Manchester City strengthened its position at the top of the English Premier League table after securing a 2-1 victory over Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium in the 35th round of matches. German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan scored both of City’s goals in the 19th and 27th minutes, while Rodrigo scored a late consolation for Leeds in the 85th minute.
City’s win sees them move up to 82 points at the top of the table, while Leeds remain in 17th place with 30 points.
First Half
City started the game brightly and had several chances to score in the opening minutes, with Haaland firing a shot wide in the second minute and Akanji heading over the bar from a Mahrez corner in the seventh minute.
Leeds responded in the 10th minute when Bamford headed a cross from McKinney just wide of the post, but City continued to pile on the pressure, with Alvarez firing over the bar in the 16th minute and Haaland being denied by the Leeds goalkeeper in the 17th minute.
City finally broke the deadlock in the 19th minute when Gundogan fired a low shot past the Leeds goalkeeper from the edge of the area, and they doubled their lead just eight minutes later when Gundogan scored again, this time with a shot into the bottom corner of the net after a Mahrez pass.
Leeds had a rare chance to score in the 29th minute when McKinney headed a corner towards goal, but Ederson made a fantastic save to deny him.
City continued to dominate the game for the remainder of the first half, with Foden coming close to scoring just before the break with a shot that went just over the bar.
Second Half
The second half saw City continue to press forward, with Haaland heading just wide from an Alvarez cross in the 53rd minute and hitting the post with a shot from the edge of the area in the 62nd minute.
Leeds had a chance to get back into the game in the 83rd minute when Foden was fouled in the area and City was awarded a penalty, but Gundogan missed the spot-kick, hitting the post.
Leeds did manage to pull a goal back in the 85th minute when Rodrigo scored with a shot from the edge of the area, but it proved to be too little too late for the visitors.
Conclusion
City’s victory sees them move one step closer to securing the Premier League title, with just three games left to play. Their next match is away to Newcastle United, while Leeds will host Tottenham Hotspur in their next fixture.
Overall, it was a dominant performance from City, who showed once again why they are the best team in the league this season. With their eyes firmly set on winning the title, they will be looking to continue their winning streak in their remaining fixtures.
