SHEFFIELD born Kyle Walker broke the hearts of his hometown club as he went from City zero to hero in four incredible minutes.
Anyone who doubted if the reigning triple crown winners had the hunger and desire to follow up on last year’s success and do the hard yards again this season found their answer here at Bramall Lane.
Deprived of Pep Guardiola, following emergency back surgery, the champions’ own backs were up against the wall when sub Jayden Bogle rifled home an equaliser to cancel out Erling Haaland’s opener.
Cue Bramall Lane bedlam as Paul Heckingbottam’s players piled on top of one another and City’s players stared at the ground, wondering what the hell had just hit them.
But the most broken individual of all was Walker, the boyhood Blades’ fan, whose gut instinct told him he had probably just gifted Sheff U a share of the points.
It was the England star’s ill-advised back heel in his own box, trying to save a corner, which was pounced on by tireless striker Benie Traore, who recycled possession.
His cross cannoned off Ben Hamer’s heel and landed at Bogle who rifled a shot into the far corner past a helpless Ederson.
As the Kop end erupted, Walker sank to his knees and cursed his own stupidity.
But champions are made for moments like this and three minutes later Walker was leading the charge of celebrating City players after he clawed them back for an epic win.
Once again the ball was heading out of play when Walker gave chase and saved a seemingly lost cause.
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He cut the ball back for Foden whose touch set up Rodri and the midfielder, so wasteful for the previous 87 minutes, finally found his range to lash the ball beyond Wes Foderingham for a crushing winner.
That striker, at the end of a game in which they dominated but failed to nail, left City as the only side with a 100 per cent record of three wins out of three – on top and out on their own again.
But this was one hell of a struggle and one they will look back on as a massive moment if they become the first side to win four consecutive Premier League titles.
Erling Haaland only managed ten touches despite his side’s dominance in a one-sided first half.
One of those was a penalty kick which he managed to hit the post with – City’s third miss in their last five spot kicks.
However, the Norwegian made amends just after the hour when he finally made the breakthrough to atone for his earlier howler.
Jack Grealish finally managed to beat his shadow George Baldock and made a rare burst to the byline before clipping in a floating cross.
And there was Haaland, leaping between Jack Robinson and Yasser Larouci to power home his header from three yards out.
It was a dose of pain relief for City fans, never mind Guardiola who must have been squirming long before then as his players made heavy weather of life without him.
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How the game unfolded…
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
