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By JACK GAUGHAN Published: 04: 29 AEDT, 30 November 2025 | Updated: 05: 22 AEDT, 30 November 2025 68 View comments Walkabouts around pitch perimeters in the minutes after matches are now described as laps of appreciation rather than honour. It’s a good job really - there was no honour for Manchester City here, just mild self-loathing. That or relief. But this was more the obnoxious din of an alarm clock. A wake-up call that bolted City upright. Despite the academy jewel Phil Foden’s stunning stoppage-time winner and all the joy that ought to illicit, it was their worst afternoon of the season. An afternoon where the first team followed Tuesday’s second string in not appearing at all certain among themselves, faith visibly evaporating as Leeds United pulled two goals back within 23 minutes of the restart, first by the inspired half time substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin and then ex-City academy forward Lukas Nmecha tucking in his saved penalty. That Foden’s force of will in making sure they went back within four points of leaders Arsenal – backing up his opener after 59 seconds – was required against this Leeds team can only serve as worrisome for Pep Guardiola. The answer to who scores if Erling Haaland suffers a bad day was only ever going to produce one name and that Foden stepped up is something to cling to for City but the rest? Let’s just say the November international break has a lot of explaining to do. Before then, Guardiola appeared at ease. City weren’t purring yet seemed in control, aware that historically this is not the moment of the campaign they motor. That comes later. Four wins in all competitions after a lacklustre but by no means abject defeat at Aston Villa, Rayan Cherki beginning to find his feet, Matheus Nunes resembling an actual right back and Nico Gonzalez making you forget about Rodri, however briefly. That has gone and soundly beating Liverpool feels a lifetime ago, not three weeks. The colour drained from the faces of the City bench as Leeds took this to 2-2, the courage and tactical acumen shown by the visitors surely buying Daniel Farke at least a few more weeks. Phil Foden scored a late winner as Man City battled to a 3-2 victory against Leeds United City had thrown away a 2-0 lead at the Etihad, but Foden's late strike gave them all three points Foden had opened the scoring in the first minute as City looked to bounce back in the league Josko Gvardiol doubled Man City's advantage as Pep Guardiola's side looked on course for a comfortable win Dominic Calvert-Lewin came off the bench and gave Leeds hope in the second half Calvert-Lewin was then brought down by Gvardiol in the box to give Leeds a penalty From Nmecha’s equaliser on 68 minutes, this felt like stoppage time. City rushed, Guardiola hopped and panicked. There have of course been games at the Etihad Stadium across this manager’s reign when all seemed lost from a fair way out but this had an aimlessness to it until Foden took matters into his own hands. His brace means Burnley’s Maxime Esteve is no longer City’s second top scorer behind Haaland. Before that moment, shimmying across two defenders and arrowing home, City were lost. Ruben Dias complained of Leeds timewasting without irony, a man who had earlier implored Gianluigi Donnarumma to go down so Guardiola could conduct a tactical debrief. Donnarumma was booked for dissent, remarkably now only one yellow card away from a suspension. Josko Gvardiol, who had earlier scored the second from a corner, passed one sideways ball straight out of play. That was after poleaxing Calvert-Lewin for Nmecha’s penalty. Nunes made not one but two major errors in the build-up to Calvert-Lewin’s earlier goal. Bernardo Silva attempted a dive to win a penalty. A catalogue of indignation. Leeds were excellent when altering to 3-5-2, Farke showing that there is something here in this relegation battle. ‘Heartbreak for my players but they should take lots of pride, ’ Farke said. ‘We didn’t come here for warm words and the feeling is disappointment but it gives us belief. ’ City will need to hope this acts as a springboard, to banish the annoyance of injustice at Newcastle United and then the mind-bendingly poor display against Bayer Leverkusen. Guardiola suggested the team he picked in the Champions League were fragile, that they don’t believe in themselves. Some of them out there against Leeds didn’t seem to either, so what the City manager decides to do at Fulham in the week should be fascinating. Gianluigi Donnarumma saved Lukas Nmecha's penalty but was unable to hold the ball Nmecha seized upon the rebound to level and give Leeds hope of an unlikely point Man City looked set to drop more points in the title race until Foden's superb late winner ‘It's definitely a relief, ’ Guardiola said. ‘We’re not a team to win this type of game a lot. Our game was not (good). Before the goal we had two or three chances to score. The points were massively important for our mood after two defeats. Football is emotions. ‘Maybe we can learn to win these type of games, to bring the balls quicker to the box. These are not tactics, strategies, it’s just put the ball in there for the chaos and you score. Pep Lijnders is now with me and how many times did Liverpool win these games? ’ Guardiola pointed towards missed opportunities before half time, when Gvardiol and Nico O’Reilly squandered chances, and he is right because City might have gone in four goals clear. Were that to have happened then Farke’s alterations, Calvert-Lewin’s influence and City’s nervousness, doesn’t come into play. Perhaps once this settles, they will see it as beneficial to have gone through. Just not today.

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