Manchester City avoided a damaging setback at the Etihad, scraping a 3-2 win over Leeds United thanks to Phil Foden’s stoppage-time intervention.
The victory lifts Pep Guardiola’s side back to second place, but the erratic second-half display only intensifies concerns around the champions’ form.
City looked to have restored order after a turbulent week, racing into a dominant position through first-half goals from Foden and Joško Gvardiol.
Yet a combination of complacency and defensive chaos allowed Leeds back into the contest, piling pressure on Daniel Farke even as his side mounted an unexpected fightback.
City take early control
With back-to-back defeats already weighing heavily, Guardiola demanded an aggressive reaction.
His players delivered inside the opening minute. Matheus Nunes was given far too much room down the right, and his low cross was swept in clinically by Foden.
Leeds struggled to cope with City’s movement as chances came in waves.
James Justin blocked another Foden effort, and goalkeeper Lucas Perri tipped a rising shot over. From the resulting corner, Perri’s collision with teammate Nico O’Reilly left the ball loose for Gvardiol to prod home.
A lengthy VAR check assessed Bernardo Silva’s positioning, but the goal stood, leaving Leeds visibly aggrieved.
City continued to press for more, with Tijjani Reijnders twice going close and Nico González denied at full stretch by Perri.
Leeds’ few openings fell to former academy striker Lukas Nmecha, who fired over from distance.
By the interval, the visitors were fortunate to be only two goals behind, avoiding a repeat of their 7-0 humiliation at the same venue four years ago.
Leeds capitalise on City’s meltdown
Farke introduced Jaka Bijol and Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the break, and the changes immediately altered the rhythm of the game. City, meanwhile, pressed the self-destruct button.
Nunes twice failed to clear in the same sequence, gifting Calvert-Lewin the simplest of finishes past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Panic spread rapidly through the home side. Moments later, Jayden Bogle knocked the ball down into the box, and Gvardiol’s rash challenge on Calvert-Lewin conceded a clear penalty.
Donnarumma saved Nmecha’s spot-kick, but the striker reacted first to the rebound to level the match against his former club.
Foden prevents embarrassment
As ten minutes of added time ticked away, substitute Rayan Cherki found Foden in space.
The England international drifted between two defenders and drilled a composed low finish into the bottom corner, his second of the game and the strike that spared City from a humbling collapse.
The win halts a damaging run for Guardiola, but the second-half unraveling raises serious questions about the squad’s discipline.
For Leeds, the spirited fightback may not be enough to save Farke, whose position continues to look increasingly untenable.
