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DALLAS IN DREAMLAND AS 10-MAN LEEDS STUN GUARDIOLA’S GIANTS
AS UNSUNG heroes go, Stuart Dallas is up there with the best of them.
A team player who always puts in a shift and is happy to sacrifice himself for the team, the Northern Irishman is a manager’s dream.
But at The Etihad yesterday the midfielder, 29, had a glorious afternoon netting two superb goals that stopped Manchester City in their tracks.
It gave Leeds – down to 10 men for 50 long minutes after a red card for skipper Liam Cooper – a momentous victory.
Dallas said: “It is a great result for us. It was tough out there. Against City it is hard enough with 11, never mind 10 but we defended really well and kept them to very few good chances.
“We knew we could get one chance and I managed to get on the end of one.
“I saw it opening up. I think I took one touch and closed my eyes.
“Going down to 10 men we dug in and showed a different side to us. Our defending has been criticised but we really stood up.”
But as City turn their attentions to a Champions League quarter-final at Borussia Dortmund, Pep Guardiola was left reflecting on the heavy price he paid for leaving match-winners Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez on the bench.
This was City’s third home defeat of the season and brave Leeds deserved all three points for overcoming huge odds to snatch a last-gasp victory.
Which just goes to show that even a great side like City can be vulnerable when faced with a team who match ability to desire and belief.
Marcelo Bielsa’s stars were penned around their own box for almost the entire second half clinging to Dallas’ 42nd-minute goal, after City had started full of energy and intent.
But as chances came and went, with some woeful finishing from off-form Raheem Sterling, Leeds sensed City might be vulnerable.
Helder Costa chased a ball punted over full-back Joao Cancelo who made a mistake by not attacking the ball.
Costa fed a pass inside to Patrick Bamford who moved it into the path of Dallas to rip a low drive in off Ederson’s right post. Leeds were in dreamland – but their joy didn’t last long.
Cooper had organised his defence with calm and efficiency but he lost his cool with a shocking 45th-minute tackle on Gabriel Jesus, with a follow-through which hurt the Brazilian and could have done serious damage.
Initially, ref Andre Marriner showed yellow before consulting his pitchside monitor and rightly showing Cooper a red card. It seemed Leeds would have to buckle but Diego Llorente, Luke Ayling, Kalvin Phillips and subs Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk were all magnificent, as was keeper Illan Meslier.
They couldn’t stop Ferran Torres equalising thanks to slick work from Fernandinho and Bernardo Silva.
But Raphinha almost scored on a breakaway five minutes from time, with Ederson making a rare save.
And deep in stoppage time, the City keeper could do nothing to stop Dallas scoring his seventh of the season as Ezgjan Alioski played him through for a wonderful, assured finish.
MAN CITY: Ederson 6; Cancelo 5, Stones 6, Ake 6 (Gundogan (58th) 6), Mendy 5 (Foden (74th) 5); Silva 6, Fernandinho 7, Zinchenko 7; Torres 7, Jesus 6, Sterling 5
LEEDS: Meslier 7; Ayling 7, Llorente 7, Cooper 5, Alioski 6; Phillips 8, Raphinha 7 (Shackleton 90th), Dallas 9; Roberts 6 (Koch (63rd) 7), Costa 7, Bamford 5 (Struijk (45th) 7)
STAR MAN: Stuart Dallas
REF: A Marriner
Man City’s next game: Borussia Dortmund, Weds (a)
Leeds’ next game: Liverpool, Apr 19 (h)