Haaland's ankle injury clouds Man City's FA Cup victory at Bournemouth

Manchester City paid a high price at the Vitality Stadium to secure their place in the FA Cup semifinals. Pep Guardiola's side came from behind to defeat Bournemouth 1-2, a victory somewhat overshadowed by the injury to Erling Haaland.

The Leeds-born striker was a central figure in the encounter. Kepa saved his penalty in the first half with the score at 0-0, but Haaland managed to equalise after a pass from Nico O'Reilly in the second half.

However, following the 1-1 draw, he experienced discomfort in his ankle and had to receive medical attention. Despite attempting to continue playing through the pain, Haaland was eventually substituted for Omar Marmoush, who swiftly completed the comeback just after entering the field.

At the end of the match, the Scandinavian forward left the Vitality Stadium in a concerning state, having been filmed by TikTok account Celebstarclips on crutches with his left ankle immobilised.

Before these images were made public, Pep Guardiola addressed the player's physical condition but provided little detail about the injury: "I still don't know anything. I saw he was on the massage table, but I haven't spoken to him or the doctors. We'll have to wait."

Erling Haaland has faced numerous injury issues this season, with his physical discomfort evident on the pitch as he has not been as prolific as in previous campaigns. Nevertheless, the Norwegian international has still managed to record his third consecutive season of at least 30 goals for Manchester City, though this latest injury could see him miss even more matches.

City's next fixture is on Wednesday against Leicester in the Premier League, followed by the derby against Manchester United at Old Trafford. On paper, it seems unlikely that Haaland will be available for these matches, and a more realistic target might be his recovery in time for the FA Cup semifinal against Nottingham Forest on 26 April.