Jamie Jackson was at the Etihad to witness that rout. His report has landed, so off you click. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
Pep’s turn. “Congratulations to the team, it was a good performance for us. The vibe at the stadium was nice, it was sold out, and we started with a good rhythm. We were patient with the ball, and the quality of the players did the rest. We lost five points to Leeds last season, so we tried to prepare against a serious team. We saw the game against Chelsea, they deserved a point, so maybe they were tired tonight. Now we rest and prepare for Newcastle next Sunday.”
Marcelo Bielsa, understandably downbeat, talks to BT. “There is nothing positive to take away from our performance. I can’t find anything that can be valued. It’s not the individuals that fail, but the organisation. There is no justification I can offer. The game was exactly how we thought it was going to be, we prepared ourselves to avoid everything that happened. But we didn’t manage to do anything so their superiority wouldn’t be so noticeable.”
Kevin De Bruyne, a study in quiet contentment, speaks to BT. “There has been a lot happening this year, a little out of my control. The only thing I can do is work hard and come back as quickly as possible. We played incredibly well, especially considering the way they press. We found the right time to attack them, and when it gets three or four it gets harder for them. It’s good for everyone, a lot of people who don’t always play chipped in, so it’s a boost. We were very patient and found the gaps at the right time to go forward. We have to maintain the good level and try to win game by game. It’s a hell of a competition, and it will be a hell of a race. We will try to be there.”
Leeds didn’t do themselves any favours there, leaving way too much space for Manchester City to work with. But the reigning champions were really in the mood tonight, and would almost certainly have eviscerated whoever they faced. All of a sudden, having won seven matches in a row, they’re four points clear at the top. Liverpool and Chelsea have big games against Newcastle and Everton coming up on Thursday.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 17 | 31 | 41 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 16 | 33 | 37 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 16 | 27 | 36 |
| 4 | West Ham | 16 | 9 | 28 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 16 | 2 | 27 |
Meanwhile Leeds continue to look over their shoulder at the bottom. Sometimes a big defeat can clear out the pipes; sometimes it can seriously batter confidence. They’ll hope it’s the former, because they’ve got Arsenal, Liverpool and in-form Aston Villa in their next three games.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Leeds | 17 | -15 | 16 |
| 17 | Watford | 16 | -10 | 13 |
| 18 | Burnley | 15 | -7 | 11 |
| 19 | Newcastle | 16 | -17 | 10 |
| 20 | Norwich | 17 | -26 | 10 |
FULL TIME: Manchester City 7-0 Leeds United
Leeds are happy to hear the final whistle. They might not be so happy to hear the Inspiral Carpets blast out of the PA. “This is how it feels to be small ... this is how it feels when your world means nothing at all.” It’s their biggest defeat of the Premier League era.
90 min +2: The loudest rendition of Marching On Together of the evening. There are few sweeter sounds in football than defiant fans giving their all at the end of a thrashing. Hats off.
90 min +1: Mahrez glides down the inside-right channel and lifts a shot over the bar from the edge of the box.
90 min: Gundogan drags a low shot across the face goal from 12 yards. Meslier smothers. On BT Sport, Lucy Ward names Kevin De Bruyne as the man of the match.
89 min: Klich has a frustrated whack from distance. Nope. The City fans can’t be bothered to jeer. The Leeds supporters keep going, though; they’ve kept their end up tonight.
88 min: A free kick for City, 25 yards out, just to the left of centre. De Bruyne’s eyes light up. He wants a hat-trick, but can only send a weak effort into Meslier’s midriff. “Man City are just lucky Patrick Bamford wasn’t playing,” writes Steve Buist. “Or it might have been 7-1.”
86 min: Harrison nips in from the right and sends a speculative effort towards the bottom right. Easy pickings for Ederson. “Just chuckling at just HOW wide of the mark Phil Haran’s half-time prediction for the second half was,” writes Dylan Kenny, because somebody had to. “It happens to the best of us, I suppose.”
84 min: Foden spins into space and hoicks a long-distance attempt over the bar. The remaining Leeds fans, to their eternal credit, continue to make their presence felt.
82 min: A corner for Leeds, Harrison crossing low for Roberts, Ake hacking behind. Nothing comes of it.
80 min: As things stand, this will equal Leeds’ record league defeat. They went down 8-1 at Stoke in the First Division in August 1934. They didn’t go down that season, so at least there’s that omen.
GOAL! Manchester City 7-0 Leeds United (Ake 78)
Foden hits the corner long. Ake rises unchallenged, eight yards out, and plants a header across Meslier and into the bottom left. That was way too easy.
Updated
77 min: Gundogan jinks adroitly down the middle of the park and nearly tricks his way into the box. The ball clanks off a Leeds leg and out for a corner on the left, from which ...
76 min: The Leeds body language isn’t great now. A lot of hanging heads. On the touchline, Marcelo Bielsa tries to gee his men up, but it’s a tough ask.
GOAL! Manchester City 6-0 Leeds United (Stones 74)
Fernandinho crosses from the right. Llorente heads goalwards. Meslier parries. The ball drops to Stones, just to the right of goal. Stones smashes it goalwards. Meslier heroically springs up to parry, but the ball only drops to Stones again, who lashes high into the net. This is turning ugly for Leeds now.
Updated
73 min: Firpo, one tackle away from a second yellow, is replaced by Drameh.
71 min: Harrison dribbles purposefully down the right and nearly breaks into the City box. But the home side hold firm, and he can’t find Klich with a pullback. Harrison has probably been Leeds’ best player this evening, admittedly a low bar but his work down both flanks have given his former club something to think about.
70 min: De Bruyne spins down the left and slips infield for Foden, who spots Mahrez in acres on the right and releases him with a clever pass. Mahrez has team-mates in the middle, but opts to shoot instead. Mahrez tips around the near post, and nothing comes of the resulting corner.
69 min: All sorted!
68 min: A break in play as there’s something wrong with the referee’s earpiece. Off he trots to get it fixed.
67 min: Hats off to the Leeds travelling support, who respond with a ringing rendition of Marching On Together, defiance the top note.
65 min: Dias off, Ake on. (One of the shorter MBM entries, right there.)
64 min: It’s party time. The City fans have started with the Poznan. They’re not really here.
GOAL! Manchester City 5-0 Leeds United (De Bruyne 62)
City come straight back at Leeds. Gundogan makes good down the left and rolls infield for De Bruyne, who absolutely larrups a shot past Meslier from 25 yards. It wasn’t tight in the top left, but it didn’t need to be, swerving around and hit with such power that it nearly took the net off. What a goal! City are rampant.
Updated
61 min: City think they’ve scored a fifth, De Bruyne slipping the ball down the left for Mahrez, who rolls infield for Foden. He rolls home from six yards, but daftly ran ahead of Mahrez before the pass was made, and despite a VAR check, the offside decision stands. Correctly so. But never mind, because ...
59 min: Harrison cuts in from the left and looks for the bottom left. The ball twangs off Dias and inches wide of the right-hand post. Compare and contrast to City’s fourth: Leeds have been totally outplayed tonight, but they haven’t had any luck either.
58 min: A lull. Leeds will take it.
56 min: Fernandinho comes on for Rodri.
55 min: Leeds are so close to a consolation. Harrison whips a cross in from the left. Roberts launches himself horizontally towards the ball, and is this close to connecting, Keith Houchen in the 1987 FA Cup final style. The ball’s half cleared to Dallas, who opens his body and caroms a curler off the outside of the left post. A few inches inside, and Ederson wasn’t getting to that.
53 min: City ping it around. Then Mahrez, running back up the right channel, swivels and flicks a diagonal pass towards Gundogan, who is sprung clear into the box on the left. Gundogan strokes a delicious first-time effort towards the bottom right. Meslier is out of the game, but the ball bobbles inches wide.
52 min: Mahrez whips the free kick towards the top right. Meslier tips over the bar. Firpo meanwhile is surely in the last-chance saloon, with the landlord having already rung the bell for lasties.
51 min: Grealish exchanges passes with De Bruyne down the right channel. Firpo, on a booking, tests the referee’s patience by tugging Grealish back, just outside the box. No second yellow, but a free kick in a very dangerous position, just to the right of the D.
GOAL! Manchester City 4-0 Leeds United (Mahrez 49)
Mahrez dribbles in from the right, reaches the D, and shoots towards the bottom right. The ball takes a huge deflection off Firpo and into the bottom left. They’ve given the goal to Mahrez at the moment, but the shot looked like going wide right ... just. Don’t be surprised if this goes down as an own goal by Firpo.
Updated
48 min: Dallas passes long and finds Harrison, who dribbles dangerously into the City box from the left. He has the option to shoot from a tight angle, but opts to flick towards Klich instead. Klich doesn’t read the play and the ball sails out for a goal kick.
47 min: De Bruyne slips a pass down the inside-right channel, intended for Grealish. Llorente should intercept and clear, but leaves it for Meslier, who does eventually smother, but only just, the ball nearly running through to Grealish. That would have been utterly farcical.
City get the second half underway. They’ve made a change, Gundogan coming on for Silva. Leeds have also made a sub, swapping the ineffectual (if admittedly isolated) James for Gelhardt.
Half-time analysis with Phil Haran. “If Man City perceive no threat from Leeds, the rest of this game will be a bore fest of pointless passing. City don’t go in for slaughter unless they feel the other team can come back and at the moment Leeds don’t look as though they know what city they are in. City must finish the season the least knackered of all the teams as they are taught that the ball should do the work. If they don’t need to they won’t score again unless it is handed to them on a plate.”
Wait, everyone! Come back!
HALF TIME: Manchester City 3-0 Leeds United
City have been relentless from the get-go. They’re sent back to the dressing room with a well-deserved rafter-bothering cheer. Leeds traipse off, utterly deflated and already defeated.
45 min +3: Foden bursts down the right, combines with De Bruyne, then crosses deep towards Zinchenko. Ayling does well to head clear, just in time.
45 min +1: In the first of three added minutes, De Bruyne lashes inches over the bar from distance.
45 min: What’s this? A Leeds attack! Firpo and Harrison take turns to probe down the left, and reach the City penalty area. But suddenly a box of six City players assembles itself in front of goal, and there’s nobody for Harrison to cross towards. It was a nice thought while it lasted.
44 min: Rodri tries to meet the corner but can’t get any purchase on a header.
43 min: De Bruyne is the boss tonight. He strides down the middle of the park in all sorts of space and slips Foden in down the inside-left channel again. Foden’s shot is deflected over the bar for another corner.
41 min: De Bruyne orchestrates a mesmerising series of passes left and right, pulling Leeds all over the shop. Suddenly he slips to Foden, who swivels and sends a low diagonal shot across Meslier and inches wide right. If ever a team needed to hear the half-time whistle, it’s Leeds United, right here, right now.
40 min: Dias is booked for a late clip on Roberts.
39 min: Dias slips a simple pass down the inside-left channel. Silva should be clean through, but somehow he loses his bearings totally, overrunning the ball and letting it roll behind him and through to the keeper.
38 min: Shackleton goes down, and shakes his head sadly. He’s not going to be able to continue. He limps off slowly, to be replaced by Klich.
36 min: See 34 mins. There’s a good chance Pep had demanded a response to their uncharacteristically sluggish performance against Wolves. He’s certainly got one.
34 min: City stroke it around in the haughty style. They’re really in the mood tonight. Poor Leeds are chasing shadows.
GOAL! Manchester City 3-0 Leeds United (De Bruyne 32)
This is embarrassingly easy for City. Rodri slips a cute ball down the inside-left channel to release De Bruyne into the box. City’s star man blazes a low shot past Meslier, and this is already in danger of turning into a rout.
Updated
30 min: While the game’s stopped, VAR checks for a penalty against Zinchenko, and then a foul by Rodri on the keeper. Turns out everything was fine. Zinchenko was slightly lucky to get away with the handball, having moved his arm towards the ball while stepping in front of Raphinha, though it would only have been a free kick; it was outside the area anyway.
Updated
29 min: Raphinha chases a long ball down the right. Zinchenko nips in ahead, but in doing so, allows the ball to hit his arm. He clears, and Rodri has a bustle down the other end that’s bravely snaffled by Meslier. Play stops as the keeper takes a light kick to the head.
28 min: De Bruyne has another go, whipping viciously towards the top right from the edge of the D. Meslier handles it well. A third goal looks merely a matter of time. The champions are purring.
26 min: Foden wins a corner down the left. He takes it himself. It’s half cleared, and De Bruyne’s speculative effort from 25 yards flies harmlessly out for a goal kick.
25 min: Grealish busies himself down the left, only for Ayling to take the ball off his toe. The Leeds support, taking whatever they can right now, give their loudest cheer of the evening so far.
23 min: Leeds are hanging on all right: they’ve had just six percent possession in the last five minutes!
21 min: Zinchenko creams a delightful diagonal pass, left to right, for Mahrez, who worries Firpo yet again. Leeds manage to clear the cross, but Mahrez soon crops up again, this time on the left, and feeds Silva, who dribbles his way into the box and crosses low. Llorente hacks clear. Leeds are hanging on.
20 min: Mahrez spins Firpo down the right with great ease. Mahrez prepares to burst down the flank, only to be tugged back by Firpo, who goes into the book. Free kick out on the right.
19 min: Some space for Mahrez out on the right. A simple trick gets him past Firpo, and his low cross meets De Bruyne at the near post. The ball clanks wide right. A fair chance this won’t end 2-0.
18 min: Grealish sashays in from the left and has a look from the edge of the box. Shackleton does well to stick to his shoulder and block. City are rampant.
17 min: City continue to stroke it around. Leeds will simply be happy that they’re doing it in the middle of the park.
15 min: The resulting free kick finds Laporte on the edge of the box. He takes a whack, the ball flying miles over the bar. He cops a whack, too, Firpo having made contact as the pair challenged for the ball. City want a penalty, but they’re not getting one, VAR having taken a look.
14 min: Grealish is now fouled by Llorente, a fairly crude barge to the floor. You’ve seen bookings for less, but perhaps the referee is factoring in shellshock. Just a free kick.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Leeds United (Grealish 13)
The corner from the right is headed clear by Llorente, but City win the ball back immediately, Mahrez swinging one in from the right. Grealish times his run perfectly, and steers a header into the top left. Meslier already has the thousand-yard stare on.
Updated
12 min: Leeds keep shipping possession, and De Bruyne is being afforded all sorts of time and space to work his magic, just outside the box. Here he shapes one towards the top right. Deflected. Corner. From which ...
11 min: Leeds now have it all to do. City have won all 12 games this season in which they’ve scored first.
9 min: Can you say a goal had been coming after eight minutes? Yes. This is Manchester City after all. Meanwhile, Raphinha leaves a frustrated one on Grealish, who is far from happy about it.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Leeds United (Foden 8)
No matter. City come straight back at Leeds, Rodri powering down the inside-left channel and breaking clear into the box. Meslier comes out to smother, but the ball breaks to Foden, just to the left of the D. Foden returns it goalwards, and though Dallas makes it back to the line, he can’t adjust his body to hook clear, and the ball bounces apologetically into the net.
Updated
7 min: City should be leading. Llorente’s poor pass upfield is intercepted by Rodri, who lays off to Foden. The ball’s played down the right for De Bruyne, who, with Leeds very light in the box, rolls across for Silva. He has to score, free ten yards out, but passes it wide left. What a miss!
5 min: A free kick for Leeds near the centre circle. Forshaw spots Ederson off his line and sends a quickly taken long-distance looper goalwards. The cheeky effort is easily plucked from the sky by the City keeper, and the home fans whistle in the saucy style.
4 min: Grealish cuts in from the left and attempts a one-two with De Bruyne. Ayling intercepts the return pass just in time, as Grealish anticipated striding clear into the box.
3 min: City’s fast start continues as Grealish eats up the yards down the middle. He sends a heatseeking daisycutter towards the bottom-left corner. It’s heading in, and seriously warms Meslier’s palms. Fine shot with a save to match. Leeds respond by haring up the other end, Raphinha nearly dribbling clear down the right but eventually running the ball out for a goal kick. A fair chance this won’t end 0-0.
2 min: Mahrez and De Bruyne exchange passes down the right. De Bruyne’s low centre deflects back to Foden, who spins and aims a curler towards the top left from the edge of the box. It’s blocked and cleared.
Leeds get the party started ... but only after everyone takes the knee. Warm appreciative applause. There’s no room for racism.
The coda to pre-match na-na-na-fest Hey Jude finally fades out, at which point the teams emerge from the tunnel on a mild Mancunian evening. Manchester City are in their sky blue shirts, while Leeds wear second-choice dark blue. Bielsa and Guardiola warmly embrace. We’ll be off in a minute or two. “Most clubs and countries reached peak-kit design classic around the late 60s/early-mid 70s, and most of the kits since have been a bit like scribbling on the Mona Lisa,” writes Julian Menz. “Those kits were iconic design statements. Yes, I have a life, but I can still watch the 1974 World Cup Final for the strips alone (and the hair of course).” Preach on, brother. Julian can speak for me.
Marcelo Bielsa speaks to BT. “Every game is a different story. Every game we play, we hope to deserve points. The result at Chelsea that coincided with how the game went would have been a draw. All teams throughout the competition suffer absences, and of course we would like not to have so many absentees, especially not around the same position.”
There were supposed to be three Premier League games tonight, but an outbreak of coronavirus at Manchester United put paid to their trip to Brentford. With more postponements and even a suspension of competition a very real threat, clubs are bringing in stricter measures to hopefully keep things going. David Hytner has more on that.
This isn’t the only Premier League match going on tonight. Norwich City welcome Aston Villa to Carrow Road, and Rob Smyth will be following that one in real time, as it happens, minute by minute ... and it’s live!
Pep Guardiola talks to BT Sport. “Kyle Walker was sick this morning, and Joao Cancelo is suspended, so we have an alternative, we have to adapt. Kevin De Bruyne had Covid and the best test for him is today. He is getting better. We lost five points against Leeds last season and they are a fantastic team. If we play in their rhythm it will be difficult because they are the best at that. We have to play in our rhythm. We are going to try.”
Retro kit corner. No real reason for this, but we’ve got time to kill, so why not? Let’s go back to 1973, and here’s Rodney Marsh, Colin Bell and Denis Law posing in City’s greatest-ever strip at their greatest-ever ground, Maine Road.
By the end of the season, Leeds were celebrating their second title. Here they are in the dressing room, Billy Bremner balancing the Football League Trophy on Peter Lorimer’s head, French relaxant flowing freely, the famous smiley badge an indelible time-stamp on their chests.
City have made four changes to the side that squeaked past Wolves at the weekend. Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and John Stones replace Ilkay Gundogan, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, who drop to the bench, and the suspended Joao Cancelo.
Leeds are unchanged from their 3-2 defeat at Chelsea. Patrick Bamford, Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips remain on the treatment table.
The teams
Manchester City: Ederson, Stones, Dias, Laporte, De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Zinchenko, Mahrez, Grealish, Foden.
Subs: Ake, Sterling, Gundogan, Gabriel Jesus, Steffen, Fernandinho, Egan-Riley, Palmer, Wilson-Esbrand.
Leeds United: Meslier, Shackleton, Ayling, Llorente, Firpo, Dallas, Forshaw, Raphinha, Roberts, Harrison, James.
Subs: Klaesson, Gelhardt, Cresswell, Drameh, Summerville, Greenwood, Klich, McCarron, Jenkins.
Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire).
Preamble
On the face of it, this is a home banker. Defending champions Manchester City have won their last six Premier League matches in a row to surge to the top of the table; Leeds United by contrast are suffering from difficult sophomore season syndrome, just five points off the relegation places and struggling to get any sort of momentum going.
It doesn’t help Leeds that Kalvin Phillips, Patrick Bamford and Liam Cooper are all out with hamstring problems, either. But then you remember that they won at the Etihad back in April, and held City to a draw at Elland Road last October. In fact, City haven’t beaten Leeds in the league since January 2003, the days of Kevin Keegan, though admittedly the subsequent sample size is a paltry four matches. Still, that’ll give Leeds a little hope, as will the brave performance they put in three days ago at Stamford Bridge, where they deserved a point, so you never know. Kick off at the home of the champions is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
