MAN. CITY BACK ON TOP OF PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE AFTER EASILY BEATING STRUGGLING LEEDS.
Manchester City beat Leeds United 4-0 as cards rained down onto the Elland Road pitch, reclaiming top spot in the Premier League (PL) while also taking their aggregate H2H score to 11-0 this season.
Having missed the humiliation against the ‘Citizens’ in December, Liam Cooper sustained an injury in the warm-up in a big blow for Leeds. João Cancelo offered the hosts a gift when he slipped in the opening minutes, but Rodrigo took himself wide under pressure from İlkay Gündoğan and was consequentially unable to threaten. City were soon in control and took the lead in the 13th minute, as Rodri rose above Kalvin Phillips to head home Phil Foden’s peach of a cross from a free-kick.
Leeds didn’t allow the goal to impact them and stayed resolute defensively. The ‘Whites’ applied pressure of their own as the half-hour mark came and went, although Junior Firpo’s drive over the crossbar was their best opportunity. Luke Ayling then presented City with an opening, eventually being saved by Pascal Struijk getting across brilliantly to block Raheem Sterling’s strike. There was another blow for Leeds before HT, as Stuart Dallas went off injured after an attempted tackle on Jack Grealish.
City scored early in the second half as they had in the first, when Rúben Dias knocked down Foden’s corner delivery to Nathan Aké, who held off Struijk and finished clinically. Sterling had caused problems all game and it took an impressive header from Robin Koch to prevent his cross from finding Foden. Phillips’ poor pass allowed the visitors in again, though Gündoğan was eventually crowded out. Raphinha made a burst forward with 20 minutes remaining and will have thought he’d scored until Aymeric Laporte made an admirable block. Gabriel Jesus made things comfortable with his sixth goal in three games, coolly finishing after receiving an incisive pass from Foden.
Fernandinho then rounded off the scoring with a first-time strike in the final moments as the league leaders maintained their record of winning every PL away game they’ve scored first in this season – the run now stands at 12 matches. Leeds’ tally of five matches without defeat is now over, but Jesse Marsch will be more concerned that they now sit just one place above the relegation zone.
