Manchester City 7: Leeds United 0 – Technical disadvantage

With five players on yellow cards for Leeds and half the first team injured Leeds were always going to be at a technical disadvantage in this match. We may have matched an underperforming Chelsea on Saturday but City are looking to go top.

Half the Leeds team is injured; three first team defenders in the pack alongside Bamford and Phillips. It is a makeshift squad against City.

Leeds’s tactic is to try to man mark City players but the risk is defenders get pulled out of position. The typical City plan is to dominate possession and walk the ball in to the net.

First shot of the match on goal goes to Grealish. City should have been ahead on six minutes when Bernardo should have tapped the ball into the net and missed.

Then a mistake by Llorrente allows Foden to get the goal on eight minutes. Meslier fluffs the shot, and Dallas miss kicks the ball into his own net. Our defence was not handling their slick passing.

It is a long night for Leeds as they struggle to pass their way out of their own half and City attack every time they steal the ball off Leeds. Leeds are looking to play from the back and City committing players forward trying to force Leeds to make a mistake in their own half.

From a corner Grealish makes it two on twelve minutes as Leeds defenders stood still. Again the Leeds defence are left wanting. The game settled into City dominating possession and relying on shots outside the box. Leeds cannot get out of their side ending up on taking long range shots that City pick up.

A rare moment for Leeds is when Shevchenko had a VAR check with an arm on the ball which luckily for him occurred outside the penalty box.

On the half hour it gets worse with De Bruyne unmarked finding a gap in the near side of the net left by Meslier. And another injury with Shackleton hobbling off in the first half with Klich brought on early. Klich has had a poor season so far like a number of players, but with so many injuries he is an experienced head.

Leeds had two forays into the City penalty box in the first half and no shots on goal. City’s technical superiority left Leeds as spectators in this match. Firpo is an improving player but he has to stop picking up a yellow card in every game he plays. Shackleton was having a critical game in defence stopping the shots coming in until he was injured.

Second half – more of the same

The second half started as badly as the first with City outsmarting Leeds again to take it to four goals. City camped themselves on the edge of the Leeds penalty box. After ten minutes Leeds had a moment with Roberts just missing a header then the deflection goes to Dallas who just misses.

Then Harrison has a solo effort on goal with a deflection leading to a first Leeds corner of the night.

Raphinha is having a mare of a night constantly losing the ball. This then leads to a disallowed goal for Foden. Instantly Leeds concede a fifth as Meslier kicks out to Dallas only for two city defenders to crowd him out and pass to an unmarked De Bruyne who smashes it into the net.

On the hour Leeds have their second shot on target from Roberts but its a weak effort. Gelhardt is more deep picking up the ball how James was not. He is confident on the ball but needs more sight of goal.

By 70 minutes it had turned into a humiliating defeat as Stones made it six goals. Not what Drameh wanted when he came on for Firpo. Dallas has been moved around as the substitutions are mode. Ake then made it seven with a free header from a corner. Llorrente again not tracking his man.

Whilst Grealish had a cry on the pitch Leeds kept plugging away. Harrison managed one last strike on goal. Klich, liking his long range shots then has a wild go at goal. City fans seeped away out of the ground whilst Leeds fans took control of the singing. Roberts kept running but Raphinha went missing. Leeds matched the worst defeat of their history. Where does Bielsa go from here?

Man of the match: Tyler Roberts