Let’s check out the player ratings from the Premier League clash between Manchester City and Leeds United over at the Etihad Stadium.
A Stuart Dallas brace sealed 10-man Leeds United a 2-1 victory over Premier League leaders Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.
Keeping in line with his rotation policy, Pep Guardiola made seven changes from the midweek Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund as City sought to move another step closer to a fifth Premier League title.
The Citizens, however, struggled to take control despite a refreshed line-up. They dominated possession early on and could’ve broken deadlock had it not been for Liam Cooper’s brilliant block from Ferran Torres.
Otherwise, it was a fairly quiet affair at the Etihad Stadium until Stuart Dallas scored on the brink of half-time.
Superb movement down the left flank ended with Patrick Bamford setting the midfielder up for a simple first-time finish. The ball bounced off the inside of the post and into the net to hand Leeds a control, and leave City sweating.
Just minutes after Dallas’ opener, however, drama struck again. Cooper’s dangerous tackle on Gabriel Jesus moments before the break earned him a straight red card; a first for Marcelo Bielsa’s side in the Premier League since 2004.
2004 – Liam Cooper is the first player to be sent off for Leeds in a Premier League game since Mark Viduka vs Bolton in May 2004. Bath. #MCILEE pic.twitter.com/WUQ6dp8g08
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 10, 2021
10-man visitors nick it in the dying moments
And with a man down and still a full half still to play, Leeds had it all to do in Manchester.
Despite the 10-man disadvantage, Bielsa made no changes for the second half and was almost rewarded. His players showed great resilience against Guardiola’s goal-hungry men, staying behind the ball at all times to keep the hosts at bay.
Guardiola rung in the changes by bringing on Ilkay Gundogan for the returning Nathan Ake. But it was Torres instead who grabbed the equalizer. The Spaniard curled in right-footed finish into the bottom-left corner for his ninth goal of the season. And with 14 minutes remaining, City dared to dream of a comeback win.
4 – Leeds have become just the fourth promoted side to win away against the Premier League leaders in the competition’s history, after Ipswich at Norwich in December 1992, Derby at Man Utd in April 1997 and Hull City at Arsenal in September 2008. Underdogs. pic.twitter.com/5OnskB4AKo
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 10, 2021
But Dallas fired in a shock injury-time winner right through Ederson’s legs to hand 10-man Leeds a rare victory in Manchester and to move the club into the upper half of the Premier League table.
Bielsa’s men next welcome Liverpool to Elland Road on April 19 and Manchester United six days later.
City, meanwhile, will visit Dortmund in Germany for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday before facing Chelsea at Wembley next weekend for an FA Cup semi-final clash.
Player ratings
Manchester City: Ederson (6); Cancelo (7), Stones (7), Ake (6), Mendy (6); Silva (7), Fernandinho (7), Zinchenko (7); Torres (7), Jesus (7), Sterling (6).
Bench: Gundogan (6), Foden (6)
Leeds United: Meslier (7); Ayling (6), Llorente (7), Cooper (5), Alioski (6); Phillips (7); Rafinha (7), Dallas (8), Roberts (6), Costa (6); Bamford (7).
Bench: Struijk (6), Koch (5), Shackleton (5).
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