Published: 19:12, 2 November 2025 | Updated: 19:12, 2 November 2025

There are those who rather stupidly say that Pep Guardiola has ruined football and then there are those who open their eyes to watch Erling Haaland play and realise they would pay to watch him all on his own.

Haaland – Guardiola’s extraordinary centre forward – did not win this game for Manchester City by himself. But he did bring it much of its joy and its wonder, rampaging through the middle like a bull in a blonde wig, turning possibilities into certainties and adding two more goals to a season’s tally that now stands at 26 for club and country. A reminder here that it is only the start of November.

So this was another bravura performance from City’s striker and a victory that takes his team not exactly on to Arsenal’s shoulder in second place but at least close enough for their presence to be definitively felt. If anybody thinks Arsenal’s first Premier League title since the great days of Arsene Wenger will be won without inconvenience, they are likely to...