Pep Guardiola has once again sent Premier League title race warning to Arsenal and Chelsea, stating that City will ‘keep going’ after they secured a late winner at the Etihad Stadium.
Phil Foden delivered another decisive moment in a Manchester City 3-2 victory against Leeds United, striking deep into stoppage time to rescue his team from what would have been a damaging slip at home to Leeds United.
His late finish sealed a breathless victory on a Saturday afternoon that swung wildly between dominance, panic and, ultimately, relief for the hosts.
Leeds arrived under immense pressure and left with little to show for an impressive second-half revival.
They had pulled themselves level after trailing 2–0 at the interval and briefly looked capable of completing one of the more improbable Premier League turnarounds this season.
But Foden’s winner — struck low into the corner as the match drifted into its final seconds of the 10 added minutes — ensured the Manchester City 3-2 victory against Leeds United
The England midfielder had already given Pep Guardiola’s side the perfect start with a goal inside the first minute, and the afternoon seemed poised to become routine when Josko Gvardiol bundled in a second midway through the first half.
For long spells City were utterly dominant, slicing through a nervous Leeds defence and creating chance after chance without reply.
Yet Leeds, galvanised by the half-time introduction of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, found a route back when Matheus Nunes’ error gifted the striker an opening he accepted.
Then came a penalty — initially saved but converted on the rebound — that flipped the mood inside the Etihad from calm assurance to anxious disbelief.
And while City eventually found a way to wrestle back control, their manager will be aware that the victory owed much to late individual brilliance rather than sustained second-half authority.
Meanwhile, Erling Haaland — beginning the afternoon on 99 Premier League goals — found little space against a determined Leeds back line.
Born in Leeds, the striker was eager to reach his century but was kept unusually quiet, often dropping deep in search of involvement. Despite City’s waves of pressure, the decisive contribution came from the player who had started the scoring.
As the contest entered 10 minutes of added time, City kept probing. Foden, constantly drifting into dangerous central pockets, finally located the moment Leeds had feared.
Collecting the ball on the edge of the area, he drilled a precise low finish into the far corner, beyond Perri’s outstretched hand.
The Etihad erupted, the sound one of collective relief rather than triumph.
Speaking after the match, Pep Guardiola claimed that the victory was a big relief and sent a Premier League title race message to the City opponents.
The City manager expressed his satisfaction with the final outcome, claiming that the Sky Blues “we sleep second in the table” ahead of the crucial match between the league leaders Arsenal and Chelsea on Sunday.
In his post-match interview, Guardiola said: “Sometimes winning these games is necessary and we’ll sleep second in the table. Keep going!”
He, however, claimed that Manchester City could have won the match within the first 45 minutes when they had many chances and were the better team.
“We took three points, and when you see the game in general, the first-half should be over, and in the Premier League when you concede a third, it’s still never over,” he said.
