"The connection of Kevin De Bruyne with Erling Haaland was great," says Pep Guardiola
Feb 28, 2024
New Delhi [India], February 28 : Following Manchester City's massive 6-2 win over Luton Town on Wednesday in the FA Cup, head coach Pep Guardiola praised the combination between Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.
While speaking at the post-match press conference, Guardiola said that De Bruyne and Haaland have a great connection.
"The players read the game perfectly. The connection of Kevin with Erling was great but everyone contributed. Happy to be in the quarter-finals, one game away from Wembley," Guardiola was quoted by Sky Sports as saying.
The head coach added that the Belgian midfielder is a "less selfish player" in front of goal. The Catalan manager also said that De Bruyne and Haaland are very aggressive.
"Erling needs a guy with the vision, the quality, the generosity. Kevin is the less selfish player in front of goal. Kevin needs the movement from Erling. We know how aggressive they are," he added.
Recapping the match, four of Haaland's first five goals received assistance from Kevin de Bruyne and he scored two goals in the second half. Previously, Haaland had scored five goals against RP Leipzig during the UEFA Champions League last season.
City started out with a bang, with Haaland putting his team into the lead in the third minute. The star striker doubled the lead in the 18th minute. City raced to a 3-0 lead, with Haaland completing his hat-trick as he picked a through-ball from Bruyne and chipped it over goalkeeper Timothy Michael Krul.
Despite City being in a commanding position at 3-0, Luton threatened to deliver an incredible comeback as Jordan Clark scored a brace to make it 3-2 by 52nd minute. This included a stunning goal from outside the box, which was a key highlight of the match.
But Haaland ended any chances of Luton's comeback, scoring his fourth and fifth goals in the 55th and 58th minute to make it 5-2 before Mateo Kovacic fired the sixth goal in the 72nd minute.
