Match Report & Player Ratings: Manchester City 3-2 Leeds United (Premier League) | OneFootball

Phil Foden scored an injury-time winner for Manchester City to secure all three points against a motivated Leeds side at the Etihad Stadium, narrowing the gap to Arsenal in the Premier League table to just four points prior to the Gunners’ outing.  

In what was a declining second-half which saw former Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin and City academy product Lukas Nmecha force an impressive comeback, Pep Guardiola’s side prevailed with Foden finding success after 91 minutes. 

The Stockport-born attacking midfielder had already opened his account by clipping a quick finish off the crossbar just 62 seconds before Josko Gvardiol doubled the advantage in a dominant first-half showing from the hosts.

At the end of a particularly disheartening week for Guardiola’s side – who first lost to Newcastle United before suffering another defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League – this was a victory which provided relief and an important three points.

Having established victory in 23 of their last 25 games against promoted opposition, this wasn’t by any means sought as a tough test for City, but on the back of two straight defeats, it was a game that came with added importance and a desperate need for improvement.

Still, the home side managed to settle quickly and found success with two goals inside the opening 25 minutes, the first coming from Phil Foden, who mirrored his eye-catching performance against Borussia Dortmund at the start of the month, only 59 seconds in.

As a result of a beautifully-placed diagonal ball from Gvardiol, Matheus Nunes found space ahead of him down the right side before passing back to Bernardo Silva to his left, quickly bursting into space towards the byline. 

While a return pass was closely calculated, albeit poorly, by James Justin and Willy Gnonto, Silva managed to thread the ball through the Leeds pair and to Nunes, who took a couple of touches before setting Foden up – the 25-year-old attacker’s finish veering off the crossbar.

The future offers a stark outlook for Daniel Farke’s side considering they follow this defeat up with games against Chelsea and Liverpool, but even more so due to their worrying defensive statistics. 

Before the action on Saturday, the West Yorkshire club had conceded at least one in their last nine Premier Leagues, and 17 in total. But although Gvardiol provided a cushion sooner rather than later, goals could have flown in on the judgement of Leeds’ frail defensive efforts. 

Nico Gonzalez forced a corner which nearly generated a second from Foden inside the area had Justin not blocked his left-footed shot, while Gonzalez himself struck from the edge of the penalty area – that too was blocked by Ilia Gruev.

Pep Guardiola’s side had a handful of corners in a short spell to warrant another goal and that soon transpired thanks to a wonderful Foden strike which forced Leeds’ Lucas Perri into a tough save. 

Moments earlier, Gvardiol’s first headed effort was comical and nowhere near the target but the defender hit the mark on his second time of asking. Tijjani Reijnders delivered a direct, in-swinging cross which fell to Nico O’Reilly in the centre of the box. 

Bravely, the 20-year-old jumped ahead of Perri – beating him to the ball – which put the ball on a platter for Gvardiol, whose only real task was poking it beyond the line. An intense,  three-minute VAR check ensued but found the goal to be permissible. 

Leeds were pushed back for large parts of this meeting, the clubs’ first since May 2023, with their first chance on goal coming when former Manchester City player Nmecha skied his shot way over Gianluigi Donnarumma’s crossbar. 

But fortunes shifted massively as Farke’s side scored twice in 21 second-half minutes to force an agonisingly nervous ending for City. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on at half time and found the net just four minutes later. 

While that goal came within a flash, Leeds’ second was purely down to substandard defensive judgement from Gvardiol, whose performance up to that point was flawless. On the back of a counter-attack, Jayden Bogle nodded Calvert-Lewin through before the Croatian lunged in.

Consequently, Lukas Nmecha stepped up from 12 yards and struck an unexpected equaliser from a rebound after having his initial spot-kick saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma. 

That seemed to the game given Manchester City found themselves completely against the momentum but Leeds’ approach in sitting back after their leveller welcomed City to attack, and so they did. 

In the first minute of 10 added on in total, Phil Foden managed to tuck a left-footed strike into the bottom left corner of Perri’s net to provide Pep Guardiola’s side with three deserved yet laboured points. 

Here’s how we rated Manchester City’s players from their nervy, last-minute victory against Leeds United!

Player Ratings

Starting XI

Gianluigi Donnarumma – 7

The Italian did all he could given that both goals came from defensive faults and even saved Lukas Nmecha’s inceptive strike from the penalty spot. 

Matheus Nunes – 6.5

Another stellar performance at right-back and it seems like Pep Guardiola won’t need to scour the market as much as anticipated at the end of last and the start of this season. A simple yet effective assist for the opening goal.

Ruben Dias – 6.5

A commanding role at the back which he rarely fails to shine in, though he could have been sharper in parts as Leeds’ exposed his pace on the counter.

Josko Gvardiol – 6.5

Provided the first important pass for Phil Foden’s opener and looked lively throughout. His partnership with Ruben Dias seems to only be strengthening and scored the second goal in an important spell of dominance but gave an inept penalty away as well.

Nico O’Reilly – 7.5

Made plenty of runs to supplement Jeremy Doku’s threat on the left and courageously jumped ahead of Perri for Josko Gvardiol’s goal. Another eye-catching performance from the young talent. 

Tijjani Reijnders – 6.5

Would have been glad to play a big part in this game after not picking up as many minutes of late. A generally positive performance from a player who seems bursting with potential. 

Nico Gonzalez – 8

Another great performance from Nico Gonzalez and more involvement too. Had an abundance of strikes from different angles and worked patiently from the edge of the area and deep into his own half.

Bernardo Silva – 6.5

Worked excellently alongside Matheus Nunes on the right and linked up well to forge the opener. Never stopped running and led the side as captain to an importantly late winner.

Phil Foden – 9 (MOTM)

Set the game up perfectly with his well-taken finish but provided additional threat to Leeds with intricate runs into the channels. Nearly doubled his tally inside 20 minutes with a great chance created by City’s left side. Finally got his second with the winner after 91 minutes, and what a goal it was.

Erling Haaland – 6

Never really got involved and was made to wait longer for his 100th Premier League goal. That time will certainly come but he’ll need to do a better job of beating his man in the final third. 

Jeremy Doku – 6.5

Not as threatening as usual but still created multiple chances from the left. Similar to Matheus Nunes and Bernardo Silva, Jeremy Doku’s ability to link up with Nico O’Reilly is improving with time and is already showing signs of positivity. 

Substitutes

Rayan Cherki – 7

Provided the assist for Phil Foden’s winner which adds another late contribution to his record in England.

Omar Marmoush – N/A

Came on with hardly any time to play, not real involvement to judge fairly. 

John Stones – N/A

Introduced after 96 minutes but good to see him involved again. Was strong at the back for the fine amount of minutes he played.