Erling Haaland on the double for City as he misses out on hat-trick record by inches

The No 9’s goals were met by what appeared a muted celebration after his loss this past week of a close family friend, Ivar Eggja. Haaland has a mind-bending 99 goals in 103 games in all competitions in City colours.

With the Premier League case against the club commencing tomorrow, there is zero sign their players are distracted.

City deny all wrongdoing yet Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Ederson, Jack Grealish might have been pondering against Brentford how their stellar achievements could be affected if any of the 100-plus counts are proved.

This victory over the last side to down Pep Guardiola’s men here in open play, 45 home games ago (Real Madrid won in April via penalty shoot-out), did, though, begin with a scare.

Forty seconds had expired when Thomas Frank’s men roved upfield, the ball went right, was lifted to the far post, Keane Lewis-Potter headed down, John Stones miskicked, Ederson flailed, and Yoane Wissa slid in.

Guardiola met this with a twist away in disgust. A repeat move was nearly sighted when the porous City allowed Bryan Mbeumo in but Rico Lewis thwarted him as he shaped to shoot and now Frank, head in hands, felt despair.

City, roused, peppered their visitors’ goal. Grealish was in old-fashioned wing-play mode driving down his left flank. De Bruyne began to find space. Corners were claimed on the right. The blue wave kept coming and as often occurs it breached the foe.

Mateo Kovacic swept the ball right to Kyle Walker, the full-back feathered it to De Bruyne, an attempted pass found Haaland and a right-booted effort squeezed off Ethan Pinnock and beyond Mark Flekken.

Scoring is simply — and admirably — what Haaland does. Rodri’s expertise at controlling a match is as reliable but watching on from the bench he was missed as the Bees once more punched a hole in City. This was along the hosts’ right and claimed a corner but the champions escaped.

Not Brentford, moments later. This was route-one football the City/Guardiola way. Haaland stamped forward from just inside his half as Ederson dropped a long ball into the middle third of the Bees’ territory. A cute barge removed Pinnock, Haaland took one, two touches, then sandwedged delicately over Flekken.

Open at the back, City were operating at full throttle in attack. Grealish crossed for Ilkay Gundogan and Christian Norgaard hacked away. A Grealish volley at a corner was blocked. Then Wissa limped off after a Kovacic challenge that lodged the Croat’s name in Darren Bond’s book.

It was no surprise that Rodri replaced Kovacic for the second half, with Josko Gvardiol — for Lewis — joining the peerless midfielder. Still a fragility remained as a fluffled Ederson pass out threatened to lead to a Brentford equaliser.

None came, though, and City were content to compress proceedings. Then they awoke: Rodri found De Bruyne and a delivery from the right gained a corner. From this the ball arrived at Savinho’s feet but he blasted over.

In what became a compendium of attempts next was a cunning Grealish curler that Flekken pawed away and a right-booted Haaland rocket the Dutchman tipped over. After Gvardiol sprinted in he squared to Savinho and the Brazilian’s shot was repelled, again, by the busy Flekken.

Haaland was inches from equalling Liverpool’s Jack Balmer, the last player to register a top-flight hat-trick in three successive games — in 1946. But he hit Flekken’s right post.

You would, though, not wager against the phenomenon doing this sometime soon.