LONDON, England – Erling Haaland’s spectacular return to the Manchester City starting lineup had been touted. After spending a considerable amount of time on the sidelines following his betting ban, Brentford striker Ivan Toney is also trying to make a name for himself. Maybe there will be a shootout.

Midway through a first half that was made unforgettable by Mark Flekken’s defiance in the home goal, Neal Maupay gave Brentford a shock lead, raising the possibility that he could surpass them both for a while. However, in the end, everything revolved around a different attacker, whose skill might make him seem unstoppable on occasions like this.

Following Liverpool’s loss at Arsenal on Sunday, City has regained control of the Premier League title exactly where they want it. In front of the goal, Phil Foden had the ball at his feet at one point, even his head, and that’s just the way he likes it.

When Phil Foden completes his hat trick, he celebrates.

Although Foden seldom scores with his head, he did it in this instance to give City a 2-1 lead. He had scored the equalizer with a chest, bounce, and finish, but he reserved the best for the hat-trick, exploding onto Haaland’s lay-off with every touch flawless and leaving no trace for him inside the area.

After winning their first seven games following their triumphant return from the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, City has been on a worrying run.

Pep Guardiola has stated that he senses his players’ will to succeed and to keep winning. Although Brentford had defeated City the previous season, Foden was unstoppable by anyone wearing red and white stripes. Can anyone else achieve the same results with his team? The question presses harder and harder.

Erling Haaland, who was making his first start since December, was denied by Mark Flekken of Brentford.

The issue with City is that opposition can sometimes feel pointless. Few players have shown as much tenacity as Flekken did in an incredible first-half performance; the statistics indicate that he made eight saves, most of which were spectacular. He even assisted Maupay on his goal. But at full-time, he was a mere memory.

Given that Flekken’s goal was being sieged at the time, Maupay’s goal was a thunderbolt for the sky blues and astounding in its unexpected worth. His long ball forward momentarily altered everything, though perhaps Toney should have been given credit for the true assist. He put up a basketball-style screen against Nathan Aké, allowing Flekken to continue racing to Maupay, who was rolled by Ederson.

Giving Haaland his first start since a foot fracture in early December had thrilled Guardiola. For the first time since the league season’s first game, the City manager started Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland together. All of this is explained in the story, which has the club prepared to sprint to the finish.

Maupay appears to deride opponents with an excessive amount of joy. After presumably uttering something to enrage Kyle Walker, he would collide with Rúben Dias on a defensive corner, receive a yellow card for a late crunch into Rodri, and have a lengthy discussion with Guardiola in the dying minutes. There is no denying that Maupay is blazing in front of goal. Now, he’s scored in five straight games. Perhaps he ought to adhere to that.

Giving Haaland his first start since a foot fracture in early December had thrilled Guardiola. For the first time since the league season’s first game, the City manager started Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland together. All of this is explained in the story, which has the club prepared to sprint to the finish

Although they have deserved better based on their performances, Brentford’s dismal results—seven losses in eight games—have been well-reported. Within the first fifteen minutes, Flekken had to deny Julián Álvarez twice and Walker. One block from Ethan Pinnock, others ahead of him risked their lives to stop Haland during those crucial seven minutes.