Leeds manager Daniel Farke sent off and pulled away from referee at full-time after Man City defeat

January signing Antoine Semenyo was the hero again for City as the Ghana international scored the only goal of the game. It marked a vital three points for Pep Guardiola’s men as they closed the gap to league leaders Arsenal to just two points without the services of Erling Haaland to call upon.

With the Norwegian goal machine injured and unable to travel to Yorkshire, Omar Marmoush and Semenyo were entrusted to do the damage. The latter would once again pay back part of the hefty fee that City parted with to bring him to the northwest of England as he darted into the six-yard box and converted a low Rayan Ait-Nouri cross with a Haaland-esque finish. 

Arsenal would have been hoping that Guardiola’s men could slip up at a notoriously difficult ground to visit under the lights. The Gunners could once again move five points clear at the top on Sunday when they welcome Chelsea to the Emirates, but they will have played a game more than City.

The closely contested affair saw tempers fray and the Leeds boss was unhappy with a couple of decisions made by Bankes. With Leeds pressing for an equaliser late into the game, Farke was growing more frustrated with each second that ticked by as City ate up precious time with a variety of cleverly employed dark arts. When the referee then blew the whistle, Farke was aggrieved, expecting slightly more time to be played at the end of the game, and stormed onto the pitch.

There were also claims that the hosts should have been awarded a penalty when the ball came off Matheus Nunes’ arm in the box. It had appeared that the video assistant referee might have picked up a potential spot kick for Leeds, but the calls were dismissed and the original decision made by Bankes was upheld.

Rayan Cherki was also fortunate to escape punishment when he planted studs on the shin of Ilia Gruev. The Frenchman, looking to break quickly, scooped the ball out from the midfielder sat on the floor, but then trod on Gruev as he made his way forwards. The action was likely accidental, but Farke may have felt aggrieved that his side were not given a player's advantage.

Speaking after the game, Farke's assistant Eddie Riemer explained that the Leeds boss was unhappy with a number of issues. 

“I think I had just a short chat with him [Farke]. There were incidents and obvious time wasting,” Riemer said, via YahooSports. “We felt he could've given a corner several times. They got a yellow card several times. He runs on the pitch for 'For what' and this is why he gets sent off but maybe it was for aggression or a harsh manner. He rarely gets sent off. The first one was over-celebrating when we got promoted. This is the second and I think it's very harsh."

On the performance, Riemer added: “We put a really big shift in and pushed them to the end. Unbelievable performance. We'll try to recover well and be there against Sunderland on Tuesday.

“We should've scored a goal and when it comes close to the half-time whistle and you concede at the worst possible moment. To put such a shift in, completely proud of the boys.”

The pressure is on Arsenal to respond to a gruelling City performance with a victory of their own. The Gunners will be determined to inflict a third defeat of the season on Chelsea, after twice earning wins over their London rivals in the Carabao Cup.