In pictures: Brutal Haaland hit downs defender as Man City held by West Ham

In Manchester City’s 1-1 draw at West Ham on Saturday - a result that dented the visitors’ Premier League title chances - Konstantinos Mavropanos helped to preserve the Hammers’ point by blocking a thunderous late shot by Erling Haaland.

In the process, however, the defender was left sprawling on the London Stadium turf.

What happened?

In stoppage time in the U.K. capital, Mavropanos was well and truly floored when Haaland swivelled on the edge of the hosts’ area, then crashed a powerful effort in the direction of Mads Hermansen’s goal.

Before the Norwegian’s left-footed strike could trouble the West Ham goalkeeper, Mavropanos’s face got in the way. The Greek international caught the ball “straight in the mush”, wrote The Guardian’s soccer reporter Jacob Steinberg: “An almighty whack on the noggin.”

After the dazed defender had received treatment from West Ham medics, he was cleared to rejoin play and see out the final minutes, having apparently avoided a concussion.

Thanks to Mavropanos’s first-half goal, a 35th-minute header that cancelled out a sumptuous Bernardo Silva chip, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men earned a crucial draw that moves them out of the relegation zone - for the time being, at least. With 18th-placed Nottingham Forest still to face Fulham today, West Ham are currently one point above the Premier League’s bottom three.

For City, meanwhile, Saturday’s stalemate means the Mancunians are now nine points behind leaders Arsenal, albeit Pep Guardiola’s team has a game in hand.

In pictures - Haaland howitzer floors Mavropanos:

An MOTM display from Mavropanos

Having scored West Ham’s goal, and put his body on the line to help secure a positive result for the East Londoners, a smiling Mavropanos later picked up the Premier League’s ‘player of the match’ award:

Related stories

Premier League | Guardiola

Guardiola: “You can criticize me"

Real Madrid

Mbappé: Destination Manchester

Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.