Manchester City beat Brentford 2-1 to maintain their perfect start to the season after Premier League top scorer Erling Haaland netted twice following the fastest goal of the season from the visitors.
Haaland’s double takes his tally to nine goals in four games — more than any English top-flight team has managed so far this season — while City’s victory gave them a three-point lead at the top after Liverpool’s 1-0 home loss to Nottingham Forest.
The Norway striker searched for the third goal which would have made him the first player to score hat-tricks in three straight Premier League games, but Brentford keeper Mark Flekken made several saves to deny him.
Brentford had the perfect start when they scored 22 seconds after kickoff when Yoane Wissa nodded the ball into an empty net. Haaland restored parity in the 20th minute from a tight angle with his second touch of the game.
City went ahead when Ederson booted the ball upfield and Haaland outmuscled defender Ethan Pinnock and chipped the ball past Flekken to make it 2-1. “The second showed what he is all about. He used his body well and a brilliant finish. It is a pleasure to play with him and hopefully he can continue,” said team-mate Jack Grealish.
City moved to 12, with the Bees on six after four games.
At Anfield, a superb second-half goal from substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi gave Nottingham Forest the biggest surprise win of the Premier League season so far as they beat Liverpool 1-0.
The win was Forest’s first at Anfield since 1969, and the players and the away fans celebrated accordingly, as the home crowd was left to rue a rudderless display from the Reds that lacked a cutting edge.
Liverpool dominated the opening half and Luis Diaz came close to breaking the deadlock in the 17th minute, hustling to keep the ball in play on the Forest goal line and cutting inside before firing a rasping shot off the near post.
Two minutes later, Mohamed Salah crossed beautifully with the outside of his left boot for Dominik Szoboszlai to head just wide as Liverpool increased the pressure.
Forest keeper Matz Sels took over late in the first half, scrambling to keep out a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner that almost dipped under the bar, and saving smartly from a Carlos Mac Allister header a minute later.
Sels then almost gifted Liverpool the lead before the break as Diaz ballooned a header up in the air, and the goalkeeper almost clawed it into his own net as he tried to collect it, luckily he was able to avert the danger.
For all the chances they created in the first half, all too often the Liverpool attackers found themselves on different wavelengths, and much of their play lacked their usual fluidity, as chances went begging.
Their wastefulness was punished in the 72nd minute as Anthony Elanga found his fellow substitute Hudson-Odoi with a brilliant cross-field ball, and the 23-year-old winger cut inside before curling a tremendous effort past goalkeeper Alisson.
Other results:
Crystal Palace 2-2 Leicester City;
Brighton 0-0 Ipswich Town;
Fulham 1-1 West Ham;
Southampton 0-3 Manchester United.
Reuters
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