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Manchester City star Rodri revealed that he was going to take a stoppage-time penalty against Fulham on Saturday (5 November) but later decided to hand it to Erling Braut-Haaland. The Spaniard said that he handed over the penalty to Haaland to help him gain more confidence after his goal was ruled out earlier in the game.
City, who were 10 men down against Fulham on Saturday, were staring at a 1-1 draw at home before they were rewarded with a penalty for Antonee Robinson's challenge on Kevin de Bruyne inside the box. The Norwegian's half-hearted strike managed to get past Fulham's goal-stopper to hand Pep Guardiola a 2-1 win at home, putting City at the top of the Premier League table.
Talking to talkSPORT after the game, Rodri confirmed that he was lined up to take the penalty but later decided that Haaland should take it to regain his confidence after the injury. He said:
“I was going to take the responsibility of the penalty, but I saw him and I think these guys are prepared for these situations, that’s why I gave him the ball.''
He continued:
“He’s a killer and he needed three touches to score three goals. One was disallowed and the other was in. I wanted also to give him some confidence after coming back [from injury], so yeah, he’s a massive player for us.”
Haaland came on as a substitute in the second half of the game against Villa. He returned after a foot injury ruled him out for two matches.
The 95th-minute strike from the spot at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday (5 November) confirmed Haaland's 18th goal of his debut Premier League season. He has scored five more for City in the Champions League.
The former Borussia Dortmund striker joined the defending Premier League champions on a five-year deal worth £85.5m in total with agent fees, signing bonuses, and other costs included.
Haaland will be a key figure in Guardiola's dream of winning the Champions League title this season after a series of setbacks in the past.
Kevin de Bruyne's insane Premier League stats for the calendar year reveals how important he is for Pep Guardiola's Manchester City
Manchester City has dominated the Premier League in the last decade and a lot of credit goes to their manager Pep Guardiola and players like Kevin de Bruyne. The 31-year-old Belgian midfielder has been one of the most consistent figures in Guardiola's setup since his arrival in 2015 from Wolfsburg.
De Bruyne has 89 goals and 134 assists to his name in 325 appearances for Manchester City. He has won four Premier League titles in the last seven years, including many other domestic titles.
The Belgian has been in red-hot form this calendar year, with 13 goals and 16 assists in 29 Premier League matches, thus revealing how his consistency has played a big role in Manchester City's domination across tournaments. With the 2022 FIFA World Cup around the corner, the Belgian national team will be hoping to see their magician midfielder continue his form and help his team make it big in Qatar later this year.
