Antoine Semenyo netted right before halftime as title-contending Manchester City pushed past a lively Leeds United for a win at Elland Road.
The hard-fought result reduced Arsenal’s advantage to two points at the summit of the Premier League.
The city journeyed to West Yorkshire without their Leeds-native star striker Erling Haaland, who was hurt in training, and for substantial stretches in the first half, it seemed they would regret not having their leading scorer on the field.
However, Ghanaian Semenyo reached to convert Rayan Ait-Nouri’s driven low cross into the box for his sixth City goal since moving from Bournemouth in January.
Leeds will be questioning how they failed to score after a lively beginning that caused City genuine worry early on.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin had a prime chance within the first four minutes, but the Englishman managed to poke wide from eight yards after receiving Brenden Aaronson’s cross from the right.
The former Everton player sent another attempt wide from a difficult angle and couldn’t increase his tally of 10 league goals this season, as Semenyo’s goal left the home team six points ahead of the relegation zone.
Arriving at a noisy Elland Road and departing with all three points, even after being outplayed for significant stretches, is the kind of outcome that numerous championship-winning teams have experienced in the past.
With 10 matches left, City are firmly in the competition.
They have exerted pressure on Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, who welcome Chelsea on Sunday (kick-off 16:30 GMT) as the Gunners seek to regain a five-point lead at the summit.
It was a challenge for City to complete this task without Haaland, who was unable to play against the team his father once represented, but they possess significant depth in their squad.
Manager Pep Guardiola stated that the Norwegian was not in peak condition, so it is uncertain if Haaland will play against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.
However, the £62.5m player Semenyo demonstrated why City invested in him, enhancing the attacking threat in the final third and showcasing the intelligence of his missing teammate with a striker’s finish.
Nico O’Reilly had netted in his last two league matches and nearly scored again when he rose to connect with Matheus Nunes’ cross, but Karl Darlow deflected the Englishman’s powerful header with a quick save.
The game was momentarily stopped in the first half to permit players to end their Ramadan fast, leading to loud boos and whistles from many in the crowd.
