RESULT
Leeds United 1 Manchester City 1
Leeds: Rodrigo (59')
Man City: Sterling (17')
Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds)
It was never going to be dull. Marcelo Bielsa and Pep Guardiola’s mutual commitment to attack is a reason each respects the other so much.
Their first Premier League meeting was played with the speed and the ambition most expected. It amounted to breathtaking brilliance in terms of entertainment.
Ultimately, perhaps it was appropriate that men who share footballing principles shared the points. Bielsa found himself vindicated in two respects. He had argued this week that it was no advantage to Leeds that Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus were out as City still had Raheem Sterling.
Sadly for him, he was proved right when the winger scored. Yet he was vindicated again when he brought on Rodrigo Moreno and the Spaniard illustrated why Bielsa had made him the most expensive player in Leeds’ history in a sparkling cameo. He scored once, hit the bar twice and changed the game.
The surprise was that such an all-action affair only produced two goals. Chances came with remarkable regularity – 13 in the first half-hour alone – as their respective managers’ principles produced a classic.
City may have been affronted by last week's shock scoreline against Leicester. Leeds had gone toe to toe with the champions Liverpool. Neither took a backward step.
Guardiola responded to Sunday’s 5-2 defeat by introducing his new centre-back partnership. Ruben Dias was parachuted in for a debut, following his move from Benfica, and Aymeric Laporte was given a first league start of the season after recovering from coronavirus. Eric Garcia was omitted altogether ahead of a possible move to Barcelona.
Dias’ first contribution could have been to open his City account. The unmarked Portuguese met Riyad Mahrez’s corner but headed past the post. He could not be faulted for City’s defensive difficulties, which stemmed more from the full-back positions.
City had struck the woodwork inside three minutes. It was an early indication of the quick thinking both sides showed when Kevin de Bruyne whipped a free kick against the near post. Illan Meslier, who had been expecting a cross, was almost embarrassed.
Another unconventional move proved a masterstroke. Guardiola sprang a surprise by using Riyad Mahrez as a false nine. The beneficiary was Sterling, allowed to return to his more natural territory on the left, unleashed and unstoppable.
Mahrez might have broken the deadlock, courtesy of Sterling, who left Luke Ayling with twisted blood, but Stuart Dallas cleared his shot off the line. Sterling did put City ahead, finding the far corner of the net with precision after Liam Cooper, with a stray touch, allowed Ferran Torres to set up the winger.
Sterling shoulders a heavy burden in the absence of Aguero and Jesus, but his transformation into a prolific scorer is now complete. There was the sense that Guardiola reshaped his forward line because he recognised Sterling was his trump card.
And yet Leeds responded, aided by a relentless display of running power. They had got three equalisers before eventually losing at Anfield. They mustered one against City. They had threatened from the start.
Ezgjan Alioski’s header and Patrick Bamford’s rasping shot both cleared the bar. Clearer chances fell to the full-backs, in itself a sign of how progressive Bielsa’s blueprint is. Stuart Dallas burst into the box to meet Tyler Roberts’ lay-off. Ederson denied him with a sprawling save and Luke Ayling with a similarly fine block after he latched on to Benjamin Mendy’s error.
Bielsa has a habit of making decisive early changes. He brought the former City winger Ian Poveda on at half-time. His second switch was more notable, however. On came Rodrigo and, for the first time, Leeds’ record signing was soon on the scoresheet.
After his well-struck effort took a touch on to the bar, Ederson failed to claim Kalvin Phillips’ resulting corner. Rodrigo swept in the loose ball for the first repayment of his £27 million ($34.9m) fee. There was nearly a second, with Ederson redeeming himself with a brilliant save to tip the Spaniard’s header on to the woodwork.
Mahrez, too, had to turn stopper with a last-ditch challenge on Bamford, just as Ederson had to deny the striker a winner. Honours even after the most eventful of 1-1 draws.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
RESULTS
Bantamweight
Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)
(Split decision)
Featherweight
Hussein Salim (IRQ) beat Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)
(Round 1 submission, armbar)
Catchweight 80kg
Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Otabek Kadirov (UZB)
(Round-1 submission, rear naked choke)
Lightweight
Ho Taek-oh (KOR) beat Ronald Girones (CUB)
(Round 3 submission, triangle choke)
Lightweight
Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) beat Damien Lapilus (FRA)
(Unanimous points)
Bantamweight
Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)
(Round 1 TKO)
Featherweight
Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)
(Round 1 rear naked choke)
Flyweight
Shannon Ross (TUR) beat Donovon Freelow (USA)
(Unanimous decision)
Lightweight
Dan Collins (GBR) beat Mohammad Yahya (UAE)
(Round 2 submission D’arce choke)
Catchweight 73kg
Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM) beat Islam Mamedov (RUS)
(Round 3 submission, kneebar)
Bantamweight world title
Xavier Alaoui (MAR) beat Jaures Dea (CAM)
(Unanimous points 48-46, 49-45, 49-45)
Flyweight world title
Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)
(Round 1 RSC)
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
UFC Fight Night 2
1am – Early prelims
2am – Prelims
4am-7am – Main card
7:30am-9am – press cons
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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RESULT
Leeds United 1 Manchester City 1
Leeds: Rodrigo (59')
Man City: Sterling (17')
Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds)
