But everything changed after the break as relegation-threatened Leeds put up a fight for their under-pressure boss Daniel Farke. They produced a spirited comeback and even believed in victory themselves but Foden diminished that, deciding the game with a brilliant finish from outside the area in the first of the 10 minutes of additional time.
The England forward scored the fastest Premier League goal of the season to give City the lead after 59 seconds, firing in first time after a cross from Matheus Nunes. The midfielder was denied a second goal by a brave block from James Justin, who threw himself in front of the ball from close range, and then by a super save from Lucas Perri.
Leeds could only resist the City dominance for so long, though, and the second eventually arrived from a corner, Gvardiol sliding in to stab home following Nico O’Reilly’s knockdown, helped by some abject goalkeeping from Perri.
City had the bit between their teeth and pushed for a third before half-time but to no avail, with Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders having shots blocked and Perri repelling a strike from Nico Gonzalez, while O’Reilly headed wide.
Leeds came out for the second half with a double substitution and a totally different mindset and they immediately pegged City back. They fired out a warning minutes after the restart when Donnarumma patted a free-kick away only for it to land at the feet of Ethan Ampadu, with Reijnders making the block. One minute later Dominic Calvert-Lewin halved the deficit, losing the ball on the turn then snaffling it back off Nunes to strike. City’s nerves began to set in and Leeds then won a penalty when Gvardiol rushed into a tackle on Calvert-Lewin and sent him flying.
Donnarumma guessed right to parry Nmecha’s penalty but the rebound fell straight back to the German forward for him to tap in the leveller. The Etihad fell silent but when Foden buried the ball in the bottom corner after dribbling across the outside of the box, the stadium erupted and secured a valuable three points for Guardiola and his troops.
BALLGM rates Man City’s players from the Etihad Stadium…
Gianluigi Donnarumma (5/10):
After a placid first half he didn’t transmit much confidence under pressure. Flapped at a free-kick, did the hard part saving the penalty but sent the ball to the worst place possible.
Matheus Nunes (4/10):
His bright forward play which led to the lightning-quick opening goal was cancelled out by his clumsy defending gifting Calvert-Lewin the goal that made Leeds believe. His botched clearance gave Leeds possession again and then after tackling Calvert-Lewin he surrendered the ball to him.
Ruben Dias (5/10):
Had a flawless first-half display but couldn’t show the necessary leadership when Leeds grew in confidence.
Josko Gvardiol (4/10):
Like Nunes, his poor defending undid his good work in doubling the lead. Couldn’t communicate with Nunes for the first goal and then produced an awful tackle for the penalty.
Nico O’Reilly (6/10):
A strong physical display, showing his hunger by attacking Perri from the corner and setting up Gvardiol.
Bernardo Silva (5/10):
Didn’t really put his usual stamp on the game.
Nico Gonzalez (6/10):
Dominated the first half, barely giving Leeds any glimpses behind him. Struggled to adapt to the visitors’ changes.
Tijjani Reijnders (6/10):
Contributed his share in defence and attack although was the first to come off when Guardiola wanted a reaction.
Phil Foden (9/10):
Dangerous and decisive from start to finish. Could have had a hat-trick in the first half and when everyone else had lost belief he grabbed the game by the scruff of its neck and won it.
Erling Haaland (5/10):
Failed to score for the third game in a row, barely getting a chance in front of goal. He obediently did his defensive work, though, and was a useful presence nullifying Leeds’ ariel threat.
Jeremy Doku (5/10):
Couldn’t do his useful damage and struggled to prise Leeds’ defence open down his left flank.
Rayan Cherki (6/10):
Gave City a bit more guile going forward and gave the ball to Foden for the crucial strike.
Omar Marmoush (N/A):
Saw a header saved by Perri one minute after coming on.
John Stones (N/A):
Brought on in the 95th minute to run the clock down.
Pep Guardiola (6/10):
A very strange game for the coach to digest, pure dominance followed by a loss of composure and belief. To his credit, his changes helped swing the game back in City’s favour, even though he owes Foden a massive pat on the back for digging him out of the hole.
