Nico O’Reilly had been presented with the prize by the side of the pitch before Pep Guardiola announced who he felt was a more deserving recipient. “Erling was for me the man of the match,” he said. Normally when Erling Haaland gets the individual honours, it is a reflection of extraterrestrial goalscoring exploits.
Not on this occasion. There are days when the numbers surrounding Haaland are low and high; his number of touches and goals respectively. As Newcastle were defeated at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, perhaps it was the other way around. For the eighth time in 11 games, he did not find the net. Yet he has never been more involved.
