Erling Haaland sends Arsenal title message to Man City teammates amid honest Tottenham verdict

Erling Haaland has urged his Manchester City teammates to "relax" as they edge closer to winning a fourth consecutive Premier League title. Following a 2-0 victory over Tottenham, courtesy of Haaland's second-half brace, City are now just one win away from being crowned champions ahead of second placed Arsenal.

“Yeah, fantastic mentality,” Haaland told City+. “Focus on game by game and now relax.

“We came here to try to win and we won. Focus on the next game and try not to think too much. Let’s get all together and finish this.”

The build-up to the match was dominated by talk of how some Spurs fans would be content with a loss, given that a win for City would dent the title hopes of their north London rivals, Arsenal. However, Ange Postecoglou's side started strongly and arguably had the better of the first half, played out in front of a subdued home crowd.

Haaland broke the deadlock six minutes into the second half, however, tapping home after Kevin De Bruyne breached the Tottenham defence down the right hand side. The hosts rallied and nearly equalised late on when Son Heung-min broke clear with four minutes remaining.

Manchester City's substitute keeper Stefan Ortega emerged as an unlikely hero, making a pivotal save after Ederson's collision with Cristian Romero, a moment Pep Guardiola believes could be decisive in the title chase. Haaland then confidently converted from the spot six minutes later, following Jeremy Doku's tumble under Pedro Porro's challenge, edging City closer to glory.

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“They’re a fantastic team,” Haaland said of Spurs. “You know everyone knows that they want to play all the time and all praise to them.

“It was really difficult, but yeah, we came here to try and win and we won. That’s my only thing and I’m happy.

“I think we were a bit nervous. I think that’s normal, there’s a lot of emotions for everyone.

“Everyone knows the situation, but it’s about not thinking too much. Try to focus on your things to do and try to win.”

He added: “Ortega man of the match… What can I say? He’s incredible and such a good guy as well, so I’m happy for him.”