Erling Haaland was captured ranting at Gianluigi Donnarumma as Manchester City’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season came to an end with a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Enzo Maresca’s side arrived at Villa Park chasing a club-record eighth straight league win to open a campaign, only to fall behind inside six minutes.
Nicolas Jackson pounced on a mistake from Marc Guehi, who failed to control a Ruben Dias pass straight into the path of John McGinn before the Senegalese forward finished calmly.
Tensions flare before half-time
City’s frustrations had already begun to show well before the final whistle. In the 33rd minute, the hosts were awarded a free-kick just outside the penalty area after Guehi brought down Jackson on the counter-attack, with several City players surrounding the referee to contest the decision.
As Villa prepared to take the set piece, Donnarumma strayed from his goal line to join the protests — a move that visibly angered Haaland.
Television cameras caught the Norwegian gesturing furiously at his goalkeeper, appearing to order him back to his line, before shouting at him in frustration.
Donnarumma was not called into action regardless, with Johan Manzambi firing the resulting free-kick over the bar.
City continued to press after the break and drew level in the 52nd minute, with Haaland rising to power home an Iliman Ndiaye delivery for his tenth goal in his first six appearances of the campaign. He is only the second player in Premier League history to reach that tally so early in a season. But the leveller proved short-lived.
Donnarumma blunder hands Villa the win
Eight minutes later, Villa restored their lead when a City error at the back let Jackson in again, with the ball deflecting in off Donnarumma to complete his brace and leave the Italian goalkeeper visibly frustrated.
Despite City pushing for a second equaliser in the closing stages, the scoreline held, condemning Maresca’s side to their first domestic defeat since he replaced Pep Guardiola in the summer.
Reflecting on the result, Maresca indicated to TNT Sports that he felt both goals his side conceded had been avoidable. His verdict will do little to ease the scrutiny on Donnarumma, whose distribution has already been a recurring talking point since his move from Paris Saint-Germain.
The Italian has previously been praised by his manager as one of the best shot-stoppers in the world, but his display at Villa Park is likely to reignite debate over his suitability to City’s build-up play, a concern Maresca has raised publicly on more than one occasion this season.
For Haaland, the on-pitch exchange with his goalkeeper is unlikely to be the last word on the matter. The striker has rarely hidden his competitive edge, and his visible anger at full-time underlined just how highly he rates City’s now-dented unbeaten record.
City’s next test comes as they look to respond in their next matches before the November international break, with questions over their defensive solidity and goalkeeping distribution now likely to dominate the build-up.
