What Erling Haaland did after controversial moment for Man City vs Nottingham Forest spoke volumes

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland was denied what looked like a stonewall penalty against Nottingham Forest but his frustration also came from a run of 11 Premier League games that have brought just three goals.

His slide had not even come to a halt before Erling Haaland broke into a smile, a knowing smile, an ironic smile. Whether the Manchester City striker purposefully dropped his knee into the sprawling Matz Sels - initiating the fall himself - was up for debate, but the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper was never going to get to the ball.

Without question, Sels unlawfully impeded the striker. With the score at 2-1 and less than 20 minutes to go, referee Darren England should have awarded a penalty that could have been decisive for both City and Haaland.

But the player’s smile said it all. It did not just say he knew England would cut Sels slack, it spoke of his resignation to another frustrating stint at the office.

He had waited over 70 minutes for the type of incisive, early pass played by Rayan Cherki, and when it finally arrived, Haaland was denied by a referee’s leniency towards a 'keeper - a common trait of football officiating. Any injustice was compounded when Elliot Anderson earned a second equaliser for Forest and took the destiny of the Premier League title race out of City’s hands.

Haaland joined his teammates on a cursory lap of gratitude around the Etihad but his hands remained mainly on his hips. Make no mistake, this is a trying time for Haaland.

In his first 11 Premier League games of this season, he scored 14 goals. All 14 goals were from open play.

In his most recent 11 Premier League games, he has scored three goals. Two of those have come from the penalty spot.

And while he could indeed count himself unfortunate not to be given another chance from 12 yards against Forest, there continues to be a discernible, if slight, lack of sharpness about Haaland’s game. Of the City outfield players who completed the match against Vitor Pereira’s side, no one covered less distance - 10.08km - than Haaland.

The remainder of his statistics were not great, either. Two attempts at goal, none on target, no assists, no chances created.

One of the most telling moments came when Antoine Semenyo drilled a low ball across the six-yard area - having already given City a first-half lead - and Haaland failed by an inch or two to connect for a tap-in. That represented the discernible, if slight, lack of sharpness we are talking about.

Of course, there is also the issue of Haaland adapting to Pep Guardiola’s tactical nuances, particularly the regular absence of conventional wingers. It is no crisis, that is for sure.

22 goals and seven assists in 28 Premier League games is a hugely impressive statistic. And there can be no underplaying the importance of Haaland diverting defensive attention from others, a phenomenon that has helped Semenyo make a relatively prolific start to his City career.

Semenyo has become an instant expert at smuggling himself into the space created by Haaland’s movement. And, in many ways, Haaland’s all-round game is developing, something Wayne Rooney was keen to point out recently.

But the bottom line is that Haaland is currently not posing the goal threat that everyone has become accustomed to. For that, both the player and the manager need to take responsibility. And together they need to work out a way to return to full power, otherwise City’s multi-front challenge will soon falter.