Manchester City 1, Leeds United 2
Manchester City suffered only their second defeat of 2021 after a Stuart Dallas double was enough to see 10-man Leeds United secure a shock win over the runaway Premier League leaders.
Embed from Getty ImagesTwo counter attacks dealt the damage to the Citizens who went behind to a Dallas’ first goal before Leeds captain Liam Cooper was sent off for a reckless challenge on Gabriel Jesus – and all of this happened in the five minutes before half time.
Ferran Torres levelled the scores in the second half against the ten men of Leeds in the second half but City didn’t heed the warnings of Bielsa’s side on the break and Dallas duly hit an injury time winner for the Lilywhites as City pushed for a winner themselves.
Although undoubtedly a setback for City, it’s one they can afford to take on the chin as the seven changes made by Pep Guardiola reflected the priority being placed on the Champions League quarter final second leg tie in Germany against Borussia Dortmund next Wednesday.
City still need a maximum of 11 points to clinch the Premier League title and have 6 games left to achieve them but the gap to Manchester United in second is still 14 points despite the Reds having two games in hand.
The Blues have now won just one of their last 14 Premier League games after trailing at half time – with a 2-1 in over Southampton in November 2019 the last time they did such a comeback.
Speaking after the game, Guardiola defended his changes for the Leeds game, saying: “I don’t have any regrets about the selection.
“If I did not trust them they would not play.
“We did not create enough for the forwards. It is part of the game.
“In the last 10 minutes they had other chances, they are fast and can do it. When they defend in the way they were doing you have to stop them running and we did not do that.”
Guardiola’s side had 29 shots on goal against Leeds, scoring just once, while Leeds converted both of their shots on goal as the Blues reverted back to the team of previous seasons who were profligate in front of goal despite creating hatfuls of chances.
They needed a fit and proven marksman to convert more of those chances, and with Sergio Aguero ruled out with more niggly injuries which have blighted his last 12 months for the club, a move for Erling Haaland increasingly looks like a good idea.
City will need to see out a quarter final second leg tie against a Dortmund side who will be hoping that Haaland can yet showcase some of his much vaunted finishing ability before he leaves the club.
Guardiola had earlier claimed that Leeds were the worst team to face between the two Dortmund games in the Champions League – and he wasn’t wrong.
With the unfamiliar team put out City found it hard to overturn the losing position against the visitors who were reduced to ten men shortly after Dallas had put them into the lead shortly before half time.
City turned up the pressure in the second half and got a deserved equaliser after Ferran Torres applied the finish to a Bernardo Silva cross for his ninth goal of the season.
But they had already missed a catalogue of chances from the likes of Sterling, Zinchenko, and Bernardo Silva who had a goalbound shot deflected wide.
Even so, Marcelo Bielsa’s team could have retaken the lead late in the game after Raphinha found himself clean through before Ederson executed a well timed tackle to deprive the winger of a deserved goal.
But City were undone by another counter attack by Leeds right at the end and John Stones found himself on the wrong side of a foot race after Dallas ran onto Ezgjan Alioski’s through ball which ended with the Leeds man netting again in added time through the legs of Ederson.
GOALS – Manchester City 1, Leeds United 2
Man City 0, Leeds Utd 1: 42. Stuart Dallas’ low drive went in off the post after City were done by a long ball over the top and Helder Costa found Patrick Bamford who cut the ball back into the perfect space for the shot from Dallas which beat Ederson from the edge of the box.
Man City 1, Leeds Utd 1: 76. Ferran Torres converted Bernardo Silva’s square pass from inside the box to level the scores.
Man City 1, Leeds Utd 2: 90+1. Stuart Dallas caught City cold when Ezgjan Alioski’s through ball released him and he beat John Stones in a foot race before scoring the injury time winner through the legs of Ederson.
MATCH STATS – Manchester City 1, Leeds United 2
Man City: Ederson, Cancelo, Stones, Ake (Gundogan 58), Mendy (Foden 74), Fernandinho, Zinchenko, Bernardo Silva, Torres, Sterling, Jesus
Man City subs not used: Steffen, Walker, Dias, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Garcia
Bookings: Ake; Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho
Leeds Utd: Meslier, Alioski, Cooper, Llorente, Ayling, Phillips, Dallas, Raphinha (Shackleton 90+6), Roberts (Koch 63), Costa, Bamford (Struijk 45+3)
Leeds Utd subs not used: Casilla, Berardi, Klich, Hernandez, Poveda, Gelhardt
Booking: Alioski
Red Card: Cooper 45+1 (serious foul play on Gabriel Jesus after VAR review)
Goals: Dallas 42, 90+1
Referee: Andre Marriner