By Peter Hall
LEEDS, England (Reuters) – Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League standings after a rampant 4-0 victory at Leeds United on Saturday.
Liverpool had regained top spot earlier in the day with a 1-0 win at Newcastle United, putting pressure on the champions to respond against a Leeds side battling to avoid relegation this season.
An early goal settled City’s nerves, with Spanish midfielder Rodri glancing a header into the net to give the visitors the lead with 13 minutes on the clock.
Leeds kept the pressure on, with a raucous Elland Road crowd doing everything in their power to make life difficult for City, but Nathan Ake’s goal in the 54th minute effectively ended any hope the home fans had of getting anything from the match.
With Leeds committing bodies forward, City put the game to bed 12 minutes from time, with Gabriel Jesus continuing his fine form in front of goal with a third, before Fernandinho put the icing on the cake with a stoppage-time fourth.
City’s fourth win in a row in all competitions sent them top on 83 points from 34 matches played, one clear of Liverpool, while Leeds dropped to 17th, five points above the relegation zone, but having played two more games than Everton in 18th.
(Reporting by Peter Hall; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
