‘Oh my word’ – Michael Dawson stunned by ‘nightmare’ moment in Man City vs Leeds United
Pep Guardiola’s Man City team got off to a lightning-quick start against Premier League strugglers Leeds United.
Daniel Farke has just two games to save his job, Football Insider understands, with Leeds falling into the relegation zone, and rumours circling Elland Road about potential replacements.
The Whites were in desperate need of a good start at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, 29 November, but that was immediately snatched away as Phil Foden opened the scoring inside the first minute.
Man City had lost to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League midweek, but Leeds were there for the taking as Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side’s lead in the 25th minute after a lengthy VAR check.
However, it was Foden’s goal which took the spotlight, unsurprisingly.
Phil Foden piles more pressure on Leeds United
Watching the opening goal unfold on Sky Sports News (29 November, 3:02pm), Michael Dawson was almost surprised as the deadlock was broken so early.
“Oh my word, this is going to be a long afternoon for Leeds United away from home. It’s Phil Foden with the goal. We’d expected Leeds to sit behind the ball,” he said.
“They’ve set up with a low block, but it’s a great raking pass from Gvardiol on the right-hand side to [Matheus] Nunes. He plays it to Bernardo Silva, who pulls it back seven or eight yards out for Foden.
“Left foot, opens his body up, comes off the crossbar, down into the back of the net. What a start for Man City, what a nightmare for Leeds United.”
Daniel Farke simply has to win all three points vs Chelsea
Farke is in an incredibly difficult position, with the Whites only above Wolves, who have just two points to their name after the first 12 games of the 2025-26 campaign.
Leeds players were crushed after losing to Aston Villa, and with Chelsea, Liverpool, Brentford, and Crystal Palace up next, it is difficult to see where Farke and his players can pick up points.
The manager is quickly running out of time to prove he is worthy of taking charge of Leeds for the remainder of the season, especially with several high-profile names being linked with the club.
Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou, as well as Marcelo Bielsa, have been linked with the under-pressure job in West Yorkshire, and it is believed that the search has already started.
The Whites have shown some bright sparks since earning promotion, but not nearly enough yet to be able to survive the threat of relegation straight back down to the Championship.