Have Leeds United found a Festive formula in 3-2 Manchester City defeat? The final word — Yorkshire Post 30/11/25

By Stuart Rayner

Manchester City 3 Leeds United 2 When teams at Leeds United's end of the Premier League title visit Manchester City, they have to take what they can get. Daniel Farke played it down but they may have a blueprint for how he can survive December.

A point would have been much better after Leeds stopped still in November, but was always unlikely.

On a Black Friday weekend that looked like being very costly, they got the present of a plan that might just last until Christmas.

When Phil Foden scored off the crossbar after 59 seconds, Leeds torn open down the side Farke had reinforced, long odds lengthened.

When Joskvo Gvardiol made it 2-0 after 25 minutes, it felt we might be in for a repeat of Leeds' first away game this season, 5-0 at Arsenal, or even if City had the appetite a hiding like December 2021's 7-0.

"If you want to travel away from here with points, normally you have to win the set-piece scoreline, at least," argued Farke.

City banged at the door for the rest of the first half.

"It was comfortable, it should be over," said manager Pep Guardiola.

Yet when the clock hit 90 minutes it was 2-2, a stadium nervous. As Foden scored through a crowd of legs in the first of more than 10 added minutes you heard the relief.

From the viewpoint of half-time Leeds got away with a 3-2, but by full-time you could argue City had.

On shaky ground after three defeats, Farke led the turnaround. Slow substitutions are often levelled at him but he made two changes at half-time, taking off both wingers and switching to 3-4-1-2. It worked.

So the question was will he do it again? He left us hanging.

Different phases of a season need different things as form, injuries and transfers change the picture.

Arsenal apart, Farke's 4-3-3 looked good in the early weeks. Ethan Ampadu was the midfield anchorman, Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach provided legwork, and two from Noah Okafor, Daniel James and Willy Gnonto threat out wide. Dominic Calvert-Lewin gave the option of playing more directly out.

But since October's international break, the shine has come off. Injuries robbed Leeds of James and Gnonto – yet to get going this season – at Burnley, and it was costly. Calvert-Lewin's only goal – at Wolverhampton Wanderers in September – moved further into the distance.

Defensive mistakes have crept in and fit-again goalkeeper Lucas Perri has been erratic. The left side in particular has been vulnerable.

On Saturday there was no Stach or Longstaff. Stach could face Chelsea on Wednesday if passed safe to return from concussion, but it may be 2026 before Longstaff plays again.

So Farke acted. James and Gnonto started together for the first time since August, and the left was completely revamped. James Justin made his first Leeds start in place of Gabriel Gudmundsson, Ilia Gruev and Ao Tanaka came into midfield.

But the formation remained, even the City-style V shaped midfield.

Less than a minute in, touchline-hugging right-back Matheus Nunes played a one-two around Gnonto with Bernardo Silva, sped past Justin and crossed for Foden to score.

"If you concede exactly (the way) you have prepared the whole week (to avoid), then after 60 seconds you're asking yourself, what are we doing?" admitted Farke.

But the second half was completely different, Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha so much better for one another's company, the wing-backs not redundant like – one 32nd-minute counter-attack apart – wingers James and Gnonto had been.

Calvert-Lewin punished sloppy 49th-minute defending to spin and finally score that second Leeds goal. Minutes later he turned Nunes and drew a foul and a yellow card.

After 67 minutes, another clumsy foul on Calvert-Lewin – from Gvardiol – won a penalty. Gianluigi Donnarumma saved Nmecha's kick but was helpless to stop his third goal in as many games from the rebound.

Messy defending, a bundled goal from a corner video assistant referee Robert Jones had to decide if Silva impeded Perri at, even Donnarumma claiming injury at 2-1 so Guardiola could have a pep talk – it was all rather inelegant from City.

For them that could be a sign of progress, a more Arsenal-like dimension, but it certainly was for Leeds. For 20 minutes the game was in the balance, with more action at Perri's end, but not all of it.

Foden’s class, though, ended that.

Rather than being able to revel in his formation switch, Farke had to explain what took him so long. That is the lot of a losing manager.

"It's not that easy that we play 5-3-2 and then we win every game," he responded. "It always has to fit to a game, it has to fit to a structure."

He is right, and so are managers who increasingly argue those in the stands and especially the press box can get too caught up in formations.

But if 4-3-3 was the basis of August to November, maybe 5-3-2 can be the platform now, tighter defensively whilst giving centre-backs the retro problem of two big men.

We await Wednesday's team-sheet with interest.