Right after the opening whistle, the away team with superior strength quickly imposed the game with typical one-touch combinations. It took Man City just nine minutes to open the scoring thanks to Erling Haaland.
From Josko Gvardiol's cross-line pass, the Norwegian striker rushed down at full speed and fired an accurate cross-angle shot, defeating goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Erling Haaland has now scored in 22 of the 23 Premier League stadiums he has played for, his most impressive tally in the competition's history (96%). Not only that, this goal was also his 9th goal of the season.
After the opening goal, coach Pep Guardiola asked his players to slow down and patiently control the ball to regulate the game. On the other hand, Brentford mainly played defensive counter-attacks but almost did not create any significant opportunities in the first half.
Statistics show that Man City controlled the ball up to 71%, launched 10 shots (4 on target), while the home team did not have any dangerous shots.
In the 22nd minute, Rodri - who had just returned from a ligament injury - had problems and was forced to leave the field early despite his efforts to continue playing. The Spanish midfielder gave way to Nico Gonzalez.
Without Rodri, Man City still maintained control of the game thanks to the mobility of the midfielder pair Reijnders - Gonzalez. In the 39th minute, Reijnders almost doubled the gap with a dangerous cross-angle shot, but Kelleher had an excellent reflex to save the home team.
Entering the second half, Brentford rose strongly with quick counter-attacks. In the 48th minute, Igor Thiago had the home team's best chance, but his close-range shot could not beat goalkeeper Donnarumma.
In the final minutes, Pep Guardiola sent Bernardo Silva and Jeremy Doku onto the field to refresh the attack. However, Brentford defended strongly, while Man City took the initiative to control the ball to preserve the advantage.
In the end, The Citizens won by a minimum of 1-0. These 3 points help Man City temporarily narrow the gap with the leading group. After 7 rounds, they are currently 5th on the rankings with 13 points, while Brentford is ranked 16th with 7 points.
