Erling Haaland's milestone goal fittingly arrived during a first half that felt mildly hallucinogenic, with the day lurching and swirling strangely as red and blue shirts collided in the Manchester rain. This was a gorgeous, muddy, and chaotic football match, with the crowd constantly waving fists in rage or shock. Both managers, dressed entirely in tight matt black, spent the afternoon whirling and crouching like furious international jewel thieves.
Leandro Trossard picked up one of the most absurd second yellow cards you're likely to see. The referee cleverly assisted Arsenal's opening goal by expertly pulling Kyle Walker out of position. The second half saw Arsenal's 10 men transform into 2010 José Mourinho's hate-ball, narrowly missing a glorious defensive heist as John Stones scored to make it 2-2 at the death.
In the midst of this chaos, Haaland provided a clear moment of brilliance, scoring his much-anticipated 100th goal for City. It was a beautifully executed goal, perfectly linear and simple. Savinho's craftiness on the right touchline set up Haaland, who then delivered the goal with two perfect touches.
Haaland's achievement equaled Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid record of 105 games to reach a century for a single club. His numbers are always astonishing, with four major trophies, 73 goals in 71 league games, and 14 assists. His productivity is accompanied by startling minimalism; this season, he has scored 10 league goals from just 105 touches.
Haaland is a true original, often discussed for his ability to drop deep and create chances for others, though this doesn't seem particularly true. He is a brilliant simplification, a straight line to the most effective base element of football. There is no other modern elite footballer who couldn't play in any other position. Haaland's unique style has transformed City's attacking rhythms and goal concentrations.
It remains unexpected that Haaland has become the tactical focus of a Guardiola team, a complete volte-face. Can he ever be considered the best footballer in the world? The celebrity system and the numerical aspects of elite football demand it. While Haaland is all about numbers, these are largely his numbers, not yours. His goals are expressions of extreme clarity and explosive athleticism.
What is certain is that Haaland is currently carrying City's goalscoring threat. The system works, and the numbers are still overwhelmingly good. This is now entirely his time.
