Semenyo senses Man City's shift toward a title-winning mentality

LEEDS, England — Antoine Semenyo may be just weeks into his Manchester City career, but the forward says he can already feel the team switching into a title-winning mentality as the run-in tightens.

The 26-year-old was the difference on Saturday, scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 away win at Leeds United that pulled City, winner of six of the last eight Premier League crowns, to within two points of league leader Arsenal, which was due to host sixth-placed Chelsea in north London on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola's side has made a habit of tightening the screws come spring, stacking unbeaten streaks and grinding out narrow wins.

"Definitely seeing it, it starts from training every day — little habits, passing, possession, just making sure of the attention to detail, that everyone's focused and not lacking," said Semenyo.

"When you do that in training, it follows into games, and everyone just wants to win. Everyone is just majorly focused, and that shift in mentality is so crazy. It's just little things and making sure that we're in tip-top shape."

City's league-leading scorer Erling Haaland, who has shouldered the heavy weight of providing the team's goals, missed Saturday's game with an injury.

Semenyo, who has six goals and two assists in his 11 games since arriving at the Etihad Stadium in January, filled in admirably, but admitted the weight of responsibility is greater when Haaland is absent. "Being up front, if the big man's not there, you have to fill his boots," he said.

"It's always going to be big pressure when you're replacing Erling in the team."

But Semenyo's impact has been seamless, something he credits to his teammates and his coach, Guardiola.

"The boys make it so easy for me to adapt," he said. "They try to play to my strengths, and the coach helps me just be me — confident, calm and pop up with goals. Playing around world-class players keeps me on my toes."

Semenyo even debuted a new goal celebration — strumming an imaginary guitar — after suggestions that his mom was not keen on his previous trademark backflip celebration.

"A few friends said I should do something funny," Semenyo said."That was the first thing that came to my head. The crowd loved it."

Asked whether he was surprised by Semenyo's immediate impact, Guardiola said the club had simply hoped the signing would fit.

"You never know," he said. "You buy players with good intentions, but the impact has been good."

The City boss admitted Haaland's absence remains significant, saying:"I wish he was back."

But he offered no clarity on when the striker will return.

"I don't know. We don't have spies in the training center to deliver info," he joked. "I don't think it's a big issue. We will see."

For now, though, Semenyo is helping City stay on Arsenal's heels.

Slot lauds set-piece play

Liverpool boss Arne Slot said his side has played better this season and lost, but underlined the impact of set pieces after Saturday's 5-2 win over West Ham.

For only the second time in Premier League history a team scored three times from first-half corners, as goals from Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister put the English champion in a commanding position.

That followed a recent trend, as Van Dijk also scored away at Sunderland and Bournemouth in recent weeks, Ibrahima Konate netted from a corner in a 4-1 win over Newcastle and Dominik Szoboszlai's stunning freekick opened the scoring in a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City.

Liverpool has gone from having the worst record in the Premier League in the difference between the number goals scored and conceded from set-pieces at the end of 2025, to the best so far in 2026.

"Very pleasing, because, firstly, that is the reason we have won, and, secondly, because people said 'well played', and, in my opinion, we have played better when we lost and better when we conceded from set-pieces," said Slot.

"The first half of the season, almost every set-piece we conceded went in. We start scoring from set-pieces, and things start looking brighter and better than when you don't."

Liverpool sacked set-piece coach Aaron Briggs at the end of last year, but Slot played down the difference that change had made.

"We created quite a lot of chances in the first half of the season that, too many times, did not go in," he added.

"Maybe one or two small details have changed defensively and offensively — our set-up is slightly different — but the biggest reason is that things go back to normal."

Victory lifted Liverpool to fifth in the table and back in pole position for a return to the Champions League next season.

A place in the top five is almost certain to secure Champions League soccer, thanks to the strong results of English sides in European competition this season.

Agencies