Phil Foden emerged as Manchester City's hero with a stoppage-time winner to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory against a resilient Leeds United side at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
The England international had opened the scoring within the first minute and completed his brace deep into added time to break Leeds hearts after the visitors had remarkably fought back from 2-0 down.
City's Dominant First Half Display
Manchester City made the perfect start when they took the lead after just 59 seconds of play. Matheus Nunes exchanged passes with Bernardo Silva before delivering a cross that Foden expertly volleyed over goalkeeper Lucas Perri and in off the crossbar.
City continued to dominate the first half, with Leeds looking vulnerable every time the hosts attacked. James Justin produced a crucial goalline block to deny Foden a second goal, while Nico Gonzalez saw his follow-up effort deflected behind.
The pressure eventually told when City doubled their advantage from a corner. Perri failed to deal with Tijjani Reijnders' delivery, allowing Josko Gvardiol to bundle the ball home from close range. Leeds protested that Silva had impeded their goalkeeper while in an offside position, but the goal stood following a lengthy VAR review.
Leeds Stage Remarkable Second Half Comeback
The game transformed completely after the break, sparked by the introduction of substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin at half-time.
Leeds found a route back into the match when Nunes played his defence into trouble with a poor pass. The City midfielder then compounded his error by getting in a tangle with Ruben Dias, inadvertently setting up Calvert-Lewin, who made no mistake with the opportunity.
The comeback was completed when Gvardiol brought down Calvert-Lewin in the penalty area. Lukas Nmecha saw his initial spot-kick saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, but the Leeds forward reacted quickest to convert the rebound and level the scores.
Foden Has The Final Word
As the game entered 10 minutes of added time, City piled on the pressure in search of a winner. Their persistence paid off when Foden collected the ball and drove a low strike into the bottom corner, sparking wild celebrations among the home supporters.
The victory provides a significant boost to Manchester City's Premier League campaign, while Leeds are left to rue what might have been in their battle against relegation. The match ultimately highlighted both City's resilience and the fighting spirit that has become characteristic of Daniel Farke's side this season.
