“You’re getting sacked in the morning” rang in Sam Allardyce’s ears from delirious Manchester City fans after Ilkay Gündogan’s second goal of a victory that moves Pep Guardiola’s champions three points closer to a hat-trick of titles.
It would be fair to characterise the home display as a stroll, before what unfolded late on after Phil Foden earned a penalty. Despite Riyad Mahrez, a regular taker, and the 51-goal Erling Haaland, who is Pep Guardiola’s nominated player, both being on the field, Gündogan stepped up in an attempt to complete a hat-trick.
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The Germany international missed, smacking the spot-kick off Joel Robles’s left post. Then, after a furious Guardiola could be lip-read informing Haaland: “You have to take it,” Leeds moved downfield and Rodrigo beat Ederson from inside the area.
This resulted in Haaland and Foden time-wasting by a corner flag and a wave of black-and-gold shirts attacking but City survived and seem destined to be champions again. For Allardyce, the future is bleaker: Leeds’s new head coach now has only three games remaining to avoid the drop and on this evidence he may fail.
A contest broadcast live (moved from its original Sunday slot because of City’s Champions League semi-final first leg at Real Madrid) and which broke the domestic 3pm kick-off blackout was, until the close, hardly a spectacle. Gündogan, ignored by Guardiola when substituted in added time (but later partially forgiven for having the courage to take the penalty), and Kevin De Bruyne ran a contest that featured seven City changes from Wednesday’s win against West Ham.
Allardyce made four alterations from the side Javi Gracia picked at Bournemouth, with Illan Meslier’s exclusion so that Robles could make his Premier League debut the headline one. “I didn’t expect him to be very happy but you have to make a decision,” Allardyce said of the dropped goalkeeper. “What we had watched and what the staff have been saying, I think the rest will do him a power of good.”
Robles’s right knee saved Leeds when Haaland moved on to a Rico Lewis defence-splitter and let fly but he could do nothing about Gündogan’s opener. De Bruyne was the initiator, feeding Mahrez along a right channel. With a swish the Algerian left Junior Firpo trailing and rolled the ball to Gündogan, who coolly finished to Robles’s left.
At this juncture Gündogan was in masterclass mode, seeming to pull a yard of turf about with him in which to operate, flicking passes with the outside of his exquisite right foot to whoever he fancied. One of these was a dipping effort to De Bruyne who, twisting in mid-air, dropped the ball where Haaland would have asked for it, but he blazed wide to Robles’s left.
The Norwegian was upset, yet City were soon delighted again as Gündogan scored a near carbon copy of the opener. Once again Mahrez, on the right, skipped inside, saw Gündogan lurking, and tapped the ball to him. This time the strike was across Robles, who could only watch.
A mark of City’s supremacy was Lewis, the day’s nominated right-back-midfielder hybrid, making a first rearguard effort 59 minutes in – a far post aerial challenge to deny the toothless Patrick Bamford a header. From here, City cantered on and despite the hiccup involving Gündogan were full value for the win.
“Leeds made it difficult for us, defended really well,” he said. “But the way we approached the game from the start was really good.”
Of the title run-in, Gündogan said: “Probably, the best warning is today. But we have an experienced team and have had these kind of run-ins in recent years. We know what to do to keep the momentum going and winning games. Nothing more but also nothing less.”
Allardyce was disappointed but remained positive. “I am OK, I have to worry about the wife, she will have the telly switched off and be waiting for the result,” he said. “I am in control: when the whistle goes, the nerves go and you try and use your understanding to get a result. To stand in this stadium again, the best league in the world, there is an opportunity with this club, it is Leeds United, why would you turn it down?”
The 68-year-old laughed off questions as to whether he might still be managing in his 70s. “I have no idea. I thought I wouldn’t be sitting here today,” he said. “I have never moved so quickly in from life from starting last Monday. Without my assistants Karl [Robinson] and Robbie [Keane] I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. We haven’t stopped talking for the last four days, we have been together plotting, talking and trying to find the right formula.”
