Manchester City faced Leeds United in the late kick off on Saturday night. The two sides came into the game with everything to play for at the business end of the season.
The Whites needed more points on the board to secure their safety in the Premier League, while Pep Guardiola’s side came to play for the win in the title race. When the whistle went, Leeds were the more dominant side. Just like last weekend against Aston Villa, the Whites made it difficult for the opponent. They pressed and swarmed Guardiola’s men all over, making it difficult for them to play their normal football.
Unfortunately for the home side, they could not take their chances – a big one fell to Calvert-Lewin in the first half but he fluffed his lines. City got a big chance of their own towards the end of the first half, when Antoine Semenyo converted from a cross just before half time.
Antoine Semenyo praises Leeds United effort in Elland Road clash
Semenyo ended up being the match winner, as Leeds failed to mount a comeback in the second half. City started to play for the result from just after the start of the first half. They kept the ball and wasted time until the final minute. After the game, the goalscorer Antoine Semenyo gave a lot of credit to the home side:
“Very tough, they are a transitional team, up and down, they do it really well, they make it tough for us in certain moments, but what you saw at the last minute was all the effort that we put into that game and how tough they made it for us, so it was a great win.”
It was unfortunate that after the final whistle went, Daniel Farke got into a confrontation with referee Peter Bankes which saw him sent off.
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Whites should take positives from this game
Going up against one of the best teams in the league and limiting them to just one goal is a magnificent feat. The match just showed how good Leeds United can play when they are on it. Elland Road will continue to play a huge factor late in the season when the battle for survival becomes intense. Luckily, the last few weeks saw the Whites rack up some important points which can give them some leeway despite losing Saturday’s game. But from now till the end of the season, every game and every point counts.
