Match Report & Player Ratings: RB Leipzig 2-3 Manchester City (UEFA Champions League)

Match Report & Player Ratings: RB Leipzig 2-3 Manchester City (UEFA Champions League) The City goalkeeper, whose blushes were ultimately spared when Erling Haaland latched onto the end of Elliot Anderson’s Kevin De Bruyne-esque run and pass into the back post, had already faced plenty of criticism in recent weeks for poor performances against Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa , and had stretched to make the save of the game and deny Christoph Baumgartner less than 90 seconds into the second half. But just a matter of moments after deservedly celebrating, he made another sloppy mistake that put him in his place. Ridle Baku, stationed on the right side of the penalty area, played a low pass into the net and past the Italian in a bizarre and rub-the-eyes sequence of events. The alarm bells were ringing for City as they approached a point in the game where just about anything could dictate the final result, yet on the back of all momentum, Enzo Fernandez hammered an unstoppable header across goal after 58 minutes, the inswinging cross supplied superbly by Iliman Ndiaye from the left flank. Ahead of this meeting, Leipzig had conceded 21 goals in six UEFA Champions League games against City, which is their highest tally against any opponent in European competition. But even with the 7-0 win where Haaland managed to become the first player since Lionel Messi to score five goals in a knockout game in 2023, alongside their most recent meeting in November that year, where City came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium, this contest provided an unpredictable ending, especially after the home side equalised for the second time of the night. No more than three minutes after Fernandez’s headed success, Nusa, who was Leipzig’s brightest spark from the off, drilled a stunning left-footed strike past Donnarumma, except this time it was simply undeniable. It would be the most ironic of differences in this game, where, through so much dominance in the opening stages and the strongest prospect of the home side opening the scoring, an own-goal shot down Leipzig’s first-half hopes in an otherwise morale-boosting start. Just seconds after Phil Foden nearly turned Manchester City ’s first chance of the game into the back of the net after 36 minutes, Castello Lukeba produced a calamitous error from six yards out when he guided Nico O’Reilly’s bobbling pass across the box into the net. There was visible frustration on the defender’s face, not only because of the personal resentment that comes with scoring an own goal with such ineptness, but more so because his side played exceptionally well up to that point. It was also the first goal that Leipzig, managed by former City defender Martin Demichelis, had conceded at home this season, having won all five of their games at the Red Bull Arena this season before Wednesday’s meeting. To provide more context, those games, in chronological order, read: 3-0, 5-0, 6-0, 1-0 and 4-0. For Manchester City , it was a similar case to when they were starved of chances in defeat against the brilliant Brighton & Hove Albion on the weekend, but many of those failures in attack came through the Italian’s self-sabotaging tactics. Here, it came from Leipzig’s relentless press that, although it left spaces, gave City little breathing room. It is so obvious that Maresca wants to play Fernandez, who started alongside Anderson in holding midfield here, in the number 10, yet the sacrifice of Rayan Cherki in attack simply doesn’t pay dividends in contrast. The City manager has altered his setup in recent weeks, but had the chance to rest some of his big guns ahead of this tie and revert to a very strong and attack-heavy configuration, having made four changes from the weekend. Foden, Cherki, Nico O’Reilly and Marc Guehi all came in for this one. Haaland, who was given the captain’s armband after Ruben Dias dropped out of the starting line-up, struggled to get involved in the early stages once again and showed frustration towards his teammates for their lack of creativity in the final third. However, those behaviours were very one-sided at first and unlike his Norway teammate, Antonio Nusa, who grabbed much of the attention in the Red Bull Arena from kick-off. After 15 minutes, the attacker burst into life on the edge of the area when distancing himself from Elliot Anderson, before nearly breaking the deadlock with a left-footed shot that unnevingly slipped through Donnarumma’s gloves. Two minutes later, Nusa was involved again yet again, but it was David Raum, from the edge of the area and with the ball rolling perfectly into his path, who had his first-time effort blocked by City’s defensive camaraderie. Leipzig kept knocking, and it seemed as though the Bundesliga side would be the first team to take the lead, more convincingly so when Baumgartner had a right-footed strike from 25 yards bend just wide of the far post. Here’s how we rated the Manchester City players from their 3-2 win over RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena. Starting XI Gianluigi Donnarumma - 5/10 Poor showing from Donnarumma once again, despite a stunning save to deny Leipzig early in the second half. Matheus Nunes - 6.5/10 Recovered space well down the right and made it difficult for Leipzig’s wide players to cut inside or drive towards the byline. Abdukodir Khusanov - 7/10 Strong performance and much better than what he has shown in recent weeks, but a lack of organisation handed Leipzig their second of the night. Marc Guehi - 6.5/10 Unlike Khusanov, Guehi was well-organised throughout, and acted as the leader of the defensive line in Ruben Dias’ absence before he came on. Nico O’Reilly - 6.5/10 Some really good moves offensively, particularly the run in behind to latch onto Cherki’s long ball for the own goal. Elliot Anderson - 8.5/10 (POTM) Commanded the midfield and was the most eye-catching City player during the entirety. Needless to describe his assist to Haaland. What a player. Enzo Fernandez - 7.5/10 A bullet header to give City the lead. Positive performance from him and perhaps a reminder to Maresca that Fernandez is best placed, despite the goal, in a deeper position. Phil Foden - 6/10 Found plenty of the ball and floated around the pitch, but those cues didn’t necessarily work when his teammates needed him during offensive transitions. Rayan Cherki - 6.5/10 Not involved an awful lot in the first half, but warmed to the game in the second period and nearly added a fourth when hitting the crossbar with less than seven minutes remaining. Iliman Ndiaye - 7/10 Electric feet and a wonderful touch to complement. Ndiaye was the most exciting attacker in the first half but found little help in areas. An excellent cross for Fernandez’s header. Erling Haaland - 7.5/10 A ghost throughout the entire game until he popped up at the back post to tap in the winner. Typical Haaland with yet another goal to add to his impressive record. Substitutes  Jeremy Doku - 7/10 Injected energy into the game and showed positivity when moving the ball forward in flashes. Ruben Dias - 6.5/10 A great addition to the game as part of multiple changes by Maresca to see it out. Mateo Kovacic - 6.5/10 Stayed calm in the middle of the pitch during the final 10 minutes of the game. Ayyoub Bouaddi - 6.5/10 Played as deep as a defender to ensure Leipzig couldn’t get back into the game. Allan Elias - 6/10 Wasn’t too involved from the right, but understandable after being brought on in the 83rd minute.