Race continues – Semenyo gave Man City three points and shifted the pressure onto Arsenal

Manchester City managed to come away with all three points from their match against Leeds – and although it might not have been expected, Pep Guardiola’s side had to work quite hard for the win. Still, Antoine Semenyo once again showed his class, scoring the goal that allows Manchester City to cut the gap on Arsenal once more.

The first half was dominated by chances, particularly for Leeds, who started brightly. In the 4th minute Calvert-Lewin received a brilliant ball on the right and took a close-range shot from about 10 meters, but the attempt went just wide of Donnarumma’s goal.

At the 17th minute, Calvert-Lewin had another golden opportunity, this time coming in from the left. He managed to get a shot off, but the ball slipped through Donnarumma’s legs and went just past the post.

Leeds continued to press, and in the 21st minute, after Ait-Nouri lost possession, Bogle delivered a cross to Aaronson, who shot from 5 meters, only to see his effort narrowly miss the target. Aaronson had yet another chance in the 39th minute following a quick Leeds counter; he found himself one-on-one with Donnarumma, but the Italian goalkeeper made a phenomenal save, cutting the angle perfectly.

Manchester City also threatened before halftime. At the 40th minute, O’Reilly came close with a header that seemed destined for the top corner, but Darlow displayed outstanding reflexes to keep the score level.

Finally, in stoppage time, Manchester City broke the deadlock. Rayan Cherki initiated the move, playing the ball to Ait-Nouri on the left flank, who delivered a precise ball into the box. There, Semenyo timed his run perfectly and slotted the ball home, giving City the 1-0 lead just before the break.

The second half saw Leeds come out looking to make an impact, testing City’s defense early. In the 53rd minute, Omar Marmoush had an interesting chance after receiving a solid cross into the box, but his shot went just wide of the target.

Manchester City threatened again in the 72nd minute. Following a corner, the ball fell to Rodri, who delivered it to Guehi at the far post. Guehi struck well, but Darlow made an excellent save to deny the visitors a near-certain goal.

In the 87th minute, we saw a highly controversial moment when, after a cross into his own penalty area, Matheus Nunes clearly handled the ball—but even the VAR room didn’t intervene. This incident is sure to spark a lot of debate.

It was close in the 88th minute as Bijol nearly beat Donnarumma following a corner cross—the ball reached the Slovenian’s head, but his header went just wide of the visitors’ goal.

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 28

Friday

Wolves - Aston Villa 2-0 (0-0)

/Gomes 61, R. Gomez 90+8/

Saturday

Bournemouth - Sunderland 1-1 (0-1)

/Evanilson 63 - Mayenda 18/

Burnley - Brentford 3-4 (1-3)

/Kayote 45+3 (og), Anthony 47, Flemming 60 - Thiago 25, Schade 34, Damsgaard 9, 90+3

Liverpool - West Ham 5-2 (3-0)

/Ekitike 5, Van Dijk 24, Mac Allister 43, Gakpo 70, Disasi (og) 82 - Soucek 49, Castellanos 75/

Newcastle - Everton 2-3 (1-2)

/Ramsey 32, Murphy 82 - Brantwaithe 18, Beto 34, Barry 83/

Leeds - Manchester City 0-1 (0-1)

/Semenyo 45+2/

Sunday

17.00: (2.15) Brighton (3.45) Nottingham Forest (3.50)

17.00: (2.15) Fulham (3.60) Tottenham (3.50)

17.00: (1.58) Manchester United (4.50) Crystal Palace (5.70)

19.30: (1.65) Arsenal (4.25) Chelsea (5.30)

***odds are subject to change***