at Anfield since September 2012, when current coach Mikel Arteta captained the away side to a 2-0 victory, and had gone winless in their past 13 visits.
However, Kai Havertz turned home a low cross from Declan Rice after the home side were caught trying to play out from the back to silence the Kop on 16 minutes. The visitors withstood wave after wave of pressure from Andoni Iraola’s side thereafter.
Liverpool responded strongly with Florian Wirtz curling a free kick against the bar and Alexis Mac Allister heading a good chance over.
Arsenal weathered the storm, though, and defended superbly to keep Liverpool largely at arm’s length after the break, denying the home side a shot on target for the second meeting in succession.
Arteta’s side replaces Manchester City at the top with 24 points from nine games, with City on 21 after losing at home to Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
Liverpool’s second league defeat of the season left them nine points behind Arsenal in fifth place.
After a 1-1 draw in normal time, Liverpool win 6-5 to edge a narrow win after penalties in last-16 match at Liverpool.
Published On 29 Oct 202629 Oct 2026
Liverpool beat Chelsea 6-5 in a dramatic penalty shootout to reach the English League Cup quarterfinals.
In a clash between childhood friends Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso, it was the Liverpool manager who took the bragging rights in the last-16 tie at Anfield on Wednesday.
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A 1-1 draw in normal time set the stage for the shoot-out as Chelsea’s Morgan Rogers netted from the spot, only for Cody Gakpo to equalise with a penalty of his own just before half-time.
Chelsea’s Valentin Barco hit the post in the shootout before Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas wasted a chance to win it when he blazed over.
Ryan Gravenberch was denied by Chelsea keeper Mike Penders, but Giorgi Mamardashvili saved Emmanuel Emegha’s kick to keep Liverpool alive.
After Joe Gomez scored for Liverpool, Blues defender Wesley Fofana miscued into the Kop as the hosts advanced.
It was former Liverpool midfielder Alonso’s third defeat in his three visits to Anfield as a manager, following losses with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024 and Real Madrid in 2025.
In their debut campaigns at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot both reached the League Cup final, and Iraola is on course to follow in their footsteps with the 10-time winners of the competition.
“We are really happy. Three wins at home in a row is very important. We were struggling at home in the league but now we go against Arsenal on Sunday,” said Iraola, who will face his former club Bournemouth in the last eight.
Alonso added: “Every time you reach the penalties, someone will feel it is harsh to go out of the competition.
“We were showing a good level and this is what it takes to come to these stadiums. The Premier League is the main focus.”
Alonso made just four changes to the Chelsea side that lost 2-0 at home to Tottenham on Saturday, while Iraola made seven changes from Liverpool’s 2-0 win against Brighton on Sunday.
Rogers put Chelsea in front with a 40th-minute penalty after Gravenberch clattered into Moises Caicedo.
But Liverpool were level three minutes later with a penalty of their own as Gakpo converted from the spot following Fofana’s handball.
The match statistics alone showed what a threat Ngumoha can be.
He had 12 touches in the opposition box, completed seven out of eight dribbles, and registered two crucial assists.
But watching Ngumoha is more than just a numbers experience. There’s a fearless nature to his play that can get the crowd going, and he was the one bright spark in a first half where Liverpool lacked any sort of rhythm.
In a game increasingly focused on structures, Ngumoha’s raw ability to take a man on is what helps to set him apart.
“He was magnificent tonight,” said former Liverpool forward Daniel Sturridge on Amazon Prime.
“On the ball, this kid has so much potential – and I say ‘kid’, but he’s a young man. He has so much quality and it’s stuff that you can’t teach to be honest.
“What he does with the ball at his feet – that is God-given ability – and his hard work on the training pitch, doing things day in and day out, and being ruthless, is what he said in his interview, and I like that. He wants to be decisive, and I love that.”
Ngumoha, who has grown up playing down the left, has struggled to get minutes on his preferred side this season, especially with Cody Gakpo and Barcola often playing down that flank.
But head coach Andoni Iraola wants his wingers to be able to play on both sides and Ngumoha’s improvement on the right flank has been impressive in such a short space of time.
Ngumoha also spoke about his rapid development on the right on Saturday, after Liverpool beat Brentford.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot better playing there from the Newcastle game [at the start of this season] until now,” Ngumoha said.
“I’m understanding it more. And going away with England helped a lot as well. I like playing on both sides. It gives me another tool in the toolbox.”
Match of the Day’s Danny Murphy analyses how Liverpool are still to “easy” to play against despite their 2-1 victory over Brentford.
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The first player to celebrate with Lewis Koumas in front of the travelling supporters in Linz was Liverpool‘s hat-trick hero in Bradley Barcola.
This time last season, Koumas was on loan at Birmingham in the Championship while Barcola was at Paris St-Germain, who went on to win the Champions League for the second season in a row.
Quite a chain of events led to the pair starting together for Liverpool in their 6-3 win over LASK.
And as Barcola left the Raiffeisen Arena with the match ball after a superb hat-trick, the Frenchman knew that he wasn’t the only player who put the ball in the net three times on Wednesday in Austria.
Koumas had his first two strikes ruled out for offside, but thankfully it was third time luck for the 21-year-old Wales international.
And so, just three days after making his first Premier League start against Manchester City – with Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Hugo Ekitike all injured – Koumas became the youngest Liverpool player to score and assist in a Champions League game.
Previously, the youngest to achieve the feat had been Steven Gerrard in 2001.
When that was put to him, Koumas wanted to know “Is that official?”.
“It’s not a bad stat, is it?” he said. “And it’s not a bad name to be alongside. Wow. What a legend. I just want more of this.”
He is enjoying his run in the first team but staying level-headed about it all, keen to point out: “This is my job.”
“I need to get goals and assists,” he said. “I hadn’t had any before Linz so it was really important to get them.”
In a Liverpool side where attention tends to be directed towards big-money names, Koumas provides a real feel-good story.
He joined Liverpool aged 11 and scored on his first-team debut as an 18-year-old under Jurgen Klopp.
After spells on loan at Stoke, Birmingham and Hull, where he helped the Tigers win promotion last season, Andoni Iraola decided in the first week of pre-season that Koumas was part of his Liverpool plans.
He made his Premier League debut at Newcastle before coming on against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. He was man of the match on his first start of the season against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup after an energetic performance which left Iraola describing his playing style as “contagious”.
That night, Koumas went straight on a video call with his family after the game and it was the case again in Austria after he scored his first goal of the season.
“It was probably the best feeling in my career, 100%. I’m just really grateful to have the opportunity again,” said Koumas.
“I would not have been a happy man [if I didn’t score], I would have been gutted. I just kept going because I knew the more the game was going on, it was opening up.
“Going over to the fans at the end meant absolutely everything. They are the reason we do this and that we want this job. I wish I could have got in there with them, but there was a big metal cage in the way!”
FROM trendy coastal towns to reformed suburbs, the coolest neighbourhoods in the UK have been revealed – and only one in the UK’s capital.
Time Out has found the country’s most exciting spots, taking into account factors like thriving food scenes, nightlife, theatre, art and shopping.
11 neighbourhoods made the list, and in top place is Govanhill in Glasgow – the former deprived suburb was also voted the fifth best in the world.
It was praised for its trendy new bars, bookshops and brunch spots.
Reporter for the Scottish Sun Oliver Norton revealed more about it – he told us: “I’m not surprised that Govanhill has just been voted the fifth coolest neighbourhood in the world.
“There’s always something going on, and the multicultural vibe has totally transformed what some once considered a deprived dump.
“When visiting, I like to swing by Cibo, an Italian kitchen and deli, or one of the trendy cafes before browsing through local book and record shops.
“Later in the day, the area comes alive thanks to some of Glasgow’s best pubs – far away from the stress of the city centre.
“Personal favourites include McNeill’s Bar or Ryan’s Bar where some of the city’s finest DJs and selectors have provided the soundtrack to many a night.”
Only one London neighbourhood made it onto the list and that was Newington Green.
The North London neighbourhood came third on the UK list, and 33rd position in the world’s best.
The publication described Newington Green as “brimming with brilliance.”
Along with plenty of lovely coffee shops and restaurants, the area does have some more gritty spots too.
Time Out said “From newly forged, hipstery gastropub Golden Tooth and small-herd butcher-cum-nightclub Stella’s to legendary Turkish seafood joint Sariyer Balik and the old Mildmay Club, Newington Green successfully combines both new and old London.”
Coming in ninth spot was the only seaside town on the list, Central St Leonards in East Sussex.
It was praised by Time Out for its ‘tip-top coffee shops’, galleries and ‘indie businesses’ like the indoor market called Heist along with its hole-in-the-wall bars and cafes.
Earlier this year, Time Out even said that St Leonards was giving Margate a run for its money as a ‘trendy coastal epicentre‘.
The second best neighbourhood on the list was revealed to be the Cathedral Quarter in Belfast – which also came 24th in the ‘best in the world’ list.
It was described as having “cobbled lanes and old warehouses housing galleries, gig spaces, restaurants, yoga studios and enduring cultural institutions.”
Travel Reporter Jenna Stevens said: “Whether you’re wanting a pint in a pretty setting, the city’s coolest souvenir shopping or a backdrop for your Instagram pictures, the Cathedral Quarter is the place to be in Belfast.”
“The area is anchored by St Anne’s Cathedral, where cobbled streets branch out to reveal buzzy bars, pubs and independent shops.
“Once an old warehouse district, this trendy quarter is now the city’s creative heart. Victorian warehouses that used to store linen and rope now house art galleries and indie coffee shops.”
When it comes to food, Jenna suggests checking out The Dirty Onion and Yardbird, The Muddlers Club, and the Common Market.
The North of England is where most of the cool neighbourhoods are according to Time Out.
These included the likes of Underbanks and Central Stockport, Crookes in Sheffield and the Georgian Quarter in Liverpool.
Alisson: Could do nothing to keep out Erling Haaland’s strike then beaten by a beauty from Jeremy Doku and some solid footwork from Rayan Cherki. 5
Ronald Araujo: Got a cheap yellow card early on and will be annoyed that the first two Man City goals came from his side. 5
Virgil van Dijk: Often pushed out of position to help Liverpool deal with getting outnumbered in midfield. Perhaps could have closed Haaland down quicker. 6
Jeremy Jacquet: Wasn’t a bad display from a young talent who is very impressive but this must have been a real eye-opener against a quality City attack. 6
Milos Kerkez: Battled well with Iliman Ndiaye and pushed up regularly but lacked quality in the final third. 5
Alexis Mac Allister: Grew into the game and put in a good shift but struggled once Liverpool went down to 10 men. 5
Ryan Gravenberch: Came in for the injured Dominik Szoboszlai and was Liverpool‘s best player until he got sent off for a second yellow card. Naive on his part. 6
Victor Munoz: Played with such a fearlessness and was an absolute nuisance for Man City, causing Nico O’Reilly all sorts of problems. 7
Florian Wirtz: Simply has got to do better, particularly in games of this magnitude. Was largely ineffective and made some poor decisions. 4
Bradley Barcola: Sharp on the ball and did his defensive duties but, like Wirtz, must to do more in the final third. 5
Lewis Koumas: Making his first Premier League start and the 21-year-old got stuck in from the outset in an energetic display that was loved by the Anfield crowd. 7
Subs:
Nyoni (on 66, Wirtz): 6
Frimpong (on 75, Araujo): 5
Ngumoha (on 75, Koumas): 5
Gomez (on 88, Jacquet)
Chiesa (on 88, Barcola)
Subs not used: Mamardashvili, Endo, Tsimikas, McConnell,
Fans have been speaking to Al Jazeera as Liverpool face Manchester City at Anfield. It’s City’s first game since they were found guilty of serious financial breaches.
Published On 11 Oct 202611 Oct 2026
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Follow updates from the clash at Anfield, including the build-up, analysis and live text commentary of the game.
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Man City face Liverpool in their first game since being found guilty of serious EPL financial breaches.
Red flares, smoke-filled pyrotechnics, strongly worded banners and trenchant chants.
Manchester City can expect a raucous and hostile reception when they arrive at Anfield for their Premier League match against Liverpool on Sunday.
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Liverpool supporters are angry, and they are planning to parade their emotions for City as the league leaders play their first match since being found guilty of breaking more than 100 financial rules.
In a decision that could have a drastic effect on the future of the English top flight, an independent commission found that City and their Emirati owners had arranged “sham” deals to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs by more than 900 million pounds ($1.2bn) from 2009 to 2018.
City, who deny any wrongdoing, have appealed against the devastating verdict.
The multiple breaches of Premier League regulations came during a period when City won three league titles and a clutch of other trophies while Liverpool struggled to break City’s stranglehold on the game in England.
City were given a taste of the resentment that awaits them when Manchester United fans goaded them during their 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Man City’s players and manager Enzo Maresca will get the full taste of a potentially fiery reception from Liverpool fans, who have also waited three weeks to watch their team back in action after the extended international break.
Social media posts and video reactions have made no secret of the anger that will be directed towards City by Liverpool’s supporters.
Spion Kop 1906, a Liverpool supporters group that organises flag and banner displays on The Kop, the famous single-tier south stand at Anfield, urged attendees to come prepared to show their support when the Reds host Man City.
“There’s loads riding on Sunday’s game on and off the pitch, but it’s down to us as a collective to bring the noise and get behind the team,” Spion Kop said on X.
“Bring your flags, bring your scarves and be at it from the very first minute.”
A social media post promoting a “Bus greeting”, urging Liverpool supporters to gather near the stadium several hours before kickoff ahead of the arrival of the City players’ bus, is also making the rounds on X.
Another post about the bus greeting took a dig at Man City, describing the match as “LFC vs Cheats”.
Merseyside Police said there would be an appropriate policing operation in place on the day of the match.
Liverpool fans are no strangers to creating a hostile welcome for City.
In 2018 during a Champions League quarterfinal tie, City’s team bus was attacked with bottles and flares when it arrived at Anfield. Liverpool were subsequently fined 20,000 euros ($22,400) by UEFA, European football’s governing body.
Dom Farrell, author of the book Glory Days for the Waifs and Strays, which chronicled City’s rise from the third tier to European champions, expected Sunday’s showdown to be “massively hostile”.
“If they were to win against Liverpool and then beat an off-form Paris Saint-Germain [in the Champions League on Wednesday], you really get a siege mentality going,” Farrell told the AFP news agency.
“But there’s also a decent chance they get turned over, and then it just starts to feel like you’re in this sort of dead zone waiting for the verdict.”
Former Manchester United captain and England defender Gary Neville expected Sunday to be a “brutal day” for visiting Man City, who lead the standings with a 100 percent record and are six points ahead of Liverpool.
“If they want an understanding of how angry the game is going to be, then Anfield will tell them like you would never believe,” Neville said on The Overlap podcast.
“I suspect there may be banners. There will certainly be chanting. There will be a reception like you have never seen for them at Anfield.”
The rivalry between Manchester City and Liverpool will be renewed when they meet in Sunday’s supercharged Premier League clash at Anfield.
History suggests Liverpool are often favourites in this fixture, but recent form heavily favours the Manchester club.
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City, who have dominated headlines in recent weeks over serious financial breach charges, lead the league’s points table with 15 points – six ahead of Liverpool, who are sixth in the standings.
Sunday’s match will be the 202nd fixture between the teams across all competitions, with Liverpool firmly leading the head-to-head with 95 victories, while City have won 53 matches with 53 drawn.
As Enzo Maresca faces off with Andoni Iraola this weekend, Al Jazeera looks back at the top five clashes over the years:
Our list begins with this seven-goal league thriller from eight years ago.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave Liverpool an early lead that night at Anfield before Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah scored in a rousing eight-minute spell in the second half to build a staggering 4-1 lead.
But Man City struck twice in the final six minutes through Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan, forcing Liverpool to hold on for a nervous finish.
That result not only strengthened Liverpool’s top-four bid but also ended City’s unbeaten run that season.
Nonetheless, City went on to lift the title that term with a record-breaking 100 points, while Liverpool came fourth.
This game goes further back in history and it’s another laden with goals.
On the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster when 97 Liverpool supporters died, a 10-man Liverpool side beat City 3-2 in a dramatic title-race clash.
Early goals by Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel put Liverpool in control, but City fought back through David Silva and a Glen Johnson own goal before Philippe Coutinho struck the winner for Liverpool 12 minutes from time.
Coutinho pounced on a loose clearance by City’s Vincent Kompany in the box, drilling the ball into the bottom corner as Anfield went wild for the ‘Little Magician’.
The victory marked a huge step towards Liverpool’s title charge, but ultimately it was City who won the league that season, finishing two points ahead of the Merseyside club.
The next game on our list sees City on the winning side.
Sergio Aguero had given City the lead with his first-half strike before Firmino equalised four minutes from the hour -mark.
But Leroy Sane won the three vital points for the hosts, scoring the winner in the 72nd minute.
After a quick counterattack, Sterling picked out the onrushing Sane on the left side, just outside the box, before the German’s left-footed shot hit the inside of the post and the ball rolled into the bottom corner.
With that, Liverpool suffered their first loss of the season, ending a 20-game unbeaten streak.
City also went on to reduce Liverpool’s lead at the top to four points and eventually lifted the trophy, beating the Reds by just one point.
This match goes back to the season that was the first to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Goals from Fabinho, Salah and Mane guided the Reds to a hugely impressive 3-1 home win over the title holders.
The match is best remembered by Liverpool fans for Fabinho’s stunning goal, as the Brazilian launched the ball into the net from about 25 yards (23 metres) out.
The result also opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the table and went down as a defining moment in Liverpool’s campaign as they ended their 30-year quest to win the league.
That season, Liverpool finished with 99 points, a whopping 18 points ahead of second-placed City.
Our top five list ends with a Champions League clash.
Liverpool fired three goals in the opening half-hour, ripping through their opponents in the first leg of this UCL quarterfinal clash.
Once again, Salah, Mane and Oxlade-Chamberlain were among the scorers as Liverpool took control of the knockout tie.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s fierce finish – a thundering strike from outside the box – was the highlight of this fixture.
Liverpool went on to reach the final, where they fell to Real Madrid.
After Manchester City were found guilty of Premier League breaches, rival managers give their reaction as games resume.
Published On 9 Oct 20269 Oct 2026
The Premier League returns to action this weekend following the international football break, and since a ball was last kicked domestically in the English top flight, a seismic shock was sent around the world by the guilty verdict faced by Manchester City.
An independent commission found the team guilty of more than 100 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules between 2009 and 2018.
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City have continued to protest their innocence and have lodged an appeal, but if the decision is upheld, then points deductions, fines, transfer embargoes and relegation are all possible punishments for the club.
City manager Enzo Maresca has said he believes the appeal will be won, and none of the trophies claimed since the period the charges began are tainted.
Al Jazeera Sport has collated the reaction of some of the managers, who were all speaking publicly for the first time since the verdict, starting with the club City face next when they travel to Liverpool on Sunday.
“I think uncertainty is not good for anyone, and anyone involved, but the process is ongoing, and we have to be patient like everyone else and see what happens at the end,” Iraola said.
“I’ve got my own questions about it; it’s affected me personally in different ways over a period of time,” said the former United midfielder, who finished second to City as both a player and assistant manager since the 2008 Abu Dhabi takeover.
“What I will say, the sooner it gets sorted for everyone’s benefit is essential.
“There’s so many angles to look at, from so many different perspectives, but really speed is essential for everyone to be clear, to be able to deal with it, to be able to move on whatever happens.
“It’s unprecedented, a unique situation to be in, at this level with such a huge impact in so many ways.”
“It is very important that we respect the process and the timelines; it is still an ongoing process because it has been appealed,” said the Spaniard, who was assistant manager to Pep Guardiola at City from 2015-2019.
“My position, and I think the club’s position, is to not make any comment until the appeal is fully resolved.
“In our hands is the way we have prepared since the international break to set the club up to win.”
“It looks terrible that Everton have been docked points and had to pay fines, and this was not so long ago, but there are other things going on that were more than 10 years ago and have not been dealt, which I find really difficult,” Moyes said in relation to the sanctions Everton faced, including being docked 10 points. Their charges related to breaches of financial sustainability rules between 2019 and 2022.
“I hope it is not just Everton that are being picked on. Manchester City have helped raise the level of the Premier League by the football they have played, their manager and the players they have had.
“We all had to park the bus, because they were that good and everybody used to say: ‘Why are you not having a go?’ – it was tough.
“But they were such a good side, and it was great times to play against Pep’s teams because they had so many good players.”
“We need to be patient and wait until the final sanctions from the panel; they are independent enough to assess the situation,” Alonso said.
“Whatever I say and whatever opinion we have, they are the ones to take it, and we need to respect it.
“It is not in our hands; let’s see what happens, and then we need to respect it.”
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca claims players unfazed by financial breaches verdict ahead of Liverpool showdown.
Published On 8 Oct 20268 Oct 2026
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has brushed off the guilty verdict hanging over the club and says he and the players are fully focused on football matters.
City could face a severe points penalty and even expulsion from the Premier League after an independent commission found they used “sham” commercial contracts to inflate revenue and cut costs by over 900 million pounds ($1.2bn) between 2009 and 2018.
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City, who top the league with five wins in five games, return to action for the first time since the guilty verdict was revealed when they travel to Liverpool on Sunday.
The eight-time Premier League winners, who have appealed the decision, then play their first game in front of their own fans since the verdict, when they entertain back-to-back Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
“I am very calm, the club has been quite calm. We trust completely the club,” Maresca told City’s in-house media on Thursday.
“We understand the noise, but the focus for us is what we control and we control the football side.
“The feeling is fantastic, to be honest.”
Maresca, who was assistant to former manager Pep Guardiola during the 2022-2023 season, addressed the players for the first time since the verdict when they returned to training on Thursday following the international break.
When asked about the reaction of the squad – many of whom have been linked with a move away from City if the club’s appeal fails – Maresca said they were “excited” given their start to the season.
“The players are excited for the next two games, but especially they are excited because in this moment, we are top of the league, so the players they are just focused on that,” he said.
“They know that what we can control is the football side. They are not worried at all about different things. They know they are professionals.
“They know that the noise is there, but they don’t care too much about the noise.
“They are just focused on this moment, how we can beat Liverpool, how we can, together with the fans, try to win at Anfield.”
As part of City’s appeal against the decision they have continued to maintain their innocence, saying the independent commission’s opinion contains “clear material errors” and that they possess evidence supporting their position.
The commission also found the club guilty of charges relating to their failure to cooperate with the investigation.
Premier League holders Arsenal begin the weekend’s action in the top flight on Saturday when they entertain Leeds United with the chance to move level on points with City, who would then hold Sunday’s game in hand.
The Manchester City star asked to be substituted and was replaced in the 67th minute of the 2-1 defeat in Porto.
Published On 6 Oct 20266 Oct 2026
Norway coach Stale Solbakken has revealed that he had a “heart-to-heart conversation” with Erling Haaland regarding concerns about the striker’s heavy workload ahead of a Nations League loss to Portugal, in which the Manchester City star asked to be substituted.
Haaland gestured to Norway’s bench that he needed to come off and was replaced in the 67th minute of the 2-1 defeat in Porto on Sunday.
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He was seen limping on the field in advance of the substitution, raising concerns about his fitness before his return to City — a club under heavy scrutiny as the subject of a huge financial scandal in the Premier League.
Speaking after the Portugal match, Solbakken did not say Haaland had sustained an injury but talked about the heavy workload the striker had been facing after playing the full game in each of Norway’s first three Nations League fixtures — a win over Denmark and losses to Portugal and Wales.
That came after a busy start to the English season with City, after reaching the World Cup quarterfinals with Norway over the summer.
“He [Haaland] was tired against Wales. That’s why we had a heart-to-heart conversation yesterday. We went through the possible options,” Solbakken said in quotes carried in the Norwegian media.
“He might have played the last 45 minutes against Portugal. That was a discussion. But he has very bad vibes and feelings about it … I am very pleased that he managed to pull out 60 good minutes.”
Haaland did not score on Sunday or against Wales on Thursday — the two games Norway has played since the verdict by an independent commission on City’s financial case was published. He had scored in the first two games in this international break and is on a record 65 goals in 59 appearances for his country.
Haaland is the only senior, out-and-out striker in City’s squad whose first match back after the internationals is at Liverpool on Sunday.
“He plays pretty much everything on the club team,” Solbakken said.
