Pep Guardiola in bizarre 'huge body' praise for Erling Haaland after match-winning Everton showing as he reveals he gave sluggish Man City a half-time hammering

City struggled to break Everton down and failed to have a shot in the first half for the first time since August 2021. However, two ruthless finishes from Haaland, who was making his first start at the Etihad Stadium for two months, ensured they won a 10th consecutive match in all competitions.

"In the first half our body language was not good. You cannot play good football if you are not positive. You do your best when you are positive, when you start to complain and are sad it does not work," Guardiola said. "We talked at half-time and I told them, ‘what do you expect to come here and win 5-0? Come on. Life is tough and football is tough.’ In the second half we increased and attacked the spaces we needed to. The team never dropped. We were stable and the back four is moving really well together and we have made a step forward in that sense. The players that came from the bench played perfectly."

“I cannot imagine him two months stopped and moving this huge body and be in shape again but he is back. I think he is going to help," Guardiola told Match of the Day. "I told him be positive and the situations will come. The first goal is a little bit careless but the finishing is incredible and the finishing for the second was incredible as well. It is really important for us having Erling with us. He has to be positive all the time. Not because we don’t want to create chances all the time. Sometimes the openings are good and we cannot do it. The difference in life... the next one be positive - in the second half the body language was 1000 times better and that is everything in sport."

Haaland missed almost two months with a foot injury sustained against Aston Villa in December, which was the last time Guardiola's side were beaten. They coped well with his absence, only failing to win one game, against Crystal Palace, but the prolific Norwegian proved that they are unquestionably a stronger team when he is available.

Haaland has become the first ever player to score 50 goals in his first 50 Premier League starts.

Having kept up the pressure on Liverpool in the title race, City now turn their attention to defending their Champions League crown. They visit Copenhagen on Tuesday in a last-16 first leg before hosting Chelsea in the Premier League next Saturday.