Haaland strikes late as Man City edge Leipzig in five-goal thriller

Manchester City twice came from behind to beat RB Leipzig 3-2 in the Champions League, with Erling Haaland's late intervention sparing Enzo Maresca's side further discomfort, according to Yahoo Sports.

City dominated the ball, holding 65% possession, yet it was Leipzig who had the better of the chances early on, registering 14 attempts to City's 12 as Antonio Nusa and David Raum repeatedly found space in behind the visitors' defence.

The opening goal, after 37 minutes, came at Leipzig's expense: Castello Lukeba turned Nico O'Reilly's cross into his own net to put City ahead.

Leipzig were level four minutes into the second half when Ridle Baku beat Gianluigi Donnarumma at his near post, exposing the Italian goalkeeper on an uneasy evening between the posts.

Enzo Fernandez restored City's lead with a header from Iliman Ndiaye's delivery, only for Nusa to equalise again three minutes later and extend an increasingly open contest.

Haaland, wearing the captain's armband, had touched the ball only three times before half-time but proved decisive when it mattered, finishing a cut-back from Elliot Anderson in the 78th minute for his 13th goal in nine appearances against Leipzig, Yahoo Sports reported.

Anderson's involvement in the winner followed a mixed night: his earlier defensive error had played a part in Leipzig's first equaliser, but he responded with the match-winning assist. Rayan Cherki also caused problems for Leipzig, striking the crossbar during a lively City attacking display.

Maresca will have left Germany satisfied with three points but concerned by his side's repeated susceptibility in transition, with Donnarumma's uncertain display and the frequency with which Leipzig broke through City's defensive line both cited as issues to address, per Yahoo Sports' assessment. Abdukodir Khusanov and O'Reilly were among the individual performers to impress despite the collective frailties.

The fixture carried an added subplot for Leipzig defender Maxime Esteve, who spoke to Sky Sports Football before the reunion about his previous meeting with Manchester City, when he scored two own goals at the Etihad Stadium last season.

Esteve said he had not made a point of telling his new Leipzig teammates about that painful afternoon. "Maybe they don't even know," he joked, ahead of a fixture in which he had also expressed hope of making his Champions League debut, Sky Sports Football reported.

City's victory keeps their Champions League campaign on track, though Maresca's post-match focus is likely to centre on tightening a defence that has now been breached regularly in recent European outings.