HAALAND ’ S WON AN OSCAR!

Bobb reckons City star is best finisher in the business and calls goal machine an ‘inspiration’

ERLING HAALAND will continue to prove his critics wrong, says Manchester City team-mate Oscar Bobb.

Haaland’s finishing was called into question after the City striker missed a succession of chances in his side’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea last weekend.

There were suggestions he had lost some of his sharpness in front of goal, having spent two months on the sidelines suffering from a fractured bone in his foot.

But Haaland provided the perfect riposte to the doubters with a clinical second-half winner in City’s hardfought 1-0 win over Brentford at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

The goal – his 22nd of the season in all competitions – took City above Arsenal into second place in the Premier League.

Haaland, 23, plundered a record 53 goals for City last season and his winner against Brentford means he has now scored against all 21 Premier League sides he has faced.

Few players know Haaland better than team-mate and fellow Norway international Bobb, who said the standards the forward continues to set are “crazy.”

“I don’t think there’s anyone better one-on-one with the keeper in the world,” said Bobb. “What he’s achieved is crazy.

He’s only three years older than me. He’s an inspiration.

“Everyone knows how good a finisher he is. If he misses a few in one game, it’s not like he’s going to start missing all his chances. So there are no real worries. I mean, when you have the quality he has, it is just about getting into the right spots.” City have not lost in the Premier League since the start of December (a 1-0 loss at Aston Villa) and have reeled off 12 wins in their last 13 games in all competitions, stretching their unbeaten run to 16 games.

Winning back-to-back trebles remains a possibility, but City boss Pep Guardiola (below) has ordered his stars not to look too far ahead as the season enters the home straight.

Winger Bobb, who will celebrate his 21st birthday in July, believes this season’s title race could go down to the wire and even be decided by a single point. “In these situations – and the manager says it a lot – you don’t really think too far ahead,” said Bobb.

“It’s two more games before we face Manchester United. So I don’t think that’s the biggest focus right now. Two or three years ago we won the title by one point. I mean, when you look at it like that, every point could be a titledeciding point.”