Pep Guardiola explained why it was a ‘struggle’ for Man City to clinch three points

Pep Guardiola explained why it was a ‘struggle’ for Man City to clinch three points

Pep Guardiola reflected on Manchester City’s hard-fought 3-2 victory over Leeds United.

The Citizens had endured a difficult week, falling 2-1 to Newcastle United in the Premier League and then losing 2-0 to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

Erling Haaland went goalless against Newcastle and was rested for the trip to Germany, fueling debate over whether City can consistently win without their star striker leading the line.

On this occasion, however, City managed to secure the three points. Phil Foden opened the scoring inside the first minute at the Etihad Stadium, and Josko Gvardiol doubled the lead within the opening half-hour.

Leeds appeared unsettled initially but adjusted their shape, allowing Dominic Calvert-Lewin to make an impact as the visitors scored twice to bring the game back into contention.

Foden completed the scoring, connecting with a pass from Rayan Cherki and firing into his favored spot at the top of the box.

While City’s overall performance lacked polish and Haaland is still chasing his 100th Premier League goal, Guardiola achieved what mattered most: a win.

“After Daniel Farke changed their shape, sending long balls to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha running in behind, it was always going to be tough.

That emotion is part of football. We created chances and, in the end, we finally found our goal,” Guardiola explained.

“He’ll reach his 100th goal next game. We were just discussing rest. He has a huge body, so minutes on the pitch matter.

Rest isn’t just for the legs; it’s mental too. It’s different for Phil or Jeremy—they can rest differently. Erling is a big man, and we need him so much.”