Haaland 77th-minute strike gives Manchester City 3-2 Champions League win at RB Leipzig

Erling Haaland scored a 77th-minute winner as Manchester City defeated RB Leipzig 3-2 in a Champions League match in Leipzig on 4 November 2026, with Rayan Cherki hitting a post late on.

Manchester City ended a run of two losses in three games but their manager, Enzo Maresca, was left with concerns over a porous defence and an unsettled midfield. City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was blamed for Ridle Baku’s equaliser and his recent errors were linked to Nicolas Jackson’s winner at Aston Villa and two goals conceded in last month’s defeat by Paris Saint-Germain.

Maresca made four changes from the side beaten by Brighton, omitting Rúben Dias and selecting Abdukodir Khusanov at centre-back while Haaland wore the captain’s armband. The selection appeared aimed at countering Antonio Nusa, with Martin Demichelis adopting a plan to exploit pace on the break; an early Enzo Fernández pass released Rayan Cherki, whose shot curled wide of Maarten Vandevoordt’s right post. More than 2,000 travelling City supporters were positioned near Donnarumma’s goal while the home end behind Vandevoordt provided the louder backing for Leipzig.

City took the lead when Nico O’Reilly’s cross forced Castello Lukeba into an own goal, the ball deflecting in off his trailing left knee. Moments later Haaland and O’Reilly both failed to convert headers as City pushed for a second, and Leipzig produced threats at the other end with Marc Guéhi clearing and Christoph Baumgartner shooting marginally wide.

The second half swung in Leipzig’s favour when a loose pass from Elliot Anderson to O’Reilly was intercepted, Brajan Gruda fed an overlapping Ridle Baku and Donnarumma allowed the tight-angled shot to go in between him and his left post. Ezechiel Banzuzi then struck the side-netting and Donnarumma fumbled another Baku effort before Iliman Ndiaye’s cross found Fernández, who headed City back in front.

Leipzig responded when Nusa finished from the left after Matheus Nunes was out of position, restoring parity, and Anderson later blasted over from close range. On 77 minutes Anderson crossed again and Haaland slid in to convert the decisive chance that gave City the lead, with Cherki hitting a post in the closing stages.

City travel to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.