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3 hours ago
5
For those wondering if Manchester City are overreliant on Erling Haaland, they offered a riposte at Leeds. It was neither a fluid nor entertaining victory but importantly it closed the gap at the top to two points, increasing the pressure on Arsenal in the process.
It helps that when the league’s top scorer is absent, City can rely on the third man in the charts. Antoine Semenyo scored his 14th of the season on a difficult night for Pep Guardiola’s side, making the full-time euphoria well deserved after what felt like a significant win. A number of City players sunk to the turf once the whistle went, having called on all their reserves to get over the line.
Emotions boiled over at the end as the ferocity of the match had taken its toll. Guardiola blew kisses and waved to the home fans who had aimed abuse at him while Daniel Farke made his views clear to the officials over perceived timewasting and the opponents confronted one another. The Spaniard was rewarded with more abuse and the German a red card, two inevitable outcomes on a night where nothing could be taken for granted.
Maybe it was the lack of Haaland, whose return has no timeframe, or the vociferous nature of the home crowd but Leeds were the dominant force in the opening stages. There was more aggression and intent in their play, leading to Dominic Calvert-Lewin having a glorious chance to open the scoring but he skewed Brenden Aaronson’s cross wide.
There was a stoppage in play after 13 minutes to allow the Muslim players to break their fast at sunset. This resulted in a chorus of jeers at Elland Road despite it being clearly indicated on the big screen why the match was paused. It created an incredibly uncomfortable atmosphere, especially for Rayan Aït-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov, who are observing Ramadan.
Calvert-Lewin and James Justin came close as City struggled to match their opponents’ tempo. Without Haaland, Semenyo and Marmoush were playing as a wide strike partnership, eager to run in behind but they were witnesses rather than participants in the game. Semenyo ran through and flashed a shot over but it was a rare moment of threat from City.
City mistakes were becoming more problematic; Rodri, most trusted in possession, gave the ball away on the halfway line, ultimately allowing Aaronson through on goal. Gianluigi Donnarumma was the salvation on that occasion but something needed to change for Guardiola’s side.
Nico O’Reilly, playing in an advanced midfield role, forced the previously unoccupied Karl Darlow into a fine save from a powerful close-range header. It was the first sign of panic in the Leeds box and City needed more of it. Cherki was completely anonymous in the opening 45 minutes, in a team short of space and creative ideas, despite enjoying three-quarters of possession.
With 10 seconds of first-half injury time remaining, Cherki announced himself, inching through a pass for Aït-Nouri to play across for Semenyo to slide home as artistry outshone industry. It was an undeserved lead but City had weathered the storm and Leeds were possibly the victims of their own exertions, switching off at a key moment.
Tiring out Leeds was the cunning City plan as they kept the ball, moving the hosts about. The physical demands were too much for Joe Rodon, who felt his hamstring but was able to continue.
Neither goalkeeper was troubled for a lengthy period after the break as dangerous positions evaporated through poor passing and finishing. The match became relatively scrappy with quality lacking on both sides amid a collection of niggly fouls. It took until the 72nd minute for Darlow’s alertness to be tested when Marc Guéhi headed a corner at goal, only for the goalkeeper to palm it out.
It was the briefest moment of concern from Leeds, who knew they needed to re-energise, sending on Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto with a quarter of an hour to go. The changes lifted the team and the crowd. City spent spells backed into a corner but showed plenty of fight as they battled to maintain their slender lead. Guéhi and Rúben Dias put their bodies on the line to head and block the ball as they endured adversity to achieve glory.
