Erling Haaland scored a late winner as Manchester City beat RB Leipzig 3-2 in the Champions League, securing a vital victory that also highlighted persistent defensive frailties. The result gives manager Enzo Maresca his first win in four games and moves City into the top eight of the competition.
City Throw Away Lead Twice
City had twice surrendered the lead in a match where their defence wobbled again. Maresca made four changes from the weekend defeat to Brighton, bringing Marc Guehi back in place of captain Ruben Dias. While this shows strength in depth, it also reflects a manager yet to settle on a preferred unit in defence or midfield.
In the opening 45 minutes, City's starters often took the wrong option, running into problems rather than out of them. The same blinkered thinking in front of goal that has cost them in their last two Premier League games was evident. RB Leipzig were encouraged when Gianluigi Donnarumma let Antonio Nusa's effort slip through his fingers, though it dropped onto the roof of the net.
Defensive Errors Continue
Maresca had said before the game that City could not rely on Haaland to score all their goals. His teammates were reprieved when Castello Lubeka turned a Nico O'Reilly ball into his own net, giving the visitors a platform. Yet within minutes of the second half, they were pegged back.
Donnarumma tipped a Christoph Baumgartner shot round the post just after the break but was exposed moments later as Ridle Baku beat him at his near post from a tight angle. Elliot Anderson and O'Reilly lost possession in their own half, and Donnarumma was given too much to do all night, but he continues to make ugly mistakes that make him an obvious target for criticism.
Attack as Defence
Attack has looked like City's best form of defence for a while. They worked the ball well for Enzo Fernandez to put them back in the lead, but their actual defending did not improve. Nusa was given far too much space in the box after an hour to make it 2-2.
That made it 14 goals conceded in the last seven games for City, who have not kept a clean sheet since winning at Anfield last month. Letting in two every match makes it incredibly difficult to win in any competition, and City cannot expect to score more than that every time.
Haaland's Offside and the Win
The game was unusual, with the midfield not working again, defensive errors, poor decisions in front of goal, and even an offside from Haaland. That collectors' item shows all is not quite right with City, yet this win puts the team on course for the top eight of the Champions League.
This is a new project and City remain a work in progress since Maresca took over in summer. As they head to Nottingham Forest on Saturday knowing they cannot afford to drop more points in the Premier League, Maresca's side have to tighten up to start making things easier. If that fails, there is always Haaland.
