“They are telepathic”: the Haaland-De Bruyne duo ... involved in nine goals against Luton

An exceptional duo. And that’s saying something. The Belgian magician and the Norwegian cyborg simply crushed Luton, who were in the Premier League (18th), in the round of 16 of the FA Cup this Tuesday evening.

These two maestros, at the top of their art, once again showcased their chemistry on the pitch. In the remote London suburbs, the 23-year-old striker and 32-year-old all-rounder lit up the game with their genius, relegating wing-positioned Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva to the background.

After 58 minutes of play, the victory seemed certain: 5-2. But the show didn't end there. All you had to do was take a look at the scoreboard. Five goals for Erling Haaland and four assists for Kevin De Bruyne.

Erling Haaland's exit in the 77th minute, when the scoreboard seemed frozen - Mateo Kovacic having closed the Citizens' series of goals with a strike from the edge of the penalty area a few minutes earlier - n in no way erased the impact he had on this meeting. Praises poured in after the exceptional performance of the Belgian-Norwegian tandem. “De Bruyne and Haaland are telepathic,” joked Roy Keane, the former glory of Manchester United, on the set of Sky Sports. “They make it look simple, but they are world-class players,” he added.

Their coach, Pep Guardiola, also tried to explain their extraordinary performance: “Erling is on fire and Kevin... the connection was perfect,” enthused Guardiola after the match. “Kevin needs players like Erling and Erling needs players like Kevin. Erling needs a guy who has vision, quality, generosity. Kevin is the least selfish player in front of goal. Kevin needs Erling's move. We know how aggressive they are,” explained the Spanish tactician.

And for those interested of course, there is nothing like it to feel part of a collective “Kevin de Bruyne is huge. He does what he does best. It’s a pleasure to play with him,” rejoiced Haaland after the meeting. “We know what we expect from each other. The current is flowing well. He’s an intelligent player and I like playing with him,” he added.

On the verge of reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League after their victory in the first leg in Copenhagen (1-3), Manchester City also has its ticket for the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. In the league, the Citizens are second, one point behind Liverpool. The objective seems clear for Pep Guardiola and his men: to achieve a second consecutive treble (Champions League, championship, cup).