Jonathan Liew on a thrilling battle
Richard Jolly was at Elland Road. Here’s his verdict. Thanks for reading this MBM!
Pep’s verdict. “It was good, huh! ... it’s good when both teams want to attack ... a good game, a fair result ... unfortunately we could not win but we move on from here ... I am not complaining for one second ... it is not easy to play against them ... but we had chances in the first half to kill the game ... and in the last 15 minutes we were better.” Then a lovely moment as Guardiola, barely able to stop himself guffawing, reveals Bielsa asked him his opinion of the game immediately after the final whistle. “I said, after one second, I am not able to analyse the game! He is much cleverer than me! I need time to process. But I said it was a good game and the result was fair.” A real sense that, despite the two points dropped by City, Pep really enjoyed that. Lovely to see.
It was a game that almost defied analysis. Thank the lord I don’t write about tactics for a living. City could have been home and hosed after 20 minutes, but allowed Leeds to get back into the match. Confidence restored, the hosts could have gone on to win in the Leicester style, though it was City asking the serious questions near the end. A draw seems about right. “We know they’re very good defensively, but knew they had weaknesses defensively,” says Kalvin Phillips, “but we’re just happy to get a point really.”
That point takes Leeds into fifth spot, on seven points. City are in tenth, eight points behind the early leaders Everton on four points, albeit with a match in hand. Perhaps more importantly, they’ve already fallen five points behind the defending champions Liverpool, who can really turn up the pressure with a win at Aston Villa tomorrow night. Already the title race is shaping up to be very interesting indeed.
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“I rarely re-watch matches I have seen live,” writes Mary Waltz. “This will be the exception.” Yep. One up there with the Bilbao-Barca back-and-forth of 2011. Bielsa and Guardiola should get it on more often.
FULL TIME: Leeds United 1-1 Manchester City
An absurdly entertaining match comes to an end. Trot out the old cliche: nobody deserved to lose that one. Bielsa and Guardiola warmly embrace, the pair smiling broadly. They enjoyed that one. What a game!
90 min +3: De Bruyne swings the resulting free kick in from the right. Bamford sends a header the wrong way, and it’s heading in, but Meslier saves his blushes with a fine diving catch.
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90 min +2: Dallas slides in on Silva from behind. It’s a yellow, a decision rubber-stamped by VAR, but you’ve seen red for those. Studs on ankle. A nasty one.
90 min: De Bruyne swings in a free kick from the right. Ayling eyebrows away from the lurking Ake at the far post. Corner. Wasted corner. There will be three bonus minutes. Wish there could be 33.
89 min: Then Bamford was one on one with Ederson. He was denied, but the flag went up for offside after the event.
88 min: Incidentally, in between those two penalty shouts, Sterling made another, after a tangle with Davis. But he was never getting that one. City have finished strongly, though.
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87 min: Another look at that Sterling penalty shout. There was very little contact, with Cooper missing the ball altogether. Was there a little contact on Sterling’s knee? It’s hard to say, even after a couple of viewings. Who’d be a referee these days?
86 min: Sterling clatters into Cooper as he glides into the Leeds box from the right. He wants a penalty, but it looked a legal tackle ... timed perfectly. VAR checks and isn’t interested.
85 min: Sterling digs the ball out from under his feet and sends a no-backlift whack wide of the top right.
83 min: Foden dribbles into the Leeds box from the left. His cross squirts to Silva, who slams a shot goalwards from six yards. The ball twangs off the sliding Davis’s hand and away. City want a penalty. VAR checks, but no. Last week, maybe.
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82 min: Silva nips in from the right and looks for the top left. Always too high. Leeds have made 11 attempts on goal this evening, City a mighty 20. I have no idea how this is still only 1-1.
81 min: Fernandinho aquaplanes a shot across the greasy surface and inches wide of the left-hand post. City are coming on strong again.
80 min: Sterling tees up De Bruyne on the edge of the D. De Bruyne shoots, but he’s swarmed by white shirts.
79 min: It’s suddenly gone a bit scrappy. But if any two teams deserve to be cut some slack, it’s these lads. This has been an exhilarating ride. Plenty of time for a twist in the tale.
77 min: Leeds make their final change, swapping Klich for Davis. Seconds later, City use up their last sub, replacing Mahrez with Fernandinho.
75 min: ... Leeds break upfield through Poveda down the right! The move soon breaks down, though, with only Bamford in attendance.
74 min: Walker breezes down the middle, then slips the ball wide left for Foden, who shoots from a tight angle. Corner. From which ...
73 min: This is joyously relentless! Costa drops a shoulder, coming in from the left, but his shot is deflected wide of goal. The corner isn’t all that, but Leeds come again, Rodrigo barging down the right and flipping inside for Bamford, whose close-range flick is blocked by Ederson.
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72 min: Ake comes on to replace Mendy. Then Sterling skitters clear! He’s one on one with Meslier, but seems to freeze, allowing the keeper to smother at his feet.
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71 min: De Bruyne is caught dawdling on the edge of the Leeds box, thinking about shooting. He’s stripped by Poveda, who romps up the other end. It’s four on four! Bamford and Rodrigo over-elaborate and the move breaks down.
69 min: Poveda curls in from the right. Rodrigo sends a header towards the top right. Ederson fingertips onto the bar and out for a corner. Nothing comes from the resulting set piece, but I repeat: this surely can’t end 1-1. Both teams are going for it, hell for leather!
68 min: A free kick for Leeds out on the left. Phillips swings it towards the far post. Cooper heads off Rodri and onto the right-hand post, Ederson all at sea! The flag goes up for a very tight offside. Goodness knows how this is going to end. It won’t be 1-1, surely. It can’t be.
67 min: Mahrez dribbles in from the right and looks to send a curler into the top left. Too wide, too high.
66 min: Mahrez sashays down the inside right and fires wide from a tight angle. This is such an open and entertaining game now.
65 min: De Bruyne cuts in from the left and curls viciously towards the bottom right. Just wide. Good luck guessing who scores the next goal. It won’t be Torres; he makes way for Bernardo Silva.
64 min: Poveda is causing mayhem down the Leeds right. He zips away into acres and pulls back for Rodrigo, who can’t get a shot away. Phillips takes up possession instead and curls towards the top right. It’s a good whack, but well read and handled by Ederson.
63 min: Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
62 min: Space for Poveda out on the right. He’s got options in the middle, but sends in a strange low diagonal ball that’s an easy claim for Ederson. City go up the other end, De Bruyne working his way down the right and settling for a corner ... though he strangely decided against firing a low first-time ball across the face of goal.
60 min: The Leicester story isn’t going to repeat itself, is it? Surely not. “Is it just me or is Kyle Walker a most frustratingly indecisive and inaccurate throw-in taker?” wonders Peter Oh. “Liam Delap’s dad must be shaking his head in disgust.”
GOAL! Leeds United 1-1 Manchester City (Rodrigo 59)
The corner’s slung into the mixer. Ederson makes a hash of punching clear, slapping the ball into Mendy, leaving Rodrigo with a simple slapshot from six yards. That had been coming, either side of half-time.
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58 min: A cute Costa backheel releases Rodrigo down the inside-left channel. He shimmies and shakes, and shoots towards the top left. The ball’s tipped round for a corner. From which ...
57 min: The rain continues to spill from the heavens. The pitch is getting extremely heavy.
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56 min: Leeds make their second change, sending on Rodrigo for Roberts.
55 min: Sterling cuts in from the left and tries to replicate his goal. The shot is blocked. De Bruyne blooters wildly over from a tight spot on the left.
54 min: A free kick for City out on the left. De Bruyne lumps an uncharacteristically witless one straight into Meslier’s arms.
52 min: Leeds stream forward, Dallas driving his men on, and the ball’s sent wide right for Ayling, who has options in the middle but wafts an awful chip into the stand behind the goal. The hosts are playing with much more confidence now.
51 min: A long pass down the Leeds right. Poveda presses Mendy again. Mendy clears, but it’s obvious Leeds have decided to target the City left-back, on a yellow as he is.
49 min: Passes aren’t sticking right now. All a bit shapeless.
47 min: Walker takes an age over a throw, before flinging it straight into the arms of Meslier.
46 min: Leeds over-elaborate; the corner’s a waste of time. But the home side have obviously been told to go up a gear or two.
Second half! Leeds get the ball rolling again, having made one half-time change. Alioski is replaced by former City prospect Ian Poveda. The sub is immediately in the thick of it, romping down the right and winning a corner.
Half-time entertainment. This is such a lovely gallery. Immerse yourself in the past for 15 luxurious minutes ... but don’t forget to come back for the second half, now.
HALF TIME: Leeds United 0-1 Manchester City
There’s time for a huge error by Mendy, who miscontrols on the edge of his box, allowing Ayling to zip clear into the area. He drops a shoulder to send Laporte sliding out of harm’s way, but Ederson denies him at point-blank range with a stunning starfish save. And that’s the end of the first half. I was going to suggest that, given the way City started, 0-1 is something of a result for Leeds. But they really should have drawn level there. What a second half we have in store!
45 min: There will be one extra first-half minute.
44 min: Bamford spins away down the right and pulls back for Costa, who shoots from a tight angle and earns a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece.
43 min: Costa chases a long ball down the right. Mendy, on a booking, can’t dive in, but does extremely well to usher Costa towards the corner flag and force him to turn tail.
41 min: Mahrez stops a quick Leeds free kick being taken. For some reason, Mike Dean doesn’t book him.
39 min: Foden comes in from the right and lashes diagonally across goal. Wide left, but not by much. This is turning into the entertaining end-to-end game we expected.
38 min: A corner on the left leads to a corner on the right. A quick game of head tennis leads to a City break, De Bruyne sending Sterling clear down the inside-left channel. Sterling over-elaborates, allowing Koch and Ayling to get back, the latter stealing the ball brilliantly.
37 min: A gorgeous Leeds move as Klich glides in from the right. Bamford takes up possession and flicks wide left to Dallas, who barges into the box and sees his shot turned round the post by Ederson. For a second, City were opened up.
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36 min: Mendy is booked for a cynical trip on an in-flight Costa. A daft challenge, on the halfway line, with other City players in close attendance.
35 min: The rain is still sheeting down.
34 min: City crank it up, Foden sending Torres away down the right. His low cross is gathered well by Meslier, but there’s a sign that, no, City aren’t minded to make the same mistake again.
32 min: Mendy channels his inner Beckenbauer by striding through the midfield in regal fashion. He slips a pass down the left to release Sterling, but his team-mate has gone too soon. Up goes the flag, and Leeds breathe again.
31 min: Leeds have picked up their tempo, while City have reined themselves in. Shades of the Leicester narrative last weekend. They’ll not make the same mistake twice, surely.
29 min: Costa slips a ball down the right for Ayling, whose low cross is spilled by Ederson at the near post. The whistle goes as everyone swarms; turns out Ayling had run the ball out of play for a goal kick. But these are promising green shoots of recovery for Leeds, after an absurdly lop-sided start to this match.
28 min: Dallas and Phillips probe gently down the left. They go nowhere, but at least they’re getting a semblance of a foothold in the match now. They’ve had 52 percent possession during the last ten.
26 min: A little bit of Leeds possession. Time to check City’s momentum, take a breather, take stock. The hosts have been run ragged so far.
24 min: A rare Leeds sortie as Bamford powers down the inside left and whistles a fierce shot well wide left of goal. Ederson wasn’t worried, but small acorns and all that. Leeds just need to stay in the game right now.
23 min: On the touchline, Pep wears a worried frown. His standards are absurdly high ... like that’s breaking news. His team have been sensational.
22 min: Another attack, as De Bruyne robs Phillips and sends Sterling dribbling with great purpose down the left. He tees up Foden, who snatches at his shot and drags it well wide right.
21 min: But City keep coming at them. Sterling and De Bruyne combine down the left to win City’s fifth corner of the game. De Bruyne fires a flat cross towards Laporte, who flashes a header inches wide of the top left from 12 yards.
19 min: Leeds, to their credit, aren’t panicking. They’ve been making mistakes, sure, but they’re not panicking. Ayling, Koch and Cooper calmly play out of the back, under intense City pressure. Some admirable triangles as they live on the edge.
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GOAL! Leeds United 0-1 Manchester City (Sterling 17)
It’s fair to say this had been coming. Sterling takes up possession on the left-hand corner of the box. He drops a shoulder once, then twice, as he skitters across the face of the area. Then he curls an unstoppable shot into the bottom right. That’s a fantastic finish, and no more than City deserve. They’ve flown out of the blocks this evening.
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16 min: Sterling jinks down the left, turning Ayling inside out, then cutting back for Torres, who shoots towards the bottom right with Meslier out of position. Dallas sticks out a leg and blocks on the line. This is brilliant stuff from City, who will be wondering how they’re not already a goal or two to the good.
14 min: But this is better from Leeds, as Ayling whips deep for Alioski, who heads powerfully over the bar. He should have got that one on target. He’ll be thinking he should have scored.
13 min: Leeds need to wake up quickly. Torres romps down the right and enters the box. Another shot; another block. It’s only a matter of time before City score the opening goal.
12 min: From the corner, Dias is gifted a free header six yards out. He should score, but heads wide left. Leeds clear upfield, where Bamford swings an arm into Laporte’s face. He’s booked for that one.
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11 min: De Bruyne is given an absurd amount of time as he drives down the middle. He finally shoots, but probably took one or two strides too many, allowing Koch to stick out a boot and deflect wide right for a corner.
10 min: Sterling cuts in from the left and looks towards the far corner. His shot is blocked at source. City have enjoyed 72 percent of possession in this opening phase.
8 min: Leeds are chasing shadows right now. On the touchline, Bielsa is shouting at his troops with great feeling.
6 min: This is a supremely confident start by City, who will be in the mind to make a statement after last week’s shenanigans.
5 min: Two corners follow. From the first, Dias claims a penalty as his header twangs off Cooper at close range ... but the referee calls it correctly, the ball having bounced off the Leeds defender’s head. Leeds clear the second.
3 min: Leeds have hardly had a touch. Sterling is bowled over out on the left. De Bruyne curls in the free ki ... no he doesn’t! He opts to go for the top left, with everyone, especially Meslier in the Leeds goal, expecting the swinger to the far post. The ball caroms off the post and Leeds are able to hack out for a corner. Shades of Gary McAllister’s last-gasp winner for Liverpool at Goodison Park in 2001 ... except that one went in of course. But it was an equally brilliant bit of quick thinking. Inches to the right and that was nestling in the unguarded left-hand side of the net.
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2 min: Rodri takes. Cooper clears. City take up possession again. De Bruyne slips a pass down the left channel for Sterling, who takes a touch inside and sends a curler, intended for the top-right corner, high over the bar.
1 min: City are on the front foot reasonably quickly. Mendy drives in from the left. Foden and De Bruyne combine to tee up Walker, whose weak shot is deflected out for a corner on the right.
City get the ball rolling ... but only after everyone takes a knee. No room for racism.
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The teams are out! Leeds are in their world-famous Revie white, while City sport a fetching black second strip. It is absolutely hosing down at Elland Road, shades of San Mamés in 2011, when Bielsa’s Athletic Bilbao and Guardiola’s Barcelona shared the spoils in a four-goal thriller. More, please! We’ll be off in a minute.
Bielsa considers the style of his so-called former pupil. “I don’t see in Pep’s playing style any ideas that he’s taken from my playing style ... It’s not a good time to face them. When they face adversity, they’re stronger.”
Pep welcomes Ruben Dias. “He starts as soon as possible. He will adapt. Eric [Garcia] has some niggles in the hamstring and John [Stones] was out for ten days, so we didn’t have options. I think he has a good personality, a good header, good in the build-up, intelligent in movement. Do not forget he’s 23 and has time to improve.”
Marcelo Bielsa and Pep Guardiola meet again this evening, 14 years after the City manager made a pilgrimage to Argentina in search of knowledge. Jonathan Liew tells the story of one of football’s great enduring bromances.
Leeds United make just the one change from the side that won at Bramall Lane last weekend. It’s an enforced one: Jack Harrison is on loan from City and ineligible against his parent club, so Ezgjan Alioski takes his place.
Manchester City hand a debut to their new great defensive hope Ruben Dias. He’s one of three changes to the side thrashed by Leicester last Sunday. Aymeric Laporte and Ferran Torres are also in; Nathan Ake, Fernandinho and Eric Garcia make way.
The teams
Leeds United: Meslier, Ayling, Koch, Cooper, Phillips, Helder Costa, Klich, Dallas, Alioski, Bamford, Roberts.
Subs: Poveda-Ocampo, Llorente, Rodrigo, Struijk, Davis, Caprile, Shackleton.
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Laporte, Mendy, Rodri, Mahrez, De Bruyne, Foden, Torres, Sterling.
Subs: Stones, Ake, Steffen, Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho, Delap, Palmer.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral).
Preamble
Last season, Manchester City rebounded from the first loss of their campaign in spectacular style, following up a shock 3-2 defeat at Norwich by hammering Watford 8-0. Leeds United, fully aware that City had the back seat of their trousers handed to them neatly pressed by Leicester City last weekend, are permitted to take one long, loud, hard gulp. Nobody likes facing down a wounded lion.
Then again, Leeds are no Watford. The three-time champions of England, back in the big time after a ludicrously long hiatus, have immediately made their presence felt on the top division again. An unfortunate last-gasp 4-3 loss at the champions Liverpool was followed by a fingernail-bothering 4-3 win over Fulham and a staunch victory over local rivals Sheffield United. They’ve won 14 of their last 17 league matches, and under Marcelo Bielsa they’re unlikely to change their gung-ho approach for anyone.
So this promises plenty. City can’t be as bad in defence as they were against Leicester, surely, especially as they may name a fancy new centre-back pairing of Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias. And it’s not often that Kevin De Bruyne has two off-days in a row. But that won’t stop Leeds fancying their chances too: Patrick Bamford has three in three, while United’s overall total of eight goals matches the record for Premier League new boys after three matches, a total set by Bolton back in 2001.
City remain favourites to win, despite last weekend’s horror show. It wouldn’t be a total surprise if they posted another bounceback statement score. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if Leeds took their first big scalp post-return. Perfectly set-up, then. It’s on!
Kick off: 5.30pm BST.
