Manchester City's Phil Foden celebrates with teammates after scoring their side's second goal. (Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
Manchester City survived a second-half late wobble to keep the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal as Phil Foden scored in the first minute and after the 90th to rescue a 3-2 win over Leeds.
Pep Guardiola’s side stormed to a two-goal lead before half-time, only to let Leeds drag themselves level in a chaotic second half that had the home crowd stunned.
After back-to-back defeats to Newcastle and Bayer Leverkusen, City were desperate for a response, but what they served up instead was another nerve-shredding reminder of how fragile their season has become.
City were on the board inside the opening minute, Foden crashing a close-range finish in off the bar after a sweeping start. Josko Gvardiol added another from Nico O’Reilly’s cushioned header midway through the first half, and City looked certain to stroll past a Leeds side sitting third from bottom.
But City’s habit of gifting teams a lifeline struck again.
Just four minutes after coming on, Dominic Calvert-Lewin pounced on a dreadful Matheus Nunes turnover in the box and beat Gianluigi Donnarumma to drag Leeds back into the contest. The tension grew and the Etihad tightened even further when Lukas Nmecha levelled in the 68th minute, slamming home after Donnarumma saved his initial penalty, awarded when Gvardiol clattered into Calvert-Lewin.
With City staring at another damaging result, Foden stepped up. In stoppage time he shifted the ball inside the area and drilled home the winner, prompting a cathartic roar and visible relief from Guardiola.
“It was a relief,” Guardiola admitted afterward.
“The game was not perfect but with the chances we had it should have been over. In the end it is the quality of Phil.”
The win lifts City into second, four points behind Arsenal, who face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday (AEDT).
Tottenham’s season continued to unravel with a 2-1 home defeat to Fulham, their fourth loss at home this campaign and a record 10th home loss in a calendar year.
Spurs were booed off at half-time after Kenny Tete punished sloppy defending and Harry Wilson smashed in a second following a dreadful error from goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who was stranded outside his box after messing up a routine clearance.
Mohammed Kudus pulled one back after the break with a rasping volley but the home crowd vented again at full-time as Thomas Frank’s side drifted further off the pace.
Spurs have now won only three of their past 13 in all competitions and sit tenth, still without a home league win since the opening weekend, having sacked Australian Ange Postecoglou at the end of last season.
Frank was unimpressed with the treatment of Vicario.
“I didn’t like that our fans booed at him. They cannot be true Tottenham fans because everyone supports each other when you are on the pitch,” Frank said. “Boo after the match if you want, but not during.”
Newcastle delivered a far happier afternoon for Eddie Howe, thumping Everton 4-1 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium to give the manager a comfortable winning margin on his 48th birthday.
Malick Thiaw headed in after just 52 seconds for the fastest Premier League goal of the season before Lewis Miley doubled the advantage with a strike Jordan Pickford somehow let slip through his gloves.
Nick Woltemade chipped in a third before half-time and Thiaw added another header, rendering Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s long-range reply little more than consolation.
In west London, Igor Thiago continued his impressive scoring streak with a brace in Brentford’s 3-1 win over Burnley, taking him to 11 league goals for the season and deepening the visitors’ trouble near the foot of the table.
Sunderland rounded out the day with one of the comebacks of the round, overturning a two-goal deficit to beat Bournemouth 3-2 at the Stadium of Light and climb to fourth.