Leeds United 0 v Manchester City 1 (Premier League)
Leeds United lost 0-1 to Manchester City at Elland Road as the second placed Citizens closed the gap to just two points on Premier League leaders Arsenal.
The Gunners won here emphatically 0-4 in January but this was a much closer affair.
An Antoine Semenyo goal in first half stoppage time was the decisive goal of the game. England hopeful Dominic Calvert-Lewin earlier missed a golden chance to give Leeds the lead in the opening five minutes.
Leeds, playing with typical intensity in front of a near-capacity crowd, created the better chances for long periods but were undone by a clinical City counter in added time. Daniel Farke's side pushed hard after the break but could not find an equaliser, while City's defence stood firm to secure three vital points.
Match Summary
Leeds started brightly and dominated the first-half chances. Brenden Aaronson flashed a shot just wide early on, Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed narrowly past the post from a Pascal Struijk long ball, and James Justin forced a smart save from Italian keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Jayden Bogle and Anton Stach also created dangerous moments, while the Leeds' custodian Karl Darlow made important stops to deny Omar Marmoush and Nico O'Reilly.
City, missing Erling Haaland, looked dangerous on the break but were largely contained until the 45+2nd minute.
Rayan Cherki threaded a superb pass to Rayan Aït-Nouri on the left; the full-back's low cross was turned in from close range by Semenyo for his sixth goal since joining City in January.
Second Half
The second half saw City control more of the ball (67% possession overall), but Leeds continued to threaten on the break. Wilfried Gnonto and Daniel James added fresh energy on the flanks, and a late header from Jaka Bijol went close. City's backline though, led by an outstanding Aït-Nouri (who also picked up a booking), repelled everything thrown at them.
Tempers boiled over at full time. Farke confronted referee Peter Bankes over perceived time-wasting and stoppage-time decisions, earning a straight red card and having to be pulled away by his players. City goalkeeper Donnarumma, Aït-Nouri and substitute Savinho were all booked in a fractious finish.
Lineups
Leeds United (5-4-1):
Darlow (GK); Bogle, Justin, Struijk, Rodon, Gudmundsson; Stach, Ampadu (c), Gruev, Aaronson; Calvert-Lewin
Substitutes: Nmecha (for Aaronson 65'), Gnonto (for Gruev 75'), James (for Bogle 76'), Bijol (for Rodon 87'), Piroe (for Justin 87')
Unused: Perri (GK), Bornauw, Longstaff, Tanaka
Man City (4-1-3-2): Donnarumma (GK); Nunes, Dias, Guéhi, Aït-Nouri; Rodri; Cherki, Bernardo Silva (c), O'Reilly; Semenyo, Marmoush
Substitutes: Savinho (for Marmoush 68'), Reijnders (for O'Reilly 70'), Aké (for Cherki 88')
Unused: Trafford (GK), Stones, Doku, Nico, Khusanov, Foden.
Date: February 28, 2026
Venue: Elland Road, Leeds
Attendance: 36,858
Referee: Peter Bankes
Competition: Premier League
Final Score: Leeds United 0 Man City 1
Find Premier League tickets from HelloTickets
Soccerphile.com