Pep Guardiola has insisted Erling Haaland should not put too much pressure on himself to constantly score for Manchester City.

Haaland’s stoppage-time penalty against Liverpool on Sunday not only sealed a 2-1 victory for City but was also only his third goal in 10 appearances, with only one of these from open play. Afterwards, Haaland stated he must improve his output and refused to blame fatigue for his form. Guardiola, though, has praised the contribution of the 25-year-old, who has 28 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions for the club this season.

“We cannot forget he’s not 29, 30 years old; he’s young and it’s part of the process,” said Guardiola. “Every season he lives, he’s a better player for the next one. How he knows his body better, how he knows what it means to play every day. We cannot forget the last games. Maybe he doesn’t have the numbers that he wants, but we are in the position that we are thanks to him.

“For three-quarters of the season, if he didn’t score, I don’t know who’s going to score. We are in the position in the Champions League [into the last 16], and especially in...