Erling Haaland has lifted the lid on the tense moments while his winner against Manchester United went to review during the Manchester derby. The City striker endured an anxious wait before learning the goal that sealed a precious win would stand.
"At first I didn't understand why the goal was being reviewed. I thought maybe one of the players had touched the ball and changed its path," he told Sky Sports after the match. He admitted he felt "a little insulted" when he thought referee Michael Oliver believed he had been offside.
Then came the signal that put his mind at ease. "I looked at the coach and he gave me a thumbs up, and that's when I knew the goal was good, so I got ready to go and celebrate," the Norwegian explained.
The goal settled the derby 1-0 in City's favour in the fourth round of the Premier League. Maresca's side clung to their lead despite playing part of the match with 10 men.
Winning at Old Trafford in these circumstances meant more, Haaland stressed. "It's always great to win football matches, and I don't take that for granted, but winning especially with 10 players at Old Trafford is a difficult task. It's a great feeling."
Going down to 10 men forced a rethink. "We had to change the plan a little, but Enzo Maresca set up a plan for us that allowed us to play to our different strengths and to rely more on counter-attacks," he explained.
His own job was to bide his time. "For me personally, I just had to be there, and to wait for a chance, and if I got a chance, I had to be ready to take it," Haaland said.
He didn't stop at the attacking side, praising the fighting spirit of his team-mates and insisting City needed players capable of scrapping with a man down.
"We also needed fighters in the team, and we have plenty of them. Look at our midfield, this is something they love to do," he said.
Pride poured out of the Norwegian as he reflected on what his team-mates produced, adamant the side lost none of their bite. "I'm very, very proud of everyone, even playing with 10 players we're still a good team, and we showed that today. I think we became even sharper even with 10 players."
The win took Manchester City to 12 points from a perfect record, level with leaders Arsenal but second on goal difference. Manchester United stayed stuck on 4 points in thirteenth.