Haaland settles it as Man City win 3-2 at Leipzig
Man City twice had their lead cancelled out at the Red Bull Arena before Erling Haaland's 78th-minute goal decided a five-goal Champions League match.
By Harvey Watkins,
Man City won 3-2 at Leipzig on Champions League Matchday 4, and they needed every one of those goals. Twice they went ahead and twice Leipzig drew level. Erling Haaland's goal in the 78th minute was the one that stood, and it extended City's unbeaten run against Leipzig to five matches.
How the goals came
City took the lead in the 37th minute without one of their own players scoring. Castello Lukeba turned the ball into his own net, and the visitors went in at the break 1-0 up.
Leipzig's reply came four minutes into the second half. Ridle Baku scored in the 49th minute to make it 1-1. From then on, the scoring came in quick succession.
- 37' Castello Lukeba own goal (Leipzig 0-1 Man City)
- 49' Ridle Baku (1-1)
- 58' Enzo Fernández (1-2)
- 61' Antonio Nusa (2-2)
- 78' Erling Haaland (2-3)
Enzo Fernández restored City's lead in the 58th minute. It lasted three minutes, because Antonio Nusa equalised again in the 61st. Leipzig had now answered twice, and with almost half an hour left the match could have gone either way. Haaland's goal 12 minutes from time ended the run of replies, and Leipzig did not find a third.
What the scoreline says
A 3-2 away win with the lead changing hands is not a one-sided result, and it would be wrong to read it as one. Leipzig scored twice against City and came back from behind on both occasions. One of City's three goals was an own goal. On another night the final quarter might have finished level.
City were still the side who scored first, scored last and never trailed. The second half was evenly shared at two goals each, so their advantage came from the own goal before the break and from Haaland's late winner. In a match this close, being in front at the right moments counted for a great deal.
A familiar pattern in this fixture
The result fits the recent history between the clubs. Leipzig's only win in the last six meetings came in December 2021, a 2-1 victory at home. Since then City have not lost to them: a 1-1 draw in Leipzig in February 2023, a 7-0 win in Manchester the following month, a 3-1 win in Leipzig in October 2023 and a 3-2 win at home in November 2023.
The scoreline matches that November 2023 meeting, and it continues another theme. City have scored three or more in four of the last five meetings, while Leipzig have scored in all three of the most recent games in their own stadium. The Red Bull Arena has produced competitive matches between these two, and this was another, but City have usually been the side to finish ahead.
For Leipzig, the frustration will be that the goals came. Scoring twice against City has not been enough in either of the last two meetings, and both times the margin was a single goal.