It's stress-free for Pep as City handle Leeds with ease
A skipper's sign-off?: Manchester City's Fernandinho (centre) scores his side's fourth goal of the game at Elland Road. Pic. Danny Lawson/PA Wire.
PEP Guardiola claimed he loves this high pressure stage of the season - and would retire to a desert island if he didn’t - before a potentially testing visit to Elland Road.
But goals from Rodri, Nathan Ake, Gabriel Jesus and Fernandinho ensured this was an evening that will barely have registered on the Manchester City manager’s blood pressure readings as his team returned to the top of the Premier League.
"I think the result looks more comfortable than it really was, but I could not expect differently," said Guardiola afterwards. "We knew it. Between the Champions League game it is always difficult, especially away, especially at Elland Road, especially a 'final' (for Leeds) to stay in the Premier League."
It took just 13 minutes for City to leap-frog back above Liverpool, who had supplanted them in first place with their lunch-time victory at Newcastle, with a goal taken directly from the training ground.
Stuart Dallas fouled Jack Grealish and Phil Foden delivered the perfect cross from the left which was met by Rodri who headed the ball in from six yards, a finish which would have been far more difficult had the home defence done their job.
The goal quietened the Elland Road atmosphere, momentarily at least, but given results elsewhere, which had seen Leeds slump to within one place of the relegation zone before kick-off, their supporters were doing everything in their power to will Jesse Marsch’s team to victory.
They might even have been able to cheer an opening goal after only three minutes when Joao Cancelo lost the ball on halfway and Rodrigo sprinted half the length of the field only for his poor, tardy cross for Raphinha to be easily blocked by Ilkay Gundogan.
But Leeds’s preparations had been impacted before kick-off, when captain and centre-half Liam Cooper picked up an injury which prevented him playing.
And, in first-half injury-time, another defender Stuart Dallas suffered what looked a serious injury while fouling Grealish. After lengthy treatment, the full-back was stretchered off, his right-leg immobilised, and Leeds’ task had become apparently even harder.
But they were facing a City side not quite at their most ruthless, and resting key players ahead of this week’s Champions League semi with Real Madrid.
That fact was reflected by Guardiola’s obvious frustrations on the touchline as his side made life difficult for themselves as they failed to deal with Leeds’ aggressive press in the first half.
Still, the closest Leeds could come to a real first-half chance was a shot from the unmarked Junior Firpo who blazed the ball over the bar from a promising position.
The loss of Dallas at half-time, the result as much as anything of referee Paul Tierney’s lack of control of proceedings, was always going to leave Leeds in even greater trouble.
And so it proved, with City doubling their lead on 53 minutes after yet more poor defending by Leeds at a set-piece, this a Foden corner.
Ruben Dias rose above two markers at the far post and headed down for Ake to sweep the ball in, despite the close attention of Pascal Struijk, who failed to make a challenge.
Marsch’s frustrations got the better of him, and earned him a booking, midway through the second half, which at least seemed to inspire his team to a strong final quarter.
But they were picked apart by a Foden pass, lethally converted by Jesus, on 78 minutes, and could have faced an even bigger disadvantage.
Deep in added time, Fernandinho wrapped up the scoring, with a 20-yard shot after Sterling had been fouled in the Leeds area and the home side failed to clear adequately.
Meslier 6; Dallas 5 (James 45, 6), Ayling 7, Koch 6, Struijk 6, Firpo 5 (Gelhardt 62, 6); Raphinha 7, Phillips 8, Klich 6, Harrison 7; Rodrigo 6 (Greenwood 82).
Klaesson, Llorente, Bate, Cresswell, Shackleton.
Ederson 6; Cancelo 6, Dias 7, Laporte 7, Ake 7 (Zinchenko 59, 6); Rodri 7 (Fernandinho 82), Gundogan 6; Grealish 5, Foden 9 (Silva 79, 6), Sterling 8; Jesus 7.
Steffen, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Egan-Riley, Mbete, McAtee.
P Tierney 5
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