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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Elliott Jackson

Man City star Kyle Walker opens up on 'basketball' game against Leeds United

Manchester City defender Kyle Walker has compared playing against Leeds United as 'a game of basketball'.

The Whites held City to a 1-1 draw at Elland Road on Saturday in a frantic and enthralling clash.

City dominated the opening half-an-hour and took the lead through Raheem Sterling but Leeds hit back with chances of their own at the end of the first 45 minutes.

Rodrigo Moreno levelled the game after the break and both sides could have taken the win with chances going begging at both games.

In the build-up the game was dominated by the relationship of Pep Guardiola and Marcelo Bielsa and their two styles were clearly on show in West Yorkshire, in what was a boxing-style contest with each side trading blow after blow.

Walker, though, compared the match to a basketball encounter, with both sides rushing from end to end to attack at every possible opportunity.

"Leeds, I promise you, Andros (Townsend), it's the weirdest game," Walker told ITV Football.

"It's like basketball, seriously, I couldn't believe it. Say Raheem (Sterling) was playing on the left and he goes over to the right, their right-back is going over with him!

"It's incredible. I think they've got a system that works and to achieve what they've achieved in the Championship and then doing it in the Premier League as well.

"Cardiff and Atalanta in the Champions League are the same. Even when I was at Tottenham with Pochettino, our game was based on 'we will outrun the other team'."

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