In a dramatic turn of events at the Etihad Stadium, Phil Foden emerged as the hero for Manchester City, scoring a stoppage-time winner to secure a nerve-wracking 3-2 victory over a resilient Leeds United on Saturday. The Citizens, who had thrown away a two-goal lead, were staring at a disastrous result in the Premier League title race before Foden's late intervention.
City's Commanding Start and Second-Half Collapse
Pep Guardiola's men, desperate for a win after consecutive defeats to Newcastle and Bayer Leverkusen, made a blistering start. Phil Foden opened the scoring after just 59 seconds, firing a close-range shot in off the crossbar after Matheus Nunes had carved open the Leeds defence.
The home side continued to dominate and doubled their lead in the 25th minute. Josko Gvardiol was in the right place to tap in from Nico O'Reilly's header, putting City in what seemed like a comfortable position. Despite Leeds' protests over a potential offside against Bernardo Silva, the goal was confirmed after a VAR review.
Leeds Stage a Stunning Comeback
The momentum of the match shifted dramatically after half-time. Leeds substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin made an immediate impact, capitalizing on a terrible pass from Nunes inside the City area to slot home a clinical finish in the 49th minute.
The comeback was completed in the 68th minute. Gvardiol fouled Calvert-Lewin in the box, conceding a penalty. Although City's goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma saved Lukas Nmecha's initial spot-kick, Nmecha was quickest to react and scored from the rebound, sending the travelling fans into a frenzy and stunning the Etihad crowd.
Foden to the Rescue in Dramatic Finale
With the match seemingly headed for a draw, Phil Foden once again proved his worth. In stoppage time, the English midfielder cleverly created space for himself inside the Leeds penalty area and produced an ice-cool finish to win the game for City. The goal sparked wild celebrations on the City bench, with manager Pep Guardiola breathing a massive sigh of relief.
The vital three points lifted Manchester City into second place in the Premier League, now four points behind leaders Arsenal. For Leeds, it was a heartbreaking sixth defeat in their last seven matches, increasing the pressure on manager Daniel Farke.
In other Premier League action, Brentford's Igor Thiago scored twice in a 3-1 victory over Burnley, while Sunderland came from two goals down to beat Bournemouth 3-2 at the Stadium of Light.
