Manchester City beat Leeds 1-0 in the Premier League to show that they can challenge Arsenal even without Erling Haaland
19:46, 28 Feb 2026Updated 20:03, 28 Feb 2026
In the week that the hope of a better future defeated scaremongering in Gorton and Denton, it felt fitting that two Muslims helped Manchester City to keep up with Arsenal in the title race. Booed at Elland Road for being allowed to break their fast in the first half, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki responded in the best possible way by combining brilliantly to tee up Antoine Semenyo.
The goal was one of the last kicks of the first half in a game that a City side without their talismanic No.9 had struggled in. Leeds hopes went up a notch when news emerged that Erling Haaland was injured, and they tore at the visitors from the first whistle.
For a while there were shades of the City of last season, desperately clinging on in what looked like it would be a losing battle. Marc Guehi and Ruben Dias scrambled at the back, while Rodri and Bernardo Silva were nearly caught trying to play their way up the pitch as Daniel Farke’s team snapped hungrily at their heels.
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Just as this isn’t the all-conquering City of old though, nor is it the team that was conquered twice a week last winter. There is renewed steel and there are also new players with hunger of their own – Ait-Nouri, Cherki and Semenyo have all been signed in the last two windows and have given City something they simply didn’t have last season so perhaps sporting director Hugo Viana has found a solution.
Add to that Gianluigi Donnarumma, the Italian giant signed from PSG this summer who effectively gazumped James Trafford on deadline day. The 27-year-old has made some spectacular saves in recent weeks to showcase his worth but here it was the ordinary that he made extraordinary.
A recent study showed that Donnarumma is the only keeper in the Premier League not to have made a mistake leading to a goal – essentially, he has saved everything that he should have saved. That rang true again in the 39th minute as Brenden Aaronson raced through following a Rodri mistake but Donnarumma stood tall and saw off the danger.
Seconds later, City were enjoying their best attacks of the half through Omar Marmoush and Nico O’Reilly, and it was seven minutes after that when Semenyo gambled at the near post and stabbed home Ait-Nouri’s cross. City struggled for large chunks at Leeds, but they were rewarded for doing the simple things right – and having quality players able to make the breakthrough even without Haaland.
City hope that they will have their Norwegian back as early as Wednesday for the home game against Forest, but this was a real test that they passed without him. Leeds were unbeaten in their last 25 evening kick-offs at Elland Road in a run spanning nearly three years, and they showed why again at the end with a huge assault on the City goal that included substitute Jaka Bijol heading just wide.
The Blues stayed strong though to move two points behind Arsenal with 10 games to go in the Premier League. It took something special to win at Leeds and City showed that they are still capable of more in this title race.
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