Man City Player Ratings vs. Leeds: How the Cityzens Escaped a Stunning Historic Meltdown

Phil Foden's dramatic late strike secured a thrilling 3-2 triumph for Manchester City against Leeds United in Saturday's Premier League encounter.

The talented English midfielder opened the scoring within the opening minute at the Etihad, and City appeared set for a comfortable afternoon following Leeds' poor first-half display. Joško Gvardiol extended the home side's advantage during the first period, though the Croatian defender later contributed to allowing the visitors to mount their comeback.

The introduction of Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the interval transformed the previously struggling visitors, as the Leeds striker found the net before earning the spot-kick that brought Daniel Farke's team level.

This encounter epitomized a true "tale of two halves," but Foden's second strike of the match ensured the home team claimed a vital, if unconvincing, victory.

Man City Player Ratings vs. Leeds (4-1-4-1)

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma—7.2: The Italian will rue his role in the penalty incident, though his initial stop provided fantasy football managers with valuable points.

RB: Matheus Nunes—6.5: Despite setting up the opening strike, Nunes bore responsibility for Leeds' route back into the match.

CB: Rúben Dias—6.4: Following a subdued opening half, Dias couldn't stabilize a City backline that appeared vulnerable against Leeds' more aggressive approach.

CB: Joško Gvardol—7.5: Found the net to extend City's early lead, but subsequently conceded the penalty that allowed Leeds to draw level.

LB: Nico O'Reilly—8.0: Operated primarily in attacking areas throughout, even during Leeds' improved second-half performance. After disrupting Lucas Perri's clearance that led to City's second goal, he missed a golden opportunity just before the break.

DM: Nico González—7.5: Leeds managed to bypass City's defensive midfielder during their revival, having struggled to penetrate past Nico in the first half.

RW: Bernardo Silva—6.8: Linked well with Nunes for the opener and maintained possession effectively during a controlled first 45 minutes. Struggled after the interval.

CM: Tijjani Reijnders—7.9: The Dutch midfielder's inconsistency persisted on Saturday. Displayed excellent skill to evade pressure and advance play, but couldn't produce a decisive impact.

CM: Phil Foden—8.9: A routine victory seemed certain when he finished clinically within the first minute. Foden found limited space against Leeds' compact defensive shape, but continued to probe and delivered a magical moment late on to secure victory.

LW: Jérémy Doku—7.2: Found little success when cutting inside from the left wing, while Jayden Bogle also excelled in their individual battles along the sideline.

ST: Erling Haaland—6.7: Remained largely peripheral throughout the contest, disappointing those who considered him worthy of fantasy football captaincy.

Subs not used: James Trafford (GK), Nathan Aké, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Savinho, Abdukodir Khusanov, Rico Lewis.

Leeds (4-3-3)

Starting XI: Lucas Perri; Jayden Bogle, Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk, James Justin; Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka, Ilia Gruev; Daniel James, Lukas Nmecha, Wilfried Gnonto.

Subs used:Jaka Bijol, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Noah Okafor, Brenden Aaronson.

Player of the Match: Phil Foden

Man City 3–2 Leeds—How It Unfolded at the Etihad

Following his acknowledgment of tactical mistakes during the week, Pep Guardiola made wholesale changes to his starting lineup from the 2-0 home loss to Bayer Leverkusen, retaining only two players as City sought to avoid a third consecutive defeat across all competitions.

Initially, it appeared unlikely that a struggling Leeds side could inflict a shocking upset on the title contenders at the Etihad, as the visitors conceded within the opening minute.

Leeds' reconfigured left flank failed miserably to prevent a straightforward exchange between Matheus Nunes and Bernardo Silva, culminating in the former delivering a cross for Foden to convert. City's number 47 struck a first-time effort off the crossbar's underside to give the hosts the lead.

Foden's 63rd Premier League goal surpasses David Beckham's tally in the competition.

The fastest goal of the season so far courtesy of Phil Foden ⏱️ pic.twitter.com/Wo3355CZtZ

Although Leeds mounted a reasonable immediate response through their pacey wide players, who occasionally broke through, the match soon settled into a predictable rhythm. A City team that has relied more heavily on counter-attacks this season returned to exerting complete dominance against Farke's passive visitors, who showed minimal desire to regain possession from the Sky Blues after their initial pressure was neutralized.

City circulated the ball patiently, typically avoiding the congested middle through wide switches. Eventually, they added a second from a messy set-piece situation, with Gvardiol scoring his maiden goal of the campaign, and Leeds should have trailed by four or five goals at the break. The hosts maintained relentless pressure toward the end of the first half, with Perri making an excellent save from a powerful Nico González attempt.

Farke abandoned his original strategy—whatever it might have been—at halftime in favor of a more direct style, introducing Calvert-Lewin and switching to a three-man defense.

The tactical change yielded immediate results, though Leeds owed their breakthrough to Nunes's error. The City fullback's inward pass was intercepted, creating the opportunity, and after Calvert-Lewin's turn didn't quite succeed, Nunes's hesitation to clear allowed the substitute to capitalize and reduce the deficit.

This shifted the momentum temporarily, with Leeds gaining confidence while City appeared uncertain. Guardiola's players handled aerial balls as if encountering the tactic for the first time, and a Perri clearance upfield resulted in Leeds earning a penalty through Gvardiol's clumsy challenge on the influential Calvert-Lewin.

Lukas Nmecha's penalty was denied by the impressive Gianluigi Donnarumma, but the Italian couldn't prevent the striker from converting the rebound. Level at 2-2, against all expectations!

Naturally, City responded, though a winning goal would have seemed unfair to Leeds based on the second-half performance. With clear chances at a premium, Foden took matters into his own hands to guide Guardiola's team across the finish line. He cut onto his favored left foot and fired a shot past Perri from just inside the penalty area during added time.

That moment proved decisive for the relieved Citizens.

Man City vs. Leeds Half-Time Stats

Man City vs. Leeds Full Time Stats