Full time: RB Leipzig 2-3 Man City. Erling Haaland scored the winner in the 78th minute at the Red Bull Arena, after Leipzig had twice come from behind to draw level.
Manchester City led at the break after Nico O’Reilly reached the byline in the 37th minute and cut the ball back, and Castello Lukeba, sliding in to block, turned it into his own net. Leipzig came out flying after half-time, and Ridle Baku, already booked, finished a fast break set up by Brajan Gruda in the 49th minute.
Enzo Fernández headed City back in front from Iliman Ndiaye’s cross in the 58th minute, only for Antonio Nusa to make it 2-2 three minutes later from Christopher Nkunku’s pass. Haaland had the last word, scoring from very close range after Elliot Anderson set him up.
It was a hard night for RB Leipzig, who caused City problems for long spells and had four players booked. Martín Demichelis’ side go home with nothing to show for it, while Enzo Maresca’s City move on to nine points.
Key talking points from Leipzig vs City
City found a way when it was not going for them
This was not a smooth night for City. Leipzig were the side asking more of the questions early on, and after the break they scored twice inside 12 minutes. City still won, and every one of their three goals came from a ball into the box: O’Reilly’s cut-back for the own goal, Ndiaye’s cross for Fernández and Anderson’s pass for Haaland.
Donnarumma kept City in it
Gianluigi Donnarumma had a busy start to the second half. He tipped Christoph Baumgartner’s long shot round the post in the 47th minute and then kept out Baku at his near post in the 55th, at a time when Leipzig were on top. At the other end, Maarten Vandevoordt made strong saves from Haaland and Rayan Cherki.
Leipzig’s changes and City’s winner
Demichelis took off Nusa, Baku and Neil El Aynaoui in one go in the 74th minute, three of the players who had caused City the most trouble. Four minutes later Haaland scored. City kept their shape after their own changes, with Jérémy Doku on for Phil Foden in the 64th minute and Rúben Dias on for Matheus Nunes in the 80th as they saw the game out.
Haaland gets his goal
Haaland was quiet for long stretches and saw Vandevoordt save his best early effort in the 53rd minute. He still finished the night as the match winner, which is what City rely on him to do in tight games like this one.
RB Leipzig vs Man City minute by minute
90+5′ FULL TIME, RB Leipzig 2-3 Man City. City hold on for their third win of the league phase.
90+4′ Yellow card for City’s Abdukodir Khusanov.
90+4′ Rayan Cherki’s shot from the left of the box is blocked by Willi Orbán.
90+3′ Jérémy Doku breaks and shoots over from the left side of the box.
88′ Yellow card for City’s Jérémy Doku.
84′ Rayan Cherki goes close from the centre of the box.
83′ Triple City change: Mateo Kovačić replaces Enzo Fernández, Ayyoub Bouaddi replaces Elliot Anderson and Allan replaces Iliman Ndiaye.
80′ City substitution: Rúben Dias replaces Matheus Nunes.
78′ GOAL, RB Leipzig 2-3 Man City. Elliot Anderson sets up Erling Haaland, who scores from very close range to put City back in front.
77′ Yellow card for Leipzig’s David Raum.
76′ Elliot Anderson fires over from the middle of the box after a corner.
75′ Rayan Cherki shoots from the centre of the box and Vandevoordt saves.
74′ Triple Leipzig change: Rocco Reitz replaces Antonio Nusa, Benjamin Henrichs replaces Ridle Baku and Nicolas Seiwald replaces Neil El Aynaoui.
73′ Tidiam Gomis shoots from the middle of the box, but Abdukodir Khusanov blocks it.
67′ Leipzig substitution: Tidiam Gomis replaces Rômulo Cardoso.
64′ City substitution: Jérémy Doku replaces Phil Foden.
61′ GOAL, RB Leipzig 2-2 Man City. Antonio Nusa, Leipzig’s biggest threat all night, levels again.
58′ GOAL, RB Leipzig 1-2 Man City. Enzo Fernández meets a cross into the box and puts City back in front.
57′ Leipzig substitution: Christopher Nkunku replaces Christoph Baumgartner.
55′ Baku tries to beat Donnarumma at his near post again, and this time the City keeper just about keeps it out.
53′ Haaland’s first real chance. He wriggles free and shoots from close range, but Vandevoordt makes a fine save.
52′ Antonio Nusa sets up Ezechiel Banzuzi, whose shot goes just wide.
49′ GOAL, RB Leipzig 1-1 Man City. Leipzig break quickly and Brajan Gruda sets up Ridle Baku, who scores to level the game.
48′ Yellow card for Leipzig’s Neil El Aynaoui, his side’s third booking.
47′ Christoph Baumgartner tries his luck from distance and Donnarumma makes a fingertip save to turn it round the post.
46′ The second half is under way, with no changes at the break.
45′ HALF-TIME, RB Leipzig 0-1 Man City. City looked much sharper after going in front and take a one-goal lead into the break.
40′ Iliman Ndiaye crosses for O’Reilly, but his header goes wide of the target.
39′ Haaland’s first sight of goal. He gets his head to an O’Reilly cross, but it is a weak effort and Maarten Vandevoordt deals with it.
37′ GOAL, RB Leipzig 0-1 Man City. O’Reilly gets to the byline and cuts it back, and Lukeba slides the ball into his own net.
36′ Foden controls on the edge of the box, shifts it onto his left foot and shoots just wide.
33′ Yellow card for Ridle Baku after a silly challenge on O’Reilly.
31′ Nusa crosses and Brajan Gruda tries to squeeze a shot into the bottom corner, but it goes just wide.
30′ Leipzig break quickly through Nusa and Baumgartner shoots from outside the box, narrowly wide with Gianluigi Donnarumma diving.
17′ Yellow card for Christoph Baumgartner.
1′ Kick-off in Leipzig.
How the two sides lined up
RB Leipzig (4-3-3): Vandevoordt; Baku, Orbán, Lukeba, Raum (c); El Aynaoui, Banzuzi, Baumgartner; Gruda, Rômulo, Nusa
Leipzig substitutes: Nyland, Maksimović, Bakayoko, Estève, Gomis, Henrichs, Klostermann, Koné, Nkunku, Reitz, Seiwald
Man City (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Khusanov, Guéhi, O’Reilly; Anderson; Foden, Fernández, Cherki, Ndiaye; Haaland (c)
City substitutes: Bettinelli, Rulli, Allan, Aït-Nouri, Bouaddi, Doku, Gvardiol, Kovačić, Lewis, Samba, Vitor Reis, Rúben Dias
Christopher Nkunku starts on the bench for Leipzig, as we expected in our RB Leipzig predicted lineup vs Man City. Nkunku came on and set up Leipzig’s second goal, while Jérémy Doku and Rúben Dias came off the City bench. The referee is Marco Guida.
What it means for City in the league phase
City came into matchday four with six points from three games. The win takes them to nine points from four, and they sit seventh in the league-phase table after Wednesday’s games. Leipzig stay on three points from four matches.
Demichelis, who won the title at City, knows this group well, as he showed with the phone call Maresca made before this clash, and his side made City work hard for this one.
