Leeds United ratings vs Manchester City as Ilia Gruev struggles and two impress | OneFootball

Leeds United slipped to a 1-0 home defeat to title-chasing Manchester City, their second at Elland Road in 2026, yet stayed six points clear of the drop after West Ham lost to Liverpool.

Leeds knitted some tidy passages early on and Dominic Calvert-Lewin passed up a glorious chance within minutes when unmarked. City then took control, Ethan Ampadu hesitating as Rayan Ait-Nouri found Antoine Semenyo to slide in. It was Semenyo's second Elland Road goal this season after a Bournemouth free-kick, and City kept up pressure on Arsenal despite Erling Haaland's absence.

According to Leeds Live, Karl Darlow and Pascal Strujik stood out with eights. Jayden Bogle, James Justin, Joe Rodon, Gabriel Gudmundsson and Anton Stach earned sevens. Ethan Ampadu, Brenden Aaronson and Calvert-Lewin were given six, while Ilia Gruev struggled on five.

Lukas Nmecha received six from the bench, with Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto rated seven after lifting the late surge. Jaka Bijol and Joel Piroe arrived too late to be rated, though Bijol almost equalised with a near-post header. Leeds looked likeliest in the final 15 minutes.

Darlow's first-half stop from Nico O'Reilly and a late scoop to deny Marc Guehi underlined his display, while Justin drew a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma. Daniel Farke's press worked for long spells and his double change sparked a push, but he was shown a red card at the end after confronting the referee.

Source: Leeds Live