Haaland on same level as Messi, Ronaldo: Pep Guardiola

Erling Haaland

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said Erling Haaland is at the standard of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to finding the net after scoring twice on his return from injury in a 4-1 win at Southampton on Saturday. Victory took City to within five points of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League. Haaland has now scored 44 times in his debut season with the English champions, including 30 in 27 Premier League appearances.

The Norwegian's second goal was special as the giant striker acrobatically volleyed home Jack Grealish's cross with an overhead kick. "The second goal was amazing. It is not easy to pick the ball up in the sky and put it on the grass," said Guardiola, who coached Messi during four years as Barcelona coach. "We need him. The first half was not our best level but he changed the game. As a top scorer we lived two incredible decades with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi but he is on that level. He scores a lot of goals. I am very happy with 65 minutes after injury and he helped us again."

Also read: Ready, raring to go: Erling Haaland fit to play against Southampton

Guardiola was true to his word that he was not thinking about Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final, first leg against Bayern Munich as Haaland's return from a groin injury was the only change from the side that thrashed Liverpool 4-1 last weekend.

Ayew brace helps Palace thrash Leeds 5-1

Crystal Palace boosted their bid for Premier League survival with a 5-1 demolition of relegation rivals Leeds on Sunday.

Roy Hodgson's side erased Patrick Bamford's first-half opener with a superb display of counter-attacking at Elland Road. Marc Guehi equalised just before the break and Palace turned on the style after half-time with emphatic finishes from Jordan Ayew, who netted twice, Eberechi Eze and Odsonne Edouard.

Palace's first win at Elland Road since 2006 lifted them six points clear of the relegation zone, while Leeds remain just two points adrift of the bottom three. The south Londoners were without a win in 2023 before Hodgson replaced the sacked Patrick Vieira.

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