Erling Haaland left looking silly since three-word comment in heated Arsenal incident

Erling Haaland has been made to eat his words during a barren run in front of goal since his explosive spat with Mikel Arteta in September. After Manchester City and Arsenal’s dramatic Premier League draw, tensions boiled over in ferocious scenes, during which Haaland told Arteta to “stay humble, eh?”

The Norwegian striker had opened the scoring with his 10th goal in the opening five league games before Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes flipped the game on its head.

John Stones came off the bench to net a gut-punch of a 98th-minute equaliser, denying City’s two-year title rivals a landmark triumph and earning further bragging rights.

In a heated post-match exchange, cameras caught Haaland telling Arteta to stay humble before calling former City striker Gabriel Jesus a “clown” as he defended his manager.

But since the highs of that stage of the season, Haaland has endured a slump, scoring just two goals in his last seven Premier League games.

The 24-year-old hasn’t missed a single minute in the league this term but has scored just twice from 8.03xG since that Arsenal draw, contributing to his side’s recent woes.

Saturday’s stunning 4-0 home defeat against Tottenham showcased Haaland’s latest blank. It condemned the Citizens to a fifth consecutive defeat in all competitions.

Spurs’ rout also marked three successive Premier League losses for the first time under Pep Guardiola, sparking serious fears his era of dominance is over.

Haaland scored the winner in an uninspiring 1-0 triumph over Southampton and netted the opener in City’s 2-1 defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion before the November international break.

But he failed to make an impact in a draw with Newcastle United, the narrow wins over Fulham and Wolves and losses to Bournemouth and, most recently, Spurs.

Arsenal and Arteta won’t have been enjoying Haaland’s struggles, given that the Gunners’ results have been just as inconsistent since that draw at the Etihad.

However, a 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest earlier on Saturday moved Arteta’s men just one point behind City.

Guardiola has lamented not just Rodri’s absence but also that of the other players on his mounting injury list.

“Of course, Rodri is important, but we knew that for many months,” the City boss explained after full-time on Saturday.

“But Stones can only play 45 minutes. Jack has been injured many times. Kevin, two months and five months.

“The players came back late from internationals. There were a few reasons we’re not able to be consistent.”