Erling Haaland scored the decisive goal as Manchester City beat RB Leipzig in a back-and-forth match, ending a run of two defeats in three games. The Norwegian striker slid in to finish Elliot Anderson’s cross, making the most of a rare opening after City had struggled to find him in attack.
City took the lead when Nico O’Reilly’s cross was turned into his own net by Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba. Leipzig drew level through Ridle Baku, whose shot went in at the near post after a mistake by City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Enzo Fernández restored City’s advantage with a header from Iliman Ndiaye’s cross, but Antonio Nusa equalised for Leipzig after City were caught out defensively.
Haaland’s finish settled the match, although Rayan Cherki later hit the post. The result offers City a boost ahead of their trip to Nottingham Forest, but Maresca acknowledged that both Leipzig goals could have been avoided. He described Donnarumma’s part in the first as a mistake and said the goalkeeper knew he had not played it well.
City have now won despite concerns over their defensive organisation and midfield control. Donnarumma was also at fault for a goal in the recent defeat at Aston Villa and conceded twice in the loss to Paris Saint-Germain, leaving Maresca to review the goalkeeping situation during the international break.
Sources: The Guardian Sport.