Foden scores late to edge City see past Leeds
Phil Foden scored in the first and last minute as Manchester City beat Leeds United 3-2 in a topsy-turvy encounter at Etihad Stadium.
City appeared set for a routine success when it went 2-0 up in the first 25 minutes, with Foden only needing 25 seconds to score the opener.
He turned Matheus Nunes's right-wing centre in off the underside of the crossbar, while only a fine block from Jayden Bogle and a flying stop from Lucas Perri denied the England international his brace earlier in the match.
Perri undid that good work when he punched the subsequent corner against Nico O'Reilly, allowing Josko Gvardiol to convert into an unguarded net.
However, Leeds came storming back after the half-time introduction of Dominic Calver-Lewin.
He struck after Nunes failed to clear his lines four minutes into the second half, then was scythed down by Gvardiol for a 68th-minute penalty.
Nmecha saw his tame attempt parried by Gianluigi Donnarumma, down to the goalkeeper's left, but the Leeds striker followed in on the rebound to tap home.
Leeds then spent long periods on the front foot at 2-2, only to be undone by another moment of magic from Foden, who manoeuvred away from Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka before tucking a neat finish into the bottom-left corner, in the first of 10 additional minutes.
Foden was thrilled that his side could come away with all three points after a difficult second half.
"It's up there as one of the wildest games," he said. "We had full control in the first half. They changed their system in the second half, and we couldn't get going.
"It was a frustrating half. But when there was a short break, the manager got us together, and we adapted to their formation. We had a few half-chances, and finally, I've found a bit of space and found the bottom of the net.
"There are still things we can improve. We're delighted with the result.
"The title race is never straightforward. There's always ups and downs and periods where you can't seem to get going, and we've had that.
"The belief and togetherness came through at the end. Hopefully, that's the case that we can kick on from here. But you never know what to expect.
"I was so hungry today to play and prove to myself I could still score goals," Foden said. "I missed a few chances against Newcastle [United] and wanted to put it right.
"The title race is never straightforward," he added. "There's always ups and downs and periods where you can't seem to get going and we've had that.
"The belief and togetherness came through at the end. Hopefully that's the case today that we can kick on from here."
Guardiola said he had already recognised Foden's contribution to the cause this season.
"All season he [Foden] has been so brilliant," the City coach said. "I remember some players that I train at Barcelona, he arrives in the penalty spot, shooting from outside ... He's the closest one I've ever seen."
For Leeds, the result was a missed opportunity for Daniel Farke's men, but he said they could be proud of their performance.
"We played today one of the best sides, not just in the UK, one of the best sides in the world and definitely the best manager in the world," he said.
"Fantastic second half, we fully deserved to equalise.
"Man City is a side full of superstars, and then one minute of magic from Phil Foden ... heartbreak and unlucky for my players, but they should take a lot of pride and confidence, especially out of the second half."
The victory sees City move back up to second in the Premier League table, four points behind Arsenal and two ahead of Chelsea, before those two meet on Monday (AEDT).
