Erling Haaland reveals one Chelsea player has been ‘irritating’ him for ‘a long time’ | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has revealed after victory over Chelsea on Sunday afternoon that one Stamford Bridge star has been ‘irritating’ him for ‘a long time’.

The Norwegian striker was instrumental to Pep Guardiola’s side recording the perfect start to yet another Premier League title defence on the weekend, opening the scoring and proving to be a constant threat throughout the encounter.

Latching on to a deft touch from Bernardo Silva in the first-half, the 24-year-old showcased exemplary ball control and muscle to hold off Marc Cucurella, before lobbing a sprawling Robert Sanchez in a tight one-vs-one situation.

But the focus from Haaland’s point of view was very much on the Chelsea goalkeeper, revealing after the contest that one moment from last season had been living in his head over the course of the last year.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Erling Haaland was keen to discuss in detail why he took a moment to decide on what shot to take past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez that ultimately opened the scoring in the contest.

“I don’t know if you remember last year, Sanchez had a great save on me, because he always stays a lot on the line, that’s why I took a few extra touches,” said Haaland. “Then he’s rushing out and I knew exactly what to do. I think it was a really good goal.”

The Manchester City striker continued, “I remember his save for the last year, it’s been irritating me for a long time. So that’s why I took a couple of extra touches. It was a perfect goal. It was a nice goal.”

Haaland’s strike at Stamford Bridge is already the fourth goal he has put past Chelsea in the 2024/25 season, scoring a hat-trick when the two sides met in Columbus, Ohio as part of a pre-season tour of the United States.

The Norway international is no doubt looking sharp and refreshed for a new season, having had a rare opportunity to take an entire summer away from football action with his country failing to qualify for the European Championships in Germany.

Attentions will now turn to Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium homecoming, as they welcome Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town to their stadium on Saturday afternoon, hoping to make a further statement in their top-flight title defence.