In the 28th round of the English Premier League, Manchester City, led by Pep Guardiola, played away against Leeds and won a hard-fought 1-0 victory. For the "Citizens," this game was very important not only from the point of view of the next round of trials, but also from the point of view of maintaining pressure in the championship race.
During the match, City tried to control possession and hold the initiative. Leeds, on the other hand, relied on disciplined defense and quick counter-attacks at home. There was a lot of wrestling on the field, few empty spaces, and a fierce match where each episode was decisive.
The match was decided by a single goal scored at the end of the first half. In the 45+2nd minute of extra time, Manchester City striker Antoine Semeno accurately targeted the opponent's goal, putting the visitors ahead. It was this goal that later became the only accurate shot in the match and gave his team a very valuable three points.
In the second half, Leeds put in all their effort to equalize. The hosts tried to bring new momentum to the game through substitutions and revitalize their attacks. However, City played more composedly, orderly, and coolly in defense. Guardiola's men managed to maintain a minimal lead, securing an important victory.
In this match, Uzbek defender Abdukodir Khusanov did not make it into the main squad and watched the match on the bench. Naturally, fans showed great interest in our compatriot, but this time he wasn't brought onto the field.
EPL. Leeds - Manchester City 0:1
Goals: 45+2 - Antoine Semeno
Leeds: 26. Karl Darlow, 2. Jaden Boogle (7. Daniel James, 76'), 6. Joe Rodon (15. Yaka Biyol, 87'), 5. Pascal Streyk, 3. Gabriel Gudmundsson, 24. James Justin (10. Joel Piroe, 87'), 18. Anton Stakh, 4. Ethan Ampadu, 44. Ilia Gruyev (29. Wilfred Nonto, 76'), 11. Brenden Aaronson (14. Lucas Nmecha, 65'), 9. Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Reserves: 1. Lucas Perry, 23. Sebastian Bornau, 8. Sean Longstaff, 22. Ao Tanaka.
Manchester City: 25. Gianluigi Donnarumma, 27. Mateus Nunes, 21. Ryan Ait-Nuri, 33. Nico O'Reilly (4. Tejani Reynders, 71), 15. Mark Gexi, 3. Ruben Dias, 42. Antoine Semeno, 20. Bernardo Silva, 16. Rodri, 7. Omar Marmush (26. Savio, 68'), 10. Ryan Sherkey (6. Nathan Ake, 87').
Reserves: 1. James Trafford, 5. John Stones, 45. Abdukodir Khusanov, 11. Jeremy Doku, 14. Nico Gonzalez, 47. Phil Foden.
Yellow cards: 85 - Gianluigi Donnarumma, 90+2 - Savio, 90+2 - Ryan Ait-Nuri.
Thus, Manchester City reached 59 points with a 1-0 victory. This result allowed the "citizens" to further improve their position in the tournament table and reduce the gap with "Arsenal" to two points. At a time when the decisive moments of the season are approaching, such victories are especially valuable.
In short, Guardiola's team achieved a not-so-beautiful but very necessary victory today. Semeno's decisive goal, stability in defense, and coldness away from home allowed City to take another important step in their title race. For the fans, the most important thing is that the team got three points and stayed in the race.
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