How Phil Foden rescued a result Man City hardly deserved

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Manchester City 3-2 Leeds United: Daniel Farke had Pep Guardiola on the rack with a storming comeback, until Foden’s late winner

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If Phil Foden’s brace was separated by 90 minutes, there was more than just time between the goals that bookended a crazy game. The emotions fluctuated, the balance of power shifted. Manchester City assumed a position of complete dominance. Leeds United mounted a stirring, stunning comeback. And, at the end, the situation was as it had been after one minute: with one goal between them and Foden the match-winner.

Yet the victors showcased frailties and the losers seemed to emerge stronger than they were beforehand. It was that kind of illogical occasion. For City, the loss of control in the second half ought to be worrying. At home, against a promoted team, with a comfortable lead, they surrendered their advantage. For Leeds, Daniel Farke’s game-changing substitution was a reason not to dispense with a Championship-winning manager. Farke had Pep Guardiola on the rack.

For City, this came perilously close to being a wretched week. Defeated by Newcastle, beaten by Bayer Leverkusen, Guardiola’s gamble of resting 10 players in the Champions League first looked unnecessary as they outclassed Leeds before the break and then appeared doubly unsuccessful as those fresher legs were unable to stop an unexpected onslaught. Eventually, Foden served as City’s rescuer. Whether or not they deserved to win, he did. “The quality of Phil again,” said Guardiola, gratefully. “We are not a team to win this type of games a lot.” It was, he felt, the kind of victory his assistant Pep Lijnders experienced more often when by Jurgen Klopp’s side at Liverpool.

“It's up there as one of the wildest games,” Foden said. He decided it. The board had just gone up to indicate there would be 10 minutes of additional time. If that had a deflating impact on Leeds, so did what transpired within seconds. Foden placed a shot in the bottom corner, bypassing everyone in a packed penalty area. “One moment of magic through many legs was a decisive moment for them,” rued Farke.

Foden felt the coolest man in a distinctly febrile atmosphere. The senior citizens were affected. Gianluigi Donnarumma had picked up his latest caution for dissent. Bernardo Silva, already booked, had dived in the penalty area.

But Foden provided twin terrific finishes. Leeds conceded in the first and 91st minutes, Foden breaking the deadlock in 59 seconds with a right-footed volley, hooked in from Matheus Nunes’ cross. It required a brilliant block from Jayden Bogle and a terrific save by Lucas Perri to deny him a second. It instead came much later. The common denominator, though, was Foden’s ability to glide into space and emerge unchecked.

It proved timely. Belatedly, Foden has displaced Maxime Esteve as City’s second top scorer in the Premier League. Which, as the Frenchman is a Burnley defender, is an indictment of everyone other than Erling Haaland. Foden had not scored in the top flight since the Manchester derby. A drought was ended when City required individual inspiration.

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It did not come from the usual suspect. This was Haaland’s day. As he drew a third blank in a week to remain stuck on 99 Premier League goals, the forward with connections at both clubs to find the net was not him but Lukas Nmecha, who played for City, never scored for them but struck against them. The rampaging display in the No 9 shirt came not from the Norwegian, but from Dominic Calvert-Lewin. “His quality is never in doubt,” said Farke.

“With long balls, Calvert-Lewin is unstoppable,” said Guardiola. Playing like a man possessed, Calvert-Lewin scored Leeds’ first goal and won the spot kick for the second when he was chopped down by Josko Gvardiol. While Donnarumma made a first penalty save in City colours, Nmecha scored the rebound.

Farke changed the game when he changed his team and tactics. Calvert-Lewin and Jaka Bijol came on in a double switch at the interval, the two wingers going off, Leeds going 3-5-2. Guardiola noted the German copied Leverkusen’s tactics. It worked. Calvert-Lewin scored within four minutes after two mistakes by Nunes. Fine in the first half, poor in the second, the Portuguese was City in microcosm.

Gvardiol went from scoring a City goal to playing a part in one for Leeds. He had supplied a tap-in after Perri was outjumped by Nico O’Reilly, who shouldered the ball down. City had a threat from corners in the first half, an ineffective Leeds none at all. “The game should be over,” said Guardiola.

City had 14 shots before the break, only one in the next 40 minutes, before a late rally. Leeds displayed a superb spirit, and yet ended up with their seventh loss in eight games. “Heartbreak for my players but they should take lots of pride,” said Farke. City, Foden apart, may deserve less pride but they got the points.

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