The Sunday Times - UK (2022-05-01)

4 May 1, 2022The Sunday Times 2GS

Football

I

t was hardly the desert island

siesta under the coconuts that

Pep Guardiola had spoken

about wistfully on Friday, but

the three points collected by his

team at Elland Road still repre-

sented an unexpectedly com-

fortable evening in Manchester

City’s bid to retain their Premier

League title.

Guardiola had joked that he relished

the high-pressure stakes of weekends

such as this and, when he no longer

did, he could always leave English

football to manage in the Maldives,

“comfortable under the coconuts.”

That particular produce is not

indigenous to West Yorkshire but,

thanks to goals from Rodri, Nathan

Aké, Gabriel Jesus and Fernandinho,

this was still a game that did not cause

the manager too many worries.

On the face of it, this was an evening

that could have provided City, to

extend the metaphor, with a banana

skin of a fixture.

Overtaken by Liverpool at the top

of the table earlier in the day, facing a

Leeds side battling for survival at a

febrile Elland Road and also preparing

for a tough Champions League trip to

Real Madrid on Wednesday; if ever

there was potential for upset in the

title run-in, here it was.

Instead, notwithstanding a brief

spell of Leeds pressure in the first half

when the home side pressed and the

home support sniffed blood, City

returned to the top of the table with-

out too much damage caused to

Guardiola’s blood pressure.

“I need to go to there, after that,”

joked Guardiola, returning to his Mal-

City show no sign

of blinking first

Ian Whittell Jesus, right,

celebrates

scoring

City’s third

alongside

Foden, who

provided the

assist

PHIL NOBLE/REUTERS

dives reference. “Since I arrived in

England I hear many times about

what Elland Road means.

“The previous time we came here,

it was behind closed doors so I

couldn’t feel it. Today, I felt it, so I

know why this is so special. At the

end, their team 4-0 down, fighting to

stay in the Premier League and sing-

ing, chanting, showing support.

Leeds is one of the greatest teams in

this country.

“But we stick together and we

reduced the goal difference — I don’t

know if it is important — but it is in our

Ederson

7

Laporte

7

Cancelo

6

Ake

7

Grealish

5

Sterling

8

Dias

7

Jesus

7

Gundogan

6

Rodri

7

Foden

9

4-2-3-1

Meslier

6

Koch

6

Rodrigo

6

Ayling

7

Struijk

6

Dallas

5

Junior Firpo

5

5-4-1

Phillips

8

Harrison

7

Raphinha

(^7) Klich
7
04
LEEDS
UNITED
MANCHESTER
CITY
Rodri 13
Aké 54
Jesus 78
Fernandinho 90+3
Star man Phil Foden (City)
Substitutes: Leeds James (for Dallas 45+7, 6),
Gelhardt (for Firpo 62, 6), Greenwood (for Rodrigo
83). City Zinchenko (for Aké 59, 6), Silva (for
Foden 80), Fernandinho (for Rodri 83).
Referee P Tierney.