Manchester City kept the pressure firmly on Premier League leaders Arsenal with a nervy 1-0 victory at Leeds United on Saturday, pulling within two points of top spot courtesy of Antoine Semenyo's strike on the stroke of halftime. City, who were without league-leading scorer Erling Haaland, were made to work at Elland Road, but the victory put Pep Guardiola's side on 59 points. Arsenal, who have also played 28 games, host Chelsea on Sunday as the title race tightens.
Leeds had the better first-half chances, including a couple of near-misses by Dominic Calvert-Lewin, before Semenyo scored his sixth goal for City in first-half injury time. Rayan Ait-Nouri was sent through on the left side of the box and Semenyo slid to touch home his square ball from close range.
Second-placed City's win was their fifth in six league games. Haaland missed the match with what Guardiola called a "little injury" in training this week. Leeds boss Daniel Farke was shown a red card at the final whistle after approaching the referee.
Leeds vs Man City latest updates
- CLOSE! Calvert-Lewin misses early chance
- CLOSE! Calvert-Lewin strikes wide
- GOOD SAVE! Darlow denies O'Reilly
- GOOD SAVE! Donnarumma thwarts Aaronsen
- GOAL! Semenyo opens scoring
That's all, folks!
20:19 , Oli GentThanks for joining us on Standard Sport.
Be sure to come back very soon for even more LIVE action.
Semenyo explains new celebration
19:53 , Oli Gent"It was the first thing that came into my head... the fans loved it!"
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 28, 2026
Antoine Semenyo explains his new celebration against Leeds! 🎸 pic.twitter.com/vmvXyJT3tm
Fan reaction
19:30 , Oli GentThat was a title winning performance.
— JHarrisCFC (@JHarrisCFC) February 28, 2026
Guehi, Dias and Rodri, absolutely imperious.
The others were top too.#LEEMCI
Red card!
19:27 , Oli GentFarke is shown a red card for his dissent after the full-time whistle!
FT: Leeds 0-1 Man City
19:26 , Oli GentThere we have it, and City take the victory.
They’re now just two points off Arsenal as the title race hots up.
Over to you, Gunners...
Leeds 0-1 Man City
19:22 , Oli Gent90+3 mins: It’s all Leeds now as the home fans have perked up, looking to suck in an equaliser.
Leeds 0-1 Man City
19:20 , Oli Gent90 mins: Six added minutes.
Leeds 0-1 Man City
19:18 , Oli Gent88 mins: Close! Leeds agonisingly near to an equaliser as Bijol meets the corner, but nods just wide!
Leeds 0-1 Man City
19:16 , Oli Gent87 mins: Justin is replaced by Piroe. Bijol is also on for Rodon.
Leeds 0-1 Man City
19:14 , Oli Gent84 mins: Plenty of tussling in the City box, and Donnarumma is booked for his part in proceedings.
Leeds 0-1 Man City
19:10 , Oli Gent80 mins: More heavy Leeds pressure as the hosts rain down on the City goal. Shots are flying in, and bodies are flying forward in support.
Leeds 0-1 Man City
19:05 , Oli Gent76 mins: Gnonto and James are on for Gruev and Bogle.
Leeds 0-1 Man City
19:02 , Oli Gent73 mins: Great save! Cherki’s corner is met by Rodri, before Guehi nods it towards goal, and Darlow claws it clear.
Leeds 0-1 Man City
19:01 , Oli Gent72 mins: Close! Semenyo is picked out nicely by Cherki, but Struijk gets across to block!
Leeds 0-1 Man City
18:59 , Oli Gent70 mins: O’Reilly is coming off for Reijnders.
Leeds 0-1 Man City
18:57 , Oli Gent68 mins: Savinho is coming on for Marmoush.
Leeds 0-1 Man City
18:54 , Oli Gent65 mins: Aaronson is replaced by Lukas Nmecha.
Leeds 0-1 Man City
18:54 , Oli Gent64 mins: More City possession as the home crowd are quietened. Can they help their side muster an equaliser?
Leeds 0-1 Man City
18:50 , Oli Gent61 mins: Free kick, Man City. Gruev fouls Semenyo in the centre circle.
Leeds 0-1 Man City
18:48 , Oli Gent58 mins: Cherki is lucky there as he just about gets away with a stamp on Gruev as he tries to get the ball off the felled Leeds midfielder.
Leeds 0-1 Man City
18:42 , Oli Gent53 mins: Close! A neat City move as it’s worked out nicely to Nunes. He crosses into Marmoush at the near post, but the striker can’t direct it goalwards.
Leeds 0-1 Man City
18:39 , Oli Gent49 mins: Good block! A Silva stumble is pounced on by the hosts as Stach picks out Calvert-Lewin. He strikes, but Nunes throws himself in front of the shot.
Kick off!
18:34 , Oli Gent46 mins: Back underway.
HT: Leeds 0-1 Man City
18:20 , Oli GentThere's the half-time whistle, and City go in ahead at the break. What will the second half have in store?
Goal! Leeds 0-1 Man City
18:18 , Oli Gent45+2 mins: It’s there, and City are ahead. Semenyo has it, after great play by Cherki down the left. He picks out Ait-Nouri, and he slides it across for Semenyo to stab home.
Leeds 0-0 Man City
18:15 , Oli Gent45 mins: Two added minutes.
Leeds 0-0 Man City
18:10 , Oli Gent42 mins: Good save! This time it’s the Leeds keeper who produces the heroics, as Darlow keeps out O’Reilly’s header from point-blank range.
Leeds 0-0 Man City
18:09 , Oli Gent40 mins: Good save! Stach makes the interception and drives through the heart of City, who are sparse at the back. He slides Aaronsen in on goal, as Donnarumma narrows the angle, and the Italian saves well.
Leeds 0-0 Man City
18:06 , Oli Gent36 mins: It’s been a better period for City in these last few minutes. The tide has turned slightly, with the visitors taking more control of possession. Still no chances to open the scoring yet.
Leeds 0-0 Man City
18:01 , Oli Gent32 mins: Over half an hour played and still no opener. City haven’t had a chance at goal yet.
Leeds 0-0 Man City
17:58 , Oli Gent28 mins: A first real period of possession for City in this first half. Boos echo around Elland Road as the visitors knock the ball about.
Leeds 0-0 Man City
17:55 , Oli Gent25 mins: Another thing for City to defend as the Leeds free kick is delivered by Gruev... Calvert-Lewin knocks it down, and it just evades Justin at the far post!
Leeds 0-0 Man City
17:51 , Oli Gent21 mins: Another chance! Leeds are having all the good moments as Ait-Nouri has his clearance charged down by Bogle, and his cross is fired into the near post. Aaronsen lunges for it, and Guehi just about gets ahead of him to knock it behind. Should have been a corner.
Leeds 0-0 Man City
17:48 , Oli Gent18 mins: Aaronsen does really well to get out of a tight corner, and it’s worked out to Justin on the edge of the area. He’s encouraged to strike, which he does, but Donnarumma holds his powerful effort.
Leeds 0-0 Man City
17:47 , Oli Gent17 mins: Close! Calvert-Lewin peels into the left channel and works his way into the box, holding off Guehi. He looks to get his shot off from the angle, and just drags it wide!
Leeds 0-0 Man City
17:45 , Oli Gent15 mins: Free kick, Leeds. Gudmundsson is onto the loose ball and is hauled down by Nunes, who doesn’t think that that is worthy of a free kick.
Leeds 0-0 Man City
17:43 , Oli Gent12 mins: Free kick, Man City. Rodri is clattered by Ampadu, with the City player wanting to take the short free kick, but the game is stopped so the Muslim players can break their Ramadan fast.
Leeds 0-0 Man City
17:39 , Oli Gent8 mins: Rodri engineers some space in the middle and lasers a ball into Semenyo. He takes control and takes aim, but fires wildly wide. The flag is up, however.
Leeds 0-0 Man City
17:34 , Oli Gent4 mins: Close! A huge chance for Leeds as Guehi is shoved by Calvert-Lewin in the middle. Aaronsen bursts down the right and sends a cross in for the Leeds No9, who slots wide of the target!
Leeds 0-0 Man City
17:32 , Oli Gent3 mins: It’s a 4-2-3-1 shape for the visitors, with Marmoush spearheading the attack, and O’Reilly wide left. Cherki is in the No10 position, with Semenyo on the right. Silva partners Rodri.
Kick off!
17:30 , Oli Gent1 min: We’re underway.
Five minutes to go
17:27 , Oli GentThe players are out, and we’re about to get underway.
Ten minute warning!
17:22 , Oli GentKick off is almost upon us.
Big chance for Marmoush
17:17 , Oli Gent"He's the player that can open doors!"
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 28, 2026
Micah Richards is excited to see how Omar Marmoush could excel in Erling Haaland's absence tonight 🔎⚡️ pic.twitter.com/CIDWH1e0JT
Guardiola explains Haaland absence
17:11 , Oli GentErling Haaland has not been named in Manchester City’s matchday squad for their clash with Leeds this evening.
The Norwegian is out with a minor knock that he suffered in training, and City confirmed on their club website that the striker was “not fully fit”.
He is replaced up front by Omar Marmoush, with Rayan Cherki coming in to complete the front three with Antoine Semenyo.
Big win for Liverpool!
17:06 , Oli GentThe Reds are up to fifth and move level on points with Manchester United.
Is it time?
17:02 , Oli Gent😲 Is it time to drop Erling Haaland from your FPL team?#BBCFootball #FPL pic.twitter.com/8kQuG6lklN
— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) January 28, 2026
Fan reaction
16:53 , Oli GentAt least Doku is on the bench, nice to see.
— Ogunrinde Moronfolu (@OgunrindeM56525) February 28, 2026
Fan reaction
16:45 , Oli GentIn Marmoush we trust! 🙏
— Clifford (@Minded_MCD) February 28, 2026
Bad news for FPL managers
16:40 , Oli GentTo add to the drama of the day... Erling Haaland DOES NOT feature in @ManCity's matchday squad to face Leeds ❌#FPL pic.twitter.com/iNeguwnHjI
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) February 28, 2026
Doku is back
16:35 , Oli GentWhile Haaland missing is a huge blow for City, having Doku back is a big boost.
The Belgian returned to training from his calf injury in the week, and he is amongst the substitutes here.
No Haaland!
16:24 , Oli GentA huge story this afternoon with Erling Haaland not in the squad for City.
The Norwegian is believed to have suffered a slight injury in training and misses out completely here.
Leeds lineup
16:22 , Oli GentLeeds XI: Darlow; Justin, Rodon, Struijk; Bogle, Stach, Ampadu, Gruev, Gudmundsson; Calvert-Lewin, Aaronsen
Subs: Perri, Bournauw, Bijol, Longstaff, Tanaka, James, Gnonto, Nmecha, Piroe
Man City lineup
16:20 , Oli GentMan City XI: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Guéhi, Ait-Nouri, Rodri, Bernardo, O’Reilly, Semenyo, Cherki, Marmoush
Subs: Trafford, Reijnders, Stones, Ake, Doku, Nico, Savinho, Khusanov, Foden
Five minutes to teams!
16:10 , Oli GentThey’re on the way...
Also today
16:05 , Oli GentLiverpool are in action at Anfield as they look to position themselves back in Champions League contention.
Match odds
15:57 , Oli GentLeeds to win: 4/1
Man City to win: 4/7
Draw: 12/5
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
Head to head
15:45 , Oli GentMan City have won the last five meetings between the two sides, their last defeat at Elland Road came in March 2004 when Mark Viduka scored the winner for Leeds from the penalty spot.
Leeds wins: 43
Man City wins: 50
Draws: 18
Standard Sport prediction
15:35 , Oli GentThis has all the ingredients for a potential slip-up for Man City. Away from home, under the lights at Elland Road and facing a team in decent form.
Guardiola’s side have looked vulnerable defensively at times this season and events from the reverse fixture earlier in the season should give Leeds some confidence.
However, we expect City to prove their title credentials once again and edge a narrow game to put pressure on the league leaders.
Man City to win, 2-1.
Man City team news
15:25 , Oli GentAs for Man City, Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol are both sidelined, but the injury crisis has eased considerably in recent weeks.
Max Alleyne could return after missing the win over Newcastle with a knock and Jeremy Doku is back in training after recovering from a calf injury sustained in the Champions League win over Galatasaray at the end of January.
Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden and Tijjani Reijnders are pushing to start, while Bernardo Silva must watch his step as he is two yellow cards away from a suspension.
Leeds team news
15:16 , Oli GentLeeds will be without Noah Okafor for the visit of City because of a hamstring injury sustained in the FA Cup fourth round win over Birmingham.
The forward could return to action in the midweek showdown with Sunderland at home.
Other than that, Daniel Farke has a fully fit squad to choose from so could name an unchanged team from the 1-1 draw away at Aston Villa last weekend.
How to watch
15:08 , Oli GentTV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports. Coverage starts at 5pm GMT on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.
Hello and welcome!
15:00 , Oli Gent... to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Man City’s trip to Leeds.
Pep Guardiola’s men are looking to cut the gap on Arsenal at the top of the Premier League this afternoon.
Stay tuned for all the updates, with kick off at 5.30pm GMT.
