Erling Haaland continued his assault on the record books as Manchester City beat Leeds United 3-1 at Elland Road on Wednesday to move into second in the Premier League.
A late first-half strike from Rodri and a second-half double from Haaland — his 19th and 20th goals making him the first in league history to reach that mark before January — helped move Pep Guardiola’s side to 35 points from 15 matches this season, five behind leaders Arsenal.
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Man City were the better side by far in the first half but had little to show for it, with Leeds keeper Illan Meslier stuffing Haaland on the doorstep at the 30 minute mark and Jack Grealish fluffing several opportunities before Rodri put back a late rebound to give the visitors the lead at the break.
Haaland, who was born in Leeds while his father played for the club, doubled City’s advantage early in the second half with the easiest of finishes after Grealish picked off the ball at midfield, charged into the penalty area and squared it to his teammate to roll into an empty net.
The city duo linked up again for City’s third, working a lovely one-two in front of the Leeds goal and Haaland applying a perfect first-time finish to a return pass from Grealish for his 26th goal in all competitions this season.
Jesse Marsch’s team pulled one back through Pascal Struijk in the 73rd minute, but the game was out of reach for the hosts, who finished the day in 15th place on 15 points.
Next up for Man City is a home game against Everton on New Year’s Eve, while Leeds travel to St James’ Park on the same day for a match with third-placed Newcastle United.