Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland warned his teammates to avoid getting overly distracted by Arsenal and instead focus on themselves after delivering a performance which, in his own estimation, was “not good enough.”
It should have been a night to celebrate for Haaland, who became the fastest player in Premier League history to amass 100 goals in the competition with the opener against Fulham on Tuesday night. City raced into a 5–1 lead at Craven Cottage only to see their advantage rapidly dwindle.
Samu Chukwueze’s second running volley in the space of four minutes made it 5–4 with a quarter of an hour remaining, setting up a nervy conclusion which left Haaland thoroughly unimpressed.
The midweek win, however chaotically achieved, took City just two points behind Arsenal at the Premier League summit before the division’s leaders host Brentford on Wednesday.
Upon receiving the Player of the Match award at the end of a helter-skelter contest, Haaland was asked about the significance of the win in the wider context of the title race. “Of course, it’s important,” he told Sky Sports. “Arsenal came here and they won as well. So, we know how difficult it is to come here and Fulham is a great team.
Pep Guardiola has had some serious firepower at his disposal. pic.twitter.com/UcYfMA3bR8
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) December 2, 2025
“But again, we shouldn’t think too much about Arsenal,” Haaland warned. “We should focus on ourselves, try to improve and avoid things like this happen today, because it’s not good enough and we all know this and we need to improve as a team. That’s what our focus should be.”
Pep Guardiola was more positive about his side’s near collapse. “It only happens in this league,” he giddily told Match of the Day. “We played a fantastic game... Listen, there was some really positive things in what we have done. To come here, to score five goals, and the way we played in that first half.
“In the end it was a question of character, resilience and defence. They did what they had to do.”
‘I Know’—Haaland on Alan Shearer’s All-Time Premier League Record
Premier League
Should Haaland continue racking up almost a goal per game, it would theoretically take him a little more than four further seasons to topple that high watermark. City have done their best to ensure that they will hang on to their record-shattering No. 9 for far longer than four years, with Haaland tied to a contract that doesn’t expire until 2034.
Rather than getting bogged down by future records, the former Borussia Dortmund frontman was more concerned with the chances he missed against Fulham.
“I should have had a hat-trick,” he told Match of the Day. “I had a few chances. I need to practice.”
READ THE LATEST PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND GOSSIP
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘We Shouldn’t’—Erling Haaland Sends Arsenal Message After Closing Gap.
