Manchester City had to fight to see off Leeds United at the Etihad

Manchester City had to fight and claw their way to a 3-2 win over Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium yesterday. Pep Guardiola’s side dominated the first half, and goals from Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol had seemingly set City on their way to pick up a comfortable victory and three points. Daniel Farke brought on Dominic Calvert-Lewin at halftime, and the entire game changed. Leeds United would come from two goals down to equalise as Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha scored for the visitors. A 91st-minute goal from Phil Foden was enough for City to claim a precious win yesterday.

Pep Guardiola’s side had to fight and scrap its way to victory at the Etihad. In the process, their second-half performance left more questions than answers. The most important thing to come out of yesterday’s match was that City returned to winning ways. But this City team needs to iron out a the frailties that stood out during the second-half of their win over Leeds.

Manchester City had to fight to overcome Leeds United at the Etihad.

It is an old cliché, but yesterday’s match was a tale of two halves. Manchester City dominated the first half and should have taken a bigger lead than 2-nil into the interval. Pep Guardiola’s side dominated possession and territory and created a host of good chances in the first half. Some desperate Leeds United defending and some poor finishing from City kept the scoreline at 2-nil.

The second half was a completely different story. Daniel Farke brought on Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and the introduction of Calvert-Lewin completely changed the dynamic of the game. Once Calvert-Lewin scored in the 49th minute to make it 2-1, the game had a completely different complexion. Leeds were the better side in the second half, and they deserved their equaliser through Lukas Nmecha, which came in the 68th minute. By that stage of the game, panic had set in amongst the Manchester City players. Josko Gvardiol’s poor challenge that gave away a penalty, which allowed Leeds the opportunity to equalise, highlighted how rattled City was by Leeds’ second-half performance.

Fortunately, Phil Foden was on hand to earn City all three points.

For a prolonged spell after Leeds equalised, Pep Guardiola’s side could not get out of their own half. The Leeds press and the pressure of the games’ closing stages saw the Manchester City players give away possession cheaply. They steadied in the final ten minutes of the match to regain control. Omar Marmoush headed a good chance straight at Lucas Perri in the Leeds United goal in the 89th minute. Fortunately, two minutes later, a Phil Foden goal would ensure that City picked up a precious three points yesterday.

What did we learn from Manchester City’s performance yesterday?

So what did we learn from yesterday’s match from a Manchester City point of view? At their best, Pep Guardiola’s side can still play the football that is synonymous with City at their best. That was on full display in the first half. City dominated the match during the first half. They should have been out of sight by the time the second-half began.

Manchester City’s second-half performance was abysmal. The frailties that hindered City’s play last season revealed themselves again. Pep Guardiola’s side panicked under pressure from Leeds. The introduction of Dominic Calvert-Lewin changed the complexion of yesterday’s match. His presence unsettled the Manchester City players as did Daniel Farke’s tactical tweaks. Leeds deserve full credit for their performance and ability to claw back a two-goal deficit. But City did panic and were rattled by Leeds and that is an area of Manchester City’s play that must be improved.

Pep Guardiola’s side fought and scrapped their way to a vital three points at the Etihad yesterday. All that matters is the victory for City but they did leave yesterday’s match with clear issues that need to be rectified otherwise this season could be a roller coaster for Manchester City if they play like they did yesterday with regularity.