Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has allayed fears of an injury scare to top scorer Erling Haaland ahead of next week’s Champions League trip to Real Madrid.
Until Haaland’s enforced departure two minutes from time, City had enjoyed one of their best afternoons of the season as they ruthlessly put one of their top-four rivals to the sword.
Losing the Norwegian would be a major blow to City’s hopes of overturning a 3-2 deficit in the second leg of their play-off tie at the Bernabeu on Wednesday but Guardiola was not overly concerned.
Haaland went down clutching his leg in the latter stages of the champions’ 4-0 Premier League thrashing of Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and was immediately substituted.
City’s victory lifted them back into the top four, three points above Newcastle, who slipped to seventh after a lacklustre display.
