Leeds United and Manchester City faced off in a highly anticipated Premier League match. Both teams put in a strong performance, with the match ending in a 1-3 result. The match was closely contested, with both teams showing their quality on the pitch. In this review, we will take a closer look at the highlights and key moments of the match.
Leeds vs Manchester City Match Highlights
As Manchester City dominated 3-1 victory at Elland Road to climb back up to the second place and cut the difference between themselves and leaders Arsenal to five points, Erling Haaland scored twice on his return to Leeds to become the fastest player to 20 Premier League goals.
Haaland gave Leeds a heads-up in the first minute as the striker forced Meslier to make an angle save. The hosts persevered through the early downpour, during which Kevin De Bruyne missed a shot.
But just after the half-hour mark, Meslier again denied Haaland in a one-on-one situation, putting City under more pressure. One of the three fine chances that fell to Grealish should have given City the lead, but the Englishman missed each time from a decent position in the box.
But City did score just before halftime thanks to Rodri, who superbly set up Riyad Mahrez with a De Bruyne ball before moving quickly to put in the rebound of his teammate’s strike. It was amazingly City’s first goal from open play away from home in five games and his first Premier League goal of the year. By the time the final buzzer blew, they would have a few more.
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Dominating position by Manchester City
First-half possession was dominated by the visitors (74%), who only allowed Wilfried Gnonto to attempt one off-target shot for Leeds. The widest differential between two clubs in a Premier League match this season was created by City’s 16 attempts.
They quickly turned that dominance into victory by intercepting a pass meant for Robin Koch by Liam Cooper, driving forward, and handing the ball across for Haaland to score a straightforward goal shortly after the restart.
Erling Haaland Shines
After more solid work from Rodri and De Bruyne, the two were soon at it again, with Haaland reacting quickly to poke in a Grealish cutback.
The loud home supporters sang loudly until the last whistle thanks to Struijk’s header from a corner and Gelhardt’s close call, but the headlines belonged to a player from their hometown.
It’s crunch time for City with games against Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham yet to play in the Premier League before the end of January, but with Haaland in this form, they are more than prepared for the post-World Cup run of matches that might determine their title defense.
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