MX23RW : Thursday, May 16 05:54:31| >> :120:25337:25337:
[monks data]
Leeds logo
Premier League | Gameweek 17
Dec 28, 2022 at 8pm UK
Elland Road
Manchester City logo

Leeds
1 - 3
Man City

Struijk (73')
Klich (70'), Gnonto (71'), Greenwood (85')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Rodri (45+1'), Braut Haaland (51', 64')
Lewis (62'), Rodri (81'), Palmer (90+2')

Haaland double helps Manchester City stay in touch at Premier League summit

Haaland double helps Man City stay in touch at Premier League summit
© Reuters
An Erling Haaland double helps Man City on their way to a comfortable 3-1 win over Leeds United at Elland Road.

An Erling Braut Haaland double helped Manchester City on their way to a comfortable 3-1 win away at Leeds United.

Pep Guardiola's side have closed the gap to Arsenal to five points again following success at Elland Road this evening.

A dominant display saw them initially lead thanks to Rodri's late first-half effort, before two strikes from the Norwegian goal machine inside the opening 20 minutes of the second period sealed the three points.

Pascal Struijk did grab a consolation for the hosts with just over 15 minutes remaining, but despite a few minor scares, City were never in danger of letting the hefty lead slip.

The result leaves Leeds 15th, just two points above the relegation zone with a tricky trip to Newcastle United to finish off 2022 on New Year's Eve.

It was one-way traffic in the first 45, as Man City had numerous chances to go in front, with many falling to Jack Grealish, who squandered two excellent opportunities with the goal at his mercy.

Leeds' one shot in comparison to the visitors' 16 at half-time was the biggest difference between two sides in a Premier League fixture this season.

Haaland was denied in the opening minute, as Struijk swept his looping effort away off the line, before Illan Meslier was in the way to deny City's number nine again after being played through by Kevin De Bruyne.

Leeds' French goalkeeper was on hand again soon after to deny Ilkay Gundogan, whose scooped shot was kept out by Meslier.

However, with the last attack of the half, Leeds were caught out on the counter-attack, with De Bruyne picking out Rodri, who laid it on for Riyad Mahrez whose shot was palmed by Meslier straight into the path of Rodri, and the Spaniard made no mistake to give City the lead.

The champions found their shooting boots in the second half, and specifically Haaland, as the Premier League top scorer netted goal number 19 and 20 to become the fastest player ever to reach 20 goals in a Premier League campaign.

His first was a woeful error at the back from Leeds, as Robin Koch was too slow to react to a pass from Liam Cooper and Grealish nipped in before racing through on goal and squaring it for a simple tap in.

That brought up a quarter of a century of goals for the season in all competitions, and Haaland soon made it 26 from just 20 appearances when a clever one-two between him and Grealish saw him unleash a strike which seemingly caught Meslier out as the keeper failed to parry away.

Leeds' consolation came from a set-piece, as Sam Greenwood's corner was well met by the Dutchman Struijk, who beat Ederson with a good header, but it counted for very little as City hung on comfortably to win 3-1.

Guardiola's men welcome a struggling Everton side to the Etihad on New Year's Eve in which they will expect to take another three points off a side they have beaten in their last 10 meetings.

ID:502949:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4452:No Data Analysis info
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Manchester City's Erling Braut Haaland celebrates scoring their second goal with Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez on December 17, 2022
Read Next:
Guardiola delivers Man City team news update ahead of Liverpool clash
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City37277393336088
2Arsenal37275589286186
3Liverpool372310484414379
4Aston Villa37208976562068
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs371961271611063
6Chelsea371791175621360
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle371761481602157
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd37176145558-357
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham371410135971-1252
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton371212135560-548
11Bournemouth37139155365-1248
12Crystal Palace371210155258-646
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves37137175063-1346
14Fulham37128175159-844
15Everton37139153949-1040
16Brentford37109185461-739
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3789204766-1929
18Luton TownLuton3768235081-3126
RBurnley3759234076-3624
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd37372735101-6616


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!