It may have been a defeat for Leeds United against Manchester City this weekend, but the performance was an encouraging one. The final score was 4-0 to Pep Guardiola's side but Jesse Marsch stressed after the game that he felt it was 'not a 4-0 game', with City's first two goals coming from set-pieces.
Guardiola himself spoke positively about the Whites' performance, saying that his team had to be excellent in order to get the result. The Spaniard said: "We knew before the game, between two Madrid semi-finals, coming here, the way they play. They surprised me a bit, playing with a five at the back, not being as aggressive as they normally are.
"We suffered a lot in the first half, for the last 20-25 minutes. The transitions they did were very good. But after the second goal we had the control and could have scored more goals. Incredible result for us, so important.
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"Up front, they are so fast. They have incredible pace and quality with Rodrigo and Raphinha. Today was so important to make our chances to be champions again alive."
Whilst the result and the weekend as a whole was disappointing for Leeds, they should be encouraged by the way they played. They should feel that they can still deliver a shock in their next few games, which could change the relegation picture once again.
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