Manchester City took a step closer to retaining their Premier League title after beating Leeds 2-1 on Saturday.
Ilkay Gundogan scored both goals for City in the first half but missed a penalty that would have completed his hat-trick. Rodrigo scored a consolation goal for Leeds in the dying minutes of the match.
Despite the win, Pep Guardiola was not pleased with the team’s performance and was critical of striker Erling Haaland for giving Gundogan the chance to take the penalty instead of taking it himself.
The victory extended City’s winning streak to 14 games at the Etihad and put them four points clear at the top of the table, with their superior goal difference over Arsenal meaning they only need eight points from their remaining four games to clinch the title.
Leeds, who are struggling to avoid relegation, failed to offer any resistance to City’s attacks and remain outside the relegation zone on goal difference alone.
Sam Allardyce, who returned to the dugout for the final four games of the season, failed to make an immediate impact as Leeds were outplayed by the home team.
City made seven changes to their starting lineup, with Kevin De Bruyne returning from injury, and were able to cruise through the second half without much trouble.
Haaland had a disappointing day, missing several chances to add to his tally of 51 goals in all competitions this season.
The win was a perfect warm-up for City’s upcoming Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, which will be a tough challenge for Guardiola’s men.
