It was surely the most remarkable smash and grab result that the Premier League has seen this century.
Leeds United were always going to be overwhelming underdogs ahead of their trip to Manchester City and an appointment with Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad Stadium, and their plight was made even worse when Liam Cooper was sent off for a dangerous lunge on Gabriel Jesus.
MORE: Liverpool contact Barcelona about world-class star
The visitors were one goal to the good at half-time, but once City had equalised through Ferran Torres, it seemed as if the floodgates would open for the hosts.
However, City hadn’t bargained for a tweak that Leeds’ manager, Marcelo Bielsa, had made during the break.
According to The Athletic (subscription required), cited by HITC, Bielsa and his coaching staff spent the 15 minutes ensuring their players remembered the drills they’d worked on in training in just such an eventuality [going down to 10 men].
Marking potential receivers of the ball, rather than pressing too high, meant that City were denied space to deliver a knockout blow.
Though the hosts had 29 shots to Leeds’ two, and 72 percent possession to Leeds’ 28 percent, it still wasn’t enough to stop Bielsa engineering a famous win for his side.