Erling Braut Haaland has admitted that he was "nervous" before stepping up to score a dramatic 95th-minute penalty to help Manchester City beat Fulham 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
After missing the last two games due to a foot injury, the 22-year-old returned to the matchday squad for the visit of the Cottagers, but he was named on the bench by manager Pep Guardiola.
Julian Alvarez's 17th-minute opener was cancelled out 11 minutes later when Fulham's Andreas Pereira converted from the penalty spot after Joao Cancelo was sent off for fouling Carlos Vinicius inside the area.
Haaland was brought on for the final 25 minutes as City pushed for a winner with 10 men against a robust Fulham backline, and after seeing a goal disallowed by VAR, the Norwegian restored City's lead in dramatic fashion by squeezing his stoppage-time penalty underneath Bernd Leno and into the bottom-left corner.
The Norwegian's goal scored after 94 minutes and 33 seconds is Man City's latest winning goal in the Premier League since November 2017 when Raheem Sterling scored after 95 minutes and four seconds in a 2-1 home victory over Southampton.
City's No.9 has now taken his goal tally across all competitions to 23 after just 17 games, and the striker has revealed that he felt anxious before sending the Etihad into pandemonium with his match-winning spot kick.
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"I was nervous [for the penalty]. It was one of the most nervous moments of my life, but fantastic," Haaland told Sky Sports News in his post-match interview.
"A penalty in the last minute, of course I would be nervous. But amazing feeling. I love it. I have been injured for a week and it is really important to win."
When asked if it was great to return to the City side, the striker added: "I want to play every game. Difficult [to be on the sidelines] but in the end we need three points and that is what we got. I am so tired, but so happy. You have no idea."
Haaland's goal scored after 94 minutes and 33 seconds is Man City's latest winning goal in the Premier League since November 2017 when Raheem Sterling scored after 95 minutes and four seconds in a 2-1 home victory over Southampton.
Guardiola expressed his pride after his Citizens side secured all three points, telling mancity.com: "We didn't win the Premier League today, but this moment makes sense for our job.
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"Everyone was exceptional. Playing for 65 minutes against Fulham with 10 men, the way we played, the moment and my period here in Manchester celebrating with the fans... [Seeing] the faces in the crowds, the run round the pitch - it was very good.
"So exciting, the emotion as a manager. After seven years here, you have doubts, [you have] thousands of training sessions and matches and travel but still they are alive and want to do it. It makes me so, so proud."
Man City's win over Fulham is their 10th in the Premier League this season and they have moved one point above Arsenal at the top of the table.
However, the Gunners will return to the summit if they claim maximum points against London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Man City will now turn their attention to next Wednesday's EFL Cup third-round tie at home against Graham Potter's side, before welcoming Brentford to the Etihad in the Premier League for their final fixture before the World Cup break next Saturday.
Oliver Thomas
