Erling Haaland sends message to Pep Guardiola after Man City star subbed off on hat-trick

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Erling Haaland reacts after being denied a hat-trick opportunity in Manchester City's win over Bournemouth in the Premier League

Erling Haaland has shared his reaction to being substituted while on a hat-trick during Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth.

City moved up to second in the Premier League table after Haaland’s brace and a Nico O’Reilly strike sealed victory at the Etihad Stadium, closing the gap on leaders Arsenal to six points.

Haaland struck twice inside the opening 33 minutes, leaving home supporters hoping to see the Norwegian net his ninth Premier League hat-trick. But Pep Guardiola had other ideas, withdrawing his star striker nine minutes from time.

Asked how he felt about missing the chance to complete his treble, Haaland joked to Sky Sports: "There were were probably a few fantasy managers who were not so happy!"

Speaking after the match, the 24-year-old reflected on City’s response to their previous defeat. He said: "Important win. It is good to bounce back after losing a bad away game. It was nice.

"I tried to contribute for the team by doing my job. It is good to win. Now two more important games to come, so keep focusing.

"I didn't score last game. I try to help the team to win. That is my goal and even by scoring or helping in winning duels it doesn't matter. I want to help the team become better, that is my job."

There was a pre-match surprise as Tijjani Reijnders was named on the bench. Guardiola later confirmed the midfielder was “not completely fit,” though he did make a late cameo appearance.

Next up for City is a huge clash with title rivals Liverpool. Victory would not only narrow the gap to Arsenal but also give Guardiola’s side breathing room over Arne Slot's men.

City won’t face Arsenal again until mid-April, and with plenty of football to play before then, they’ll hope to repeat their 2022/23 heroics when they overturned an eight-point deficit to lift the Premier League title.

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