Manchester City’s striker Erling Haaland called for the team to “step up” following their narrow 3–2 victory against RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium on November 5. Haaland scored the winning goal, his 13th in nine appearances against the former Bundesliga side, breaking the deadlock at 2–2 in a tense match.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Haaland said, “I think we need to step up a little bit. I think when we were 1-0, I think we needed to push forward a bit more to go at it, go for the second and then hopefully go for the third. That is what we have to do as a club. We have to work on that.”
He identified key areas for improvement: “I think keeping the ball, when to keep it, when to go, working together, both offensively and defensively. Lots of different things. That is the good part, you can always get better, and there is always a new chance, and now there will be a new game in three days, so that is lovely.”
Reflecting on his limited involvement with only 13 touches during the match, Haaland said, “It is not the most but what is the most important is I helped the team to win, and I managed to do that, so I’m super happy.”
The match saw Castello Lukeba score an own goal in the 37th minute, giving Manchester City the lead. RB Leipzig’s Ridle Baku equalized in the 49th minute with a finish at the near post. Enzo Fernandez restored City’s lead in the 58th minute with a header from a cross by Iliman Ndiaye. Antonio Nusa then leveled again for Leipzig three minutes later with a low shot across the goalkeeper.
Haaland’s close-range finish in the 78th minute secured the win for Manchester City, marking their third victory in four UEFA Champions League matches. The Premier League side currently sits seventh in their group with nine points.