7 hours ago
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Manchester City beat Napoli 2-0 in the Champions League with Erling Haaland netting another landmark goal.
Simon is the MEN's chief Manchester City writer. He joined the MEN sport desk in 2013 and has covered City home and away since 2016, reporting on Pep Guardiola's time at the club.
Kevin De Bruyne must feel like nothing has changed at the Etihad.
He last played here in May, when he was substituted as a sacrifice following a red card for the team. Roll on four months and, wearing a deeper shade of blue, he was taken off as the team looked to reorganise following a red.
Except this time he was taken off before half-time and, to the relief of Hugo Viana and everyone else in the most important seats in the stadium, hadn't been able to influence the game. Napoli had lost their right-back with the game still goalless when Antonio Conte moved to shore his defence up.
That Giovanni Di Lorenzo was shown his marching orders was down in no small part to Erling Haaland, first for forcing the foul as the last man on the edge of the box but then also for protesting so adamantly to the referee that he animatedly waved an imaginary red card in the air before the official was advised by VAR to go over to the screen and have another look.
That wasn't the only time Haaland risked getting on the wrong side of the referee; when Matteo Politano was given a yellow card for holding back Jeremy Doku in the second half, Manchester City's No.9 motioned to Felix Zwayer to get on with it as City searched for the first goal.
It did, however, show more evidence of the conviction that Haaland has started the season with as he embraces a leadership role in the team. Gone is the confused striker who gave up the chance to score a penalty in the FA Cup Final, replaced by someone with an urgency to get his team winning.
There is a marked difference, and that is what everyone watching City this season is looking for. How much have they put the slip in standards of the last year behind them?
Early defeats to Spurs and Brighton showed that they have not completely banished their demons, and mean any verdicts have to be premature. It has undeniably been a promising couple of days at the Etihad after the derby win.
It's easy to say that Ederson may not have saved the header from Sam Beukema midway through the first half against Napoli as City gave up another chance, when Gianluigi Donnarumma read it right and got behind it. Then again, soft goals past Ederson were a feature of the wretched Champions League run last year.
Again, is it hindsight to say that there was something off about City from the very start of their Champions League run last year - that wasn't just wearing that ghastly Oasis-inspired kit at home? They would win their next two before the collapses started, but there was a sense in their opener against Inter 12 months ago that the two teams were happy with a draw in a way that you rarely see from a Guardiola side.
Haaland was the most impatient man on the pitch against Napoli and it paid off when City's best player on the night Phil Foden superbly set him up to head in his sixth of the season and 50th Champions League goal on his 49th appearance in the competition. To have that record already with such a ceiling to improve is scary.
That is what Haaland is determined to do though, and he was happy to take a risk in order to help City to win. There may be work to do for all, but the last few days have been perfect to tee up Sunday's difficult trip to Arsenal.
If Haaland leads again at the Emirates, City will be more confident that they can again.
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