PEP GUARDIOLA gushed Erling Haaland has become a father in his Manchester City post-match interview.
Haaland scored his first goal in five games as City secured a much-needed win over Leicester on Sunday.
And his boss revealed the strike came at the end of a momentous week for Norwegian superstar and partner Isabel Johansen.
Guardiola, who celebrated his 500th game in charge with his team's first win since December 4, said: “Sometimes Erling is judged poorly, but it is part of football.
“He is tired, he has played a lot of minutes.
“He has become a father for the first time in recent days, a lot of emotions and a few exciting days for him.”
Haaland was so excited he turned the sky blue after his second-half header sealed the points for the struggling champions.
The Norwegian striker said: “S**t happens.
“It's always a relief when you score.
“Leicester played a really good game, we knew it would be difficult.
“It has been a difficult time. I'm just happy we won.”
Guardiola backed that sentiment after City had won just one and lost NINE of their previous 13 games in all competitions.
The city boss said: “The right word to use, more than happiness, is relief.
“As a performance it wasn't the best, I didn't expect anything different.
“Against Everton the performance was better by far, but today we won and that is what we need to clean our minds and souls and see that we can win games.
“I know the last thirteen to fourteen games haven't really been good, but if we compare that to 500, we have to be very happy with what we have done together.
“We did a lot of things that will be remembered forever.
“Maybe that period, the one and a half to two months that feel like 500 months, makes you realize how much fun it was.
“Hopefully we can come back. Maybe we won't be what we were, but closer than we are now. “
Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy was forced to leave captain Jamie Vardy aside and missed a golden opportunity as his side failed to convert an encouraging performance into points.
The Dutchman said: “That's why it hurts a bit that we didn't get anything out of the match because of the performance.
“We created these moments in a great way.
“As a striker you need a bit of luck to grab these moments.
“But of course it is the place where matches are decided.”
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