Ed DoveMar 3, 2026, 08:54 AM
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When Erling Haaland was announced as an injury absentee ahead of Manchester City's trip to Leeds United this weekend, Mikel Arteta must have grinned from ear to ear, sensing a slip-up from Arsenal's nearest title rivals at tricky Elland Road.
For the first 45 minutes... until Antoine Semenyo's latest intervention in Sky Blue... it looked like Manchester City were on course to drop points. Without their talisman, they were even less cohesive and fluid than they have been in many showings this season, with Leeds sensing an opportunity to ease their relegation concerns.
However, while they were without the league's top scorer, City were able to call upon their January recruit from Bournemouth -- Ghana's Semenyo, who with 13 goals this season heading into the Leeds game, sat behind only Haaland and Igor Thiago in the Premier League's goalscoring charts.
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He took his tally to 14 in first-half stoppage time, as he slid in, touching home from close range after Rayan Ait Nouri's excellent cross evaded Karl Darlow.
The goal owed much to Rayan Cherki's delightful threaded ball to Ait Nouri, although with clear City chances at a premium at that point, Semenyo's instincts, bravery and finishing were decidedly welcome for Pep Guardiola's stuttering contenders.
Already, before his goal, Semenyo had twice been flagged offside after being played in beyond the Leeds defence, with his paired partnership with Omar Marmoush at least offering movement and speed if not -- until late in the half -- Haaland's cutting edge.
Nonetheless, it was a vital contribution from the Ghanaian, with the importance of the goal evidence in City's reaction at full-time, with some celebrating joyously, others congratulating Semenyo, and others dropping to the turf, overcome with emotion.
Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo took his season tally to 14 goals with this effort against Leeds. Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images
They recognised how they had not been at their best, the challenges posed by a hungry, revitalised Leeds side, and the importance of Semenyo, stepping up to replace their leader on the day.
His goal further vindicated City's decision to move for the 26-year-old during the January transfer window, with the West African giving a new energy and dimension, as well as valuable goals, to City's title challenge.
He scored four goals in his last 11 appearances at Bournemouth before departing on January 9 for a £64 million fee that is beginning to look like one of the steals of the season with each passing goal. He has six goals and two assists across his first 11 outings for City, with Semenyo adapting almost seamlessly to life as part of Guardiola's machine.
The perception has shifted on Semenyo -- he's gone from a potentially overpriced squad player to an absolute bargain and a key influence on big games.
We don't know what kind of role Guardiola forecast for Semenyo upon his arrival at the Etihad Stadium, although surely the former Bristol City man wouldn't have expected to be leading a title challenge as City's central striker.
"I came [to City] open-minded, I just want to contribute in the best way that I can," Semenyo said. "If I am scoring goals then great, but we just leave it at that.
"There are bigger things that we're looking to achieve as a team and obviously as individuals but we just want that title. That's the most important thing for me."
Despite the gap at the top being temporarily reduced to two points until Arsenal defeated Chelsea on Sunday evening, the Gunners ultimately end the weekend having restored their five-point lead.
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Nonetheless, while Arsenal overcome an obstacle of their own, they'll recognise that Haaland-less City overcame a potential disaster until Semenyo stepped up.
The Ghanaian exuded quiet confidence when asked about the importance of the win to City's title prospects: "It means everything.
"We just want to win with our games on our side and, whatever Arsenal do, we just have to wait and see. We just need to control what we can control, win our games, and we will see what happens.
"I've always wanted to compete for all the trophies and I've got here now so it's just about playing with the guys, making sure that I've got focus and am at the top of my game.
"I want to win every game and hopefully see what happens."
If Haaland is now set for an extended stay on the sidelines, Semenyo's importance to this side will become even more acute as City look to keep competing on multiple fronts.
Semenyo also paid tribute to the early impact that Guardiola's work behind the scenes has had on his on-field improvement, revealing how the manager has gone about attempting to refine and polish the attacker's game during his early months at Eastlands.
"He's properly passionate," Semenyo concluded. "You learn so much from him, just so many ideas that he has that us players wouldn't think of.
"That same passion from the manager that has been winning for years and celebrates like it's his first, that's the passion we carry in the game so it's perfect.
"When I'm on the ball going forward and trying to attack it's not always about going 100mph. It's about being calm, relaxed, and then start getting the wheels in motion.
"It's just being more calm in my game because I like to go at 100mph sometimes so that's a big learning curve for me but I'm picking it up really quickly."
While Semenyo will likely get the opportunity to spend his peak years at City, with the prospect of plenty of silverware on the horizon, the Black Star may yet be set to play a key role in shorter-term successes, with Arsenal firmly in the title contenders' sights.