Manchester City stroll past Leeds as they return to the top
2 min read
Manchester City kept the outcome of the Premier League title race in their hands with a 4-0 win over Leeds United.
After Liverpool claimed a 1-0 victory at Newcastle United earlier on Saturday, City needed a win to regain a one-point advantage in their hard-fought battle with the Reds.
City faced few problems in grinding out the result they needed, with Rodri and Nathan Ake converting from set-pieces in either half before Gabriel Jesus and Fernandinho wrapped up the points late on.
Pep Guardiola’s men simply need to win each of their four remaining games to wrap up the Premier League title, while Leeds remain in danger of relegation after slipping to 17th.
The visitors rested several players, including Kevin De Bruyne, ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Real Madrid, and could have fallen behind early on when Rodrigo Moreno delayed his pass after capitalising on Joao Cancelo’s slip.
But City took the lead after 13 minutes when Rodri met Phil Foden’s left-wing free-kick with a glancing header, diverting the ball into the top-right corner.
Junior Firpo fired over when presented with the hosts’ best opening in a quiet first half, and Jesse Marsch’s men lost Stuart Dallas to a serious-looking injury shortly before the break.
Jack Grealish bent a shot narrowly wide of the top-right corner after Raheem Sterling danced through the home defence after 52 minutes, but Ake doubled their lead soon after, prodding home after Ruben Dias met a right-wing corner.
City made the points safe when Jesus latched onto Foden’s pass to fire past Illan Meslier after 78 minutes, before Fernandinho drilled a 25-yard strike into the bottom-left corner as the visitors cruised.
