Five Things Learned: RB Leipzig 2-3 Manchester City (UEFA Champions League)

Five Things Learned: RB Leipzig 2-3 Manchester City (UEFA Champions League) The first-half was studied between both sides as Antonio Nusa almost scored from distance, a quarter of an hour after Gianluigi Donnarumma failed to keep hold of the ball from a long-distance effort, and fortunately parried it backwards and over the crossbar. However, one player who did hit his own goal was RB Leipzig’s Castello Lukeba, making a mess inside the box and deflecting Nico O’Reilly’s cross via his knee on 37 minutes, opening the scoring for Manchester City . The visitors' first attempt on target actually came two minutes after Lukeba’s error, as Erling Haaland headed a weak effort from a cross into the hands of goalkeeper Martin Vandervoort. After the half-time break, Martin Demichelis’ Leipzig imposed their game with Donnarumma making a stunning save to deny Brajan Gruda on 47 minutes, only to offer an open net from a tight angle for Ridle Baku to score the equaliser 120 seconds later. The response was fast, however, as Iliman Ndiaye cut inside from the left and placed a perfect cross onto the head of Enzo Fernandez , who directed the ball home 10 minutes later. RB Leipzig would then reply even quicker as Antonio Nusa levelled things up inside the box three minutes after Manchester City had regained the lead. But when the visitors need him most, Erling Haaland is usually there to finish, and the Norwegian capped off a fantastic piece of play by Elliot Anderson to secure the winner on the 78th minute. There was still time for both RB Leipzig and City to hit the crossbar, although the match would end in a thrilling 2-3 away win for the Blues, leaving Enzo Maresca’s men in seventh position (automatic round of 16 spot), with nine points from a possible 12 so far. After a five-goal thriller at the Red Bull Arena this week, here are five things we learned from Manchester City's latest outing under their Italian coach. In the space of 120 seconds, Gianluigi Donnarumma went from heaven to hell: stopping a powerful Brajan Gruda effort with the tip of his glove, before giving away an easy goal for Ridle Baku due to poor positioning by his near-post. It is clear that confidence is running low, as he almost had a howler following Antonio Nusa’s shot in the 14th minute. The strike from distance wasn’t too strong, meaning he even tried to hold it, but couldn’t, and saw it almost sneak over him and into the net. Being a goalkeeper is tough. Operating miracles isn’t enough if you’ll be remembered for blatant mistakes, especially when they are recurrent. Gianluigi Donnarumma is, no doubt, a great goalkeeper, although recent form is not helping, making things even harder for City. Despite his crucial headed goal, Enzo Fernandez brings liabilities to some matches. Against RB Leipzig on Wednesday night, he was doubling on the right side of the pitch, leaving gaps in central areas. Rayan Cherki had to drop deeper to build-up and Elliot Anderson fought twice as hard to keep the ball and find line-breaking passes. Across the 83 minutes played by the Argentine, Manchester City struggled to create through their best central characteristic: passes. His defensive contributions have been lacking recently, too. Three ball recoveries were the only actions he made out of possession: no interceptions, blocks, or tackles were registered. Some may argue he stopped and let Ezechiel Banzuzi run in the play that created the home side’s second leveller of the game. However, he has extreme quality and experience. A man of Enzo Maresca’s trust, Fernandez can be decisive on the ball for Manchester City, as he was with his goal. For this weapon to work on more occasions, he will have to deliver even further than he has so far. When a ginger midfielder wearing Manchester City blue runs from the space towards the right and delivers a low-driven cross towards the centre of the box, nostalgia rings a bell in everyone’s heads. Although, it was not Kevin De Bruyne - who is set to meet Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium later this month with Napoli in UEFA Champions League action. In fact, the man responsible already has the love of the fans. Elliot Anderson handled a tough press from RB Leipzig with class. Often dribbling past two or three attackers, he was able to find the best solution for his team as if it was the easiest job in the world. Outnumbered centrally, he chose the right action almost every single time. Now delivering goal contributions in the Champions League when going forward, Elliot Anderson feels like the complete package. He also did what his teammates could not do in connecting with Erling Haaland for the Norwegian to score with his foot. Find Erling Haaland on the ground! The first and only time Manchester City found Erling Haaland with a low driven pass inside the penalty box was in the 78th minute, when he hit the back of the net after Elliot Anderson’s assist. Despite having another opportunity just before Enzo Fernandez’s goal, the ball wasn’t played by a teammate - Rayan Cherki was trying to find a gap on the right, but Castello Lukeba was in the way, directing it towards Haaland, who was stopped by Martin Vandervoort. His other two shots he had came in from crosses. The first one was a header in the first half and the second an accidental touch after two RB Leipzig defenders got confused - both saved by the keeper. Principally in the first 45 minutes, the blues could have played Erling Haaland on the run and chose not to. Not finding one of the best strikers in the world is troubling, considering he scores the majority of the goals among the team, has 62 goals in 61 appearances in this competition, and bagged 13 in nine outings against this opponent. Manchester City have to learn it from Elliot Anderson: one simple ball to his feet is enough. The continued rise of Iliman Ndiaye! With his assist to Enzo Fernandez, Iliman Ndiaye has now reached four passes to goals for Manchester City since he arrived from Everton in August. Three of these were crosses - an asset Enzo Maresca is exploring a lot. Capable of playing on both wings, the Senegalese international is a player who is helping City with their style of play and tactical choices - he started on the right with Phil Foden on the left, and then switched sides when Jeremy Doku joined the match. Iliman Ndiaye was also responsible for improving Enzo Fernandez’s game, as not only he assisted the No.17, but also helped him improve in the second-half when the duo were combining on the right side of the grass. With the No.7 giving the width, Fernandez had more freedom to roam in the gaps. His first goal for the club is still yet to come, even though it seems like only a matter of time until he deservedly puts his name on the scoresheet for the first time with Manchester City.