Epl Table: Semenyo winner moves City within two points of Arsenal
Antoine Semenyo's January signing scored the only goal as Manchester City beat Leeds United 1-0 at Elland Road on Saturday, a result that moved City within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal and tightened the epl table race. City did it without injured Erling Haaland.
Epl Table tightens as City win at Elland Road
Semenyo's lone strike settled a tense encounter at Elland Road, sending Manchester City to within two points of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League. The win came with Erling Haaland sidelined by injury, leaving Semenyo to make the difference in front of a raucous and rowdy crowd that was silenced by the goal.
Semenyo's numbers since joining from Bournemouth
The 26-year-old January signing arrived from Bournemouth for £62. 5m and has flourished: six goals in 11 appearances make him the club's top scorer this year. Since signing for City he has scored four league goals and provided one assist, a goalscoring and creation run that is bettered only by the Chelsea pair Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, who have six goal contributions each.
How the winner came and the stadium reaction
Semenyo's winner was described as a real poacher's finish, with the striker reacting quickest to latch on to Rayan Ait-Nouri's cross and converting with aplomb. The strike silenced the home fans and capped a game in which Semenyo's arrival helped ease the goalscoring burden on his sidelined team-mate.
Guardiola's post-match remarks and crowd spat
Pep Guardiola strode onto the pitch after the match and blew kisses in the direction of his family in the stands. He also said that gesture contained a large dose of smugness towards the Leeds fans, who had been throwing insults during the game. Guardiola added: "We made a lot of passes that we needed to do to survive without much intention to attack. " He described the reaction as "amazing - unbelievable with the goal we scored, " called it "a complete game in a tough, tough place, " and reminded that there are "10 games left in the Premier League. Time to be decisive. " He went on to say: "Now we are building these players and they have a long, long time here. It is important for the future for the club. "
Scoring context: Haaland's share and odd tallies
Manchester City have frequently been accused of leaning on Erling Haaland this season, and late November figures showed Haaland had scored 58% of City's goals, taken 30% of their shots and held 57% of their expected goals (xG). He had scored 19 goals in all competitions. Semenyo is taking some of that burden off those shoulders: only his team-mate with 29 and Brentford's Igor Thiago have been involved in more Premier League goals than Semenyo's 18. The shift has implications for the epl table picture as City keep pressure on the leaders.
