3 Up & 2 Down: Leeds United 1-3 Manchester City

Manchester City ultimately outclassed Leeds United 1-3 Wednesday night at Elland Road. The Blues certainly could have put a few more past Leeds keeper Illan Meslier, but they couldn’t have been more comfortable in the victory. Here’s a look at which performances have players on the upswing and who is headed on a downward trajectory after Premier League Matchweek 17.

3 Up

Rodri - What can be said about Rodri? There have been some forced comparisons with players who are certainly fine footballers, but any suggestion that Rodri is not the finest Central Defensive Midfielder in England is a bit laughable. A goal and another stalwart performance from City’s man in the middle.

Super Jack - It was a tale of two halves for our man Jack, (see 2 Down below). Second half Jack was, in fact, sublime. City played down Grealish’s left side throughout the match. In the second stanza, Jack’s runs found an end product as he doled out a pair of assists. Doesn’t hurt that those end products came from the boot of Erling Haaland.

Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images

Rico - It was a bit surprising to see Rico Lewis make a second consecutive first-team start. Rico had a very nice match in the League Cup, and on Wednesday made his full Premier League debut. He acquitted himself very well once again. His involvement in the attack, his ability to quickly win the ball back in the press, and his contributions in the final third were all integral to City’s success.

2 Down

Not-so-Super Jack - Now, let’s talk about first-half Jack. Honestly, most of his play was very similar in the opening 45, but he definitely left 2 or 3 chances that should have been easily taken. One of those chances found Jack on the end of a Riyad Mahrez cross in front of an open net. Jack skied the attempt. Not optimal for a player who is struggling to find his scoring touch.

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

Pitch-Side Camera - This mid-week Premier League match was broadcast live on Amazon Prime in the UK. The good folks at Prime took the time to set up cameras in some interesting places around Elland Road. One unfortunate camera found itself on the end of the Man City dugout, where a somewhat bored Kyle Walker was sat. Walker did his best to assist the production team with camera angles, but in the end, Kyle isn’t a video technician and he just ended up taking the camera out of service.

There you are Cityzens. What were your top storylines from the Match at Leeds? Let us know in the comments.