Erling Haaland's girlfriend 'not happy' as star says 'that's reality'

Erling Haaland admits the scars of his titanic scrap with Arsenal rival Gabriel will leave his girlfriend with that sinking feeling. The Manchester City superstar found himself in a running battle with the bruising Brazilian during his side's crucial 2-1 win over Mikel Arteta's men at the Etihad.

The warring duo were involved in several flashpoints in the ill-tempered showdown. Haaland had to replace his shirt after having it ripped following an altercation in the second half. While the Norwegian was also the victim of an attempted headbutt from Gabriel, which somehow resulted in a booking for the Arsenal defender, instead of a red card.

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Haaland had the last laugh after scoring what proved to be the winning goal, to help City close the gap on Arsenal to just three points at the top of the table.

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But he knows the fact Gabriel left his mark on him will not go down too well with his long-term partner Isabel Haugseng Johansen.

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There is no love lost between Haaland and Gabriel, who have indulged in a running feud in recent seasons.

And Haaland said: "I think my shirt got a bit pulled!

"I didn’t get the foul, but this is the Premier League nowadays. It’s wrestling here and there.

"A lot of duels. A lot of scratches. Sometimes my missus is not so happy about this, it looks a bit wrong! But that’s the reality."

Haaland admits his lack of playing time with Norway during the last international break has left him feeling refreshed ahead of the season reaching its climax.

He added: "I feel good. To be honest, it’s been a few good weeks, ever since the internationals.

"You know how I feel - look how happy we were after the game.

"The break with the national team was good. I’m really happy the national team helped me and said, 'you know what, relax', after playing 50 games this season.

"And to get ready for the most important two months of your career, with the World Cup as well.

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"I’m happy they let me relax and fix my body a little bit - and then come back to attack."

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