Man City vs Aston Villa LIVE: Premier League result and final score as Riyad Mahrez penalty wraps up win
Man City 3-1 Aston Villa: The hosts were dominant as goals from Rodri, Gundogan and Mahrez saw the champions close the gap to three points of Arsenal
Manchester City produced a defiant response to the Premier League’s charge sheet as they comfortably beat Aston Villa 3-1 to close to within three points of leaders Arsenal on Sunday.
Goals by Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez put the result beyond doubt by halftime as City got back on track following last weekend’s loss at Tottenham Hotspur.
With the club facing more than 100 charges relating to alleged financial misconduct the home fans were in belligerent mood at the Etihad Stadium with a series of ironic chants.
Pep Guardiola’s side needed only four minutes to take the lead when Rodri headed in Riyad Mahrez’s corner and they were cruising when Erling Haaland set up Gundogan in the 39th minute.
Villa were left with mission impossible when Mahrez tucked away a penalty in first-half stoppage time after Jacob Ramsey was adjudged to have tripped former Villa player Jack Grealish.
Ollie Watkins scored for the third successive league match to reduce the deficit on the hour mark and Villa also struck the woodwork through substitute Jhon Duran late on but City never looked in any real danger of dropping points.
.Earlier, late goals from Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho earned Manchester United a hard-fought 2-0 victory at Leeds. It meant United leap-frogged City into second place, but the Premier League champions then responded.
Erik ten Hag on injures and previous game vs Leeds
Manchester United boss, Erik ten Hag, says that the injuries to his squad were to blame for his team’s slack defending against Leeds at Old Trafford last time out.
United conceded early in both halves of the match to put Leeds two goals up before eventually rescuing a point.
“It is not easy, as you have to replace some players. The routines are not there and this is obvious.” said the Red Devils manager when asked about his team’s injuries.
“We had the combination over the last few weeks on the right with Aaron [Wan-Bissaka] and Antony. Now there is a new combination in the holding midfield position as we have to bring in a new position as Christian Eriksen is away.
“So the whole midfield construction is new and that takes time to bed in and get the routines again, this takes games and that was obvious yesterday.
“We played quite well but both starts killed our game.”
Leeds vs Man Utd
Leeds have won just one of the last 18 Premier League meetings with that being a 1-0 triumph at Elland Road in 2002. They’ve drawn six and lost 11 in that time.
The Whites are in danger of suffering consecutive home league defeats against Manchester United for the first time since 1976.
Michael Skubala not looking beyond Man Utd clash as Leeds hunt for new manager
Leeds caretaker boss Michael Skubala has no plans in place to remain in charge beyond Sunday’s home clash with Manchester United.
The Yorkshire club had been hoping to announce a replacement this week for Jesse Marsch, who was sacked on Monday after failing to steer them clear of relegation danger.
Leeds Under-21s boss Skubala took charge of Wednesday night’s 2-2 draw at Old Trafford and will be in the dugout again for the Roses rivals’ second Premier League meeting in the space of five days.
Michael Skubala not looking beyond Man Utd clash as Leeds hunt for new manager
The club’s Under-21s coach was put in caretaker charge following the dismissal of Jesse Marsch on Monday.
Leeds vs Man Utd prediction
Leeds proved on Wednesday night that the sacking of Jesse Marsch hasn’t affected the team’s morale. They fought valiantly at Old Trafford and earned a two-goal lead before faltering in the back end of the second half.
The home fans at Elland Road should help spur the team into another level but Manchester United are a force of nature under Erik ten Hag and will prove difficult to beat.
Leeds United 1-1 Manchester United.
Leeds vs Man Utd predicted line-ups
Leeds XI: Meslier; Ayling, Koch, Wober, Firpo; Adams, McKennie; Summerville, Aaronson, Gnonto; Bamford
Manchester United XI: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Sabitzer, Fred; Sancho, Fernandes, Rashford; Weghorst
What is the early team news?
Leeds’ Liam Cooper, Marc Roca and Luis Sinisterra are all injury doubts while Pascal Struijk is out after coming off with a concussion injury on Wednesday.
Manchester United are without Anthony Martial, Scott McTominay, Antony, and Christian Eriksen as well as the suspended Casemiro but Jadon Sancho could start.
How to watch Leeds vs Man Utd
The match will kick off at 2pm GMT on Sunday 12 February.
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage starting from 1pm. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
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Premier League Sunday
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of Sunday’s Premier League action. There are two matches taking place this afternoon with both Manchester clubs in action.
First up, Manchester United travel to Leeds to take on their old rivals for the second time this week. The two clubs played out a very entertaining 2-2 draw at Old Trafford on Wednesday night with the Red Devils rescuing a point after Leeds stormed into a two-goal lead.
Substitute Jadon Sancho scored the equaliser and is in line to start for Man Utd this afternoon but Pascal Struijk will be absent following a concussion sustained at Old Trafford.
That game kicks off at 2pm before Manchester City host Aston Villa at 4.30pm. This will be City’s first outing since being charged with 100 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules. There is a cloud of scrutiny surrounding Pep Guardiola’s men who will be focused on performing on the pitch.
City can move within three points of league leaders Arsenal if they win this afternoon but Unai Emery’s Aston Villa are hoping to bounce back from a 4-2 loss to Leicester last time out.
We’ll have all the build-up, team news and updates from both games so stick with us throughout this Sunday afternoon.
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