Premier League: Manchester City close gap on Arsenal with narrow Leeds victory

LEEDS: Manchester City kept the pressure firmly on Premier League leaders Arsenal with a nervy 1-0 win at Leeds United on Saturday, moving within two points of the top spot thanks to Antoine Semenyo’s late first-half strike.

City, missing league-leading scorer Erling Haaland through a ‘little injury’ sustained in training, had to work hard at Elland Road.

Despite Leeds creating the better first-half chances, including a couple of near-misses from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Semenyo struck in first-half injury time to hand Pep Guardiola’s side the advantage.

Rayan Ait-Nouri threaded a precise pass through on the left side of the box, allowing Semenyo to slide in and finish from close range, marking his sixth goal of the season.

The victory was City’s fifth in six league matches, keeping them firmly in the hunt for the Premier League title.

Semenyo reflected on the importance of focusing on their own performance rather than Arsenal’s results.

“It means everything,” said the 26-year-old. “We just want to win with our games on our side and, whatever Arsenal do, we just have to wait and see. We just need to control what we can control, win our games, and we will see what happens.”

Leeds boss Daniel Farke received a red card at the final whistle after approaching the referee, adding further drama to a tense afternoon.

Arsenal, who have also played 28 games, will host Chelsea on Sunday, setting up a key clash in the title race as the Premier League heads into its final stretch.