ERLING HAALAND might remember the day he reached 250 club goals in precisely the opposite way he’d like to.
Blame Arsenal for that, with a tireless display of winding-up the Manchester City striker that went far beyond their 5-1 victory.
Such a dire loss was only the final insult for the 24-year-old, who won the Prem title and Golden Boot in his first two seasons at the Etihad.
Haaland’s “Stay Humble” message for Gunners boss Mikel Arteta last September ignited discontent between certain players at both clubs.
And you didn’t have to read between the lines on Sunday to see which two players had claimed the lead roles.
Arsenal centre-back Gabriel had gone into the match saying: “It’s a battle, a war”.
And judging by his efforts almost every time he came up against the Norwegian, it was also combat he took personally.
When Martin Odegaard rammed the Gunners in front after just two minutes, Gabriel roared with joy right in the face of Haaland.
Many viewers were impressed with the calm way the former Borussia Dortmund hero dealt with that – as he virtually ignored the Brazilian.
Myles Lewis-Skelly then showed that Arsenal believe you are never too young to goad the goal GOAT.
The 18-year-old swerved in a classy third goal and sunk to the grass for what fans labelled a a “s***house” Haaland-style celebration.
The defender sat with his arms out and eyes closed – while team-mates lauded him from above.
Meanwhile, Gabriel continued his series of niggly encounters with Haaland – sometimes appearing to push him away off the ball.
The two exchanged words at one moment, with the forward responding by smiling.
And Gabriel’s worst moment – or best, depending how you look at it, arrived when the Gunners were 4-1 up.
The 27-year-old was on the ground when he reached out to tug down at Haaland’s shorts from behind.
Again the City man, this time quite literally, appeared to take the matter in his stride.
He glanced round to see what was happening but carried on walking away.
Unfortunately for Haaland, Sunday meant could also be seeing the back of his third Prem crown in a row.
Fourth-placed City are now 15 points adrift of leaders Liverpool.
Some fans reacted to the Gunners merciless treatment of Haaland by telling him: “If you talk the talk you have to walk the walk.”
Needle from Gabriel, yes. Haaland is an adult.
One fan’s verdict
Another suggested: “The Prem has missed something like this.”
And a third said: “As it should be. A defender should rattle strikers and that’s what big Gabby is doing.”
But others praised Haaland for appearing to keep his composure.
Sky Sports posted a clip of a string of incidents involving the 6ft 4ins ace and his man marker, adding the words: “It’s safe to say there was a bit of needle between Haaland and Gabriel today…”
But one fan posted: “Needle from Gabriel, yes. Haaland is an adult.”
However, the mature performance as a team came from Arsenal, with City gifting the Gunners their opener then collapsing in the last 34 minutes.
Poor Haaland had to grin and bear that too.
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