Manchester City cut the gap at the top of the Premier League table to just two points after their 1-0 win over Leeds United at Elland Road.
The big news before the start of the game was the absence of Erling Halaand. The Norwegian had suffered a minor injury in the week and did not recover in time to make the matchday squad.
Antoine Semenyo scored the only goal just before half-time, with Man City generally struggling in what was a hotly-contested match.
The defeat was Leeds’ first at home in the league in a game that kicked off after 5pm since April 2023, bringing a run of 25 unbeaten matches to an end.
How Man City managed without Haaland:
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Disjointed start
To say Man City struggled in the first 20 minutes of the game would be an understatement. This wasn’t just because they didn’t have Erling Haaland, but he was definitely missed.
Man City couldn’t deal with Leeds both in and out of possession. When Leeds were on the ball, they constantly looked to beat Man City’s high defensive line. And it got them through on goal more than once.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin had a few good opportunities to put Leeds ahead, including one just four minutes in with just the goalkeeper to beat. It wasn’t the easiest of finishes, from Brenden Aaronson’s ball across goal, but Leeds fans would have at least liked to see Calvert-Lewin hit the target.
Leeds had 1.24 Expected Goals in the first half, the most Man City have conceded in the opening 45 minutes of a league game this season.
When Man City had the ball, Leeds pressed hard. While Man City’s defence will be comfortable and confident in their abilities on the ball, they were taking a lot of risks. They didn’t have an outball in Haaland as a last resort.
At the other end of the pitch, the strike duo of Omar Marmoush and Antoine Semenyo were hard to spot. Semenyo had drifted into the crowd on the right, while Marmoush was very isolated high on the left.
Marmoush had Man City’s first shot in the 40th minute. By that time, Leeds had had eight shots. But Man City finally started to get control of the game. And a winter arrival took his chance.
Antoine Semenyo makes his moment count
Clubs often take risks when making big January signings. For every Luis Suarez, there’s a Fernando Torres. For every Virgil van Dijk, a Philippe Coutinho.
Man City took a big risk this winter by making two big signings. Marc Guehi was brought in from Crystal Palace, and Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth. While Guehi has already proven himself to be a decent acquisition, Semenyo has blown everyone out of the water.
Semenyo has been directly involved in five Premier League goals for Man City since signing. The Ghanaian has scored four goals and provided one assist during that time. Only Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro (both six) have been directly involved in more goals since Semenyo made his Premier League debut for Man City.
Goal number five came against Leeds, in a crucial moment just before half time. Semenyo hadn’t seen too much of the ball in the first half, and was partly responsible for the gaping hole at the top of Man City’s attack.
But he was the man to make the striker-esque run into the penalty area to get onto the end of Rayan Ait-Nouri’s dangerous ball across goal. There was nothing special about the finish, but it was Semenyo’s understanding of what was going to happen which made the goal. And it was something Man City’s attack had missed for all-but the final seconds of the first half.
It really was a case of Semenyo taking his moment too. He only had one shot in the second half, which was off target. And he ended the game with the fewest touches of any Man City player to play 90 minutes.
Omar Marmoush’s struggles
On the flip side, all eyes were on Marmoush to be Haaland’s replacement in this game. And unfortunately he didn’t pull up any trees.
It was a tough start for Marmoush, given the way Leeds took control of the game and constantly put Man City under pressure. But when Man City did have the ball Marmoush didn’t provide the option they needed.
Marmoush did have Man City’s first shot in the 40th minute but while it was on target, it only brought 0.02 xG. And that was his only effort on target in the game, from four shots in total. He posted 0.27 xG across the four shots, all of which came from inside the box.
The Egyptian did have five touches in the opposition box, which was the most of any Man CIty player during this time on the pitch. But he did little with the touches.