Erling Haaland responded to Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Leeds United with a brief but meaningful social media post. City secured all three points in Yorkshire thanks to Antoine Semenyo, who scored the only goal just before halftime.

Haaland missed the match due to a minor injury sustained in training earlier in the week. The issue is not considered serious, and there’s hope he could return for Wednesday’s clash with Nottingham Forest, although Pep Guardiola remained cautious about giving a definitive timeline for the Norwegian striker.

Speaking to the BBC after the game, Guardiola said: “We don’t have spies at the training ground feeding the media. I think it’s not a big problem. We’ll see.”

After the match, the 25-year-old striker shared a celebratory selfie on Snapchat, clenching his fist with the caption: “So important,” accompanied by prayer and blue heart emojis.

In Haaland’s absence, Rayan Cherki stepped up and played a pivotal role in the decisive moment.

Guardiola reflected on the win, saying: “It’s a huge victory for us. Erling is incredibly important, but the team performed very well. Leeds started strong, which we expected. They play with so much intensity, but we relied on what we’ve done best over the past decade – controlling the ball and calming the crowd’s energy.

“We lacked a bit of attacking intention early, but as Leeds tired in the final 15–20 minutes, we pushed forward and created the opening that led to the goal just before halftime. It was a slightly uncomfortable game, but our defense was solid.”

The victory at Elland Road narrows City’s gap to league leaders Arsenal to just two points, ahead of the Gunners’ upcoming clash with Chelsea on Sunday.