Head is gone’ – Man City fans destroy starter’s ‘stinker’ in win vs Leeds United

Manchester City fans were expecting an easy afternoon at the Etihad Stadium, a match that looked simple on paper, a match that should have ended early with smiles, celebration, and comfortable dominance. Leeds United were fighting relegation, their manager Daniel Farke was under intense pressure, and almost every pundit predicted that Pep Guardiola’s side would destroy them without stress. Supporters came into the stadium ready to enjoy football, ready to enjoy goals, ready to watch their team show power and authority. And for the first 25 minutes, it really looked like that. It looked like total domination. It looked like Manchester City were about to embarrass Leeds United completely. It looked like one of those nights where the Etihad would become a fortress again. Phil Foden scored in the first minute, a stunning start that electrified the whole stadium, and then Josko Gvardiol doubled the lead before half-time. At that moment, nobody thought trouble was coming. Everybody thought the match was already finished. People believed Leeds would collapse completely. Fans were already thinking about the next match and how many goals City would score. But football is funny, unpredictable and emotional. It never warns you before it changes. And on this night, the match suddenly became something else, something dramatic, something shocking. The same fans that were smiling earlier became angry and frustrated later, and every conversation after the match centered around one player: Matheus Nunes.

Matheus Nunes was supposed to be the calm player in midfield, a player who has been performing so well in recent weeks that fans even started praising him again, calling him a key man, calling him the silent weapon. But today things changed. The mistakes came. The concentration disappeared. The confidence collapsed. The fans watched him closely because the first goal Leeds scored came directly from his error. One bad decision. One careless pass. One moment where he hesitated and suddenly Dominic Calvert-Lewin punished City instantly. The stadium went silent. Nunes went silent. His teammates were shocked. Everybody knew that goal opened the door for Leeds. And from that moment, the pressure started. The fans online started venting anger. The comments came fast. People didn’t hide their frustration: Nunes is having a stinker. Nunes’ head is gone. Nunes is a liability. Nunes goes back to his bozo genes when he gets compliments. People were not nice, and they didn’t care about sensitivity. The anger was real.

What made the situation worse was that Nunes had just picked up a yellow card moments before the mistake, meaning he should have been more careful, more focused, more calculated. But instead he got nervous. He got rushed. And that was when fans started shouting that his head was gone. That his confidence was finished. That he was not thinking clearly. It looked like every good thing he ever did in the first half evaporated instantly. It didn’t matter that he was brilliant last week. It didn’t matter that he contributed earlier in the match. Football is cruel. Fans remember the mistakes more than the positive actions. One error can destroy confidence. And for Nunes, it didn’t stop with one error. He continued making bad decisions in the second half. Misplaced passes. Wrong positioning. Panic in possession. Nervous body language. And immediately Leeds smelled blood. They started pressing him more and more and more. They knew he was rattled. They wanted to drag him into disaster completely.

As if one problem wasn’t enough, City had another player that decided to suffer on the same night: Josko Gvardiol. In the first half he looked unstoppable, scoring a goal, defending strongly and showing leadership. But the second half destroyed everything. It was like the match flipped upside down. Gvardiol gave away a penalty after a total miscommunication that created panic inside the box. Lukas Nmecha stepped up for Leeds and although Ederson saved the first attempt, Nmecha reacted quickest to the rebound and scored. Suddenly it was 2-2 at the Etihad Stadium. A moment that nobody expected. A moment where City fans started asking themselves serious questions. A moment where everything Pep Guardiola planned collapsed. The match that should have been easy suddenly turned into a horror show.

The fans were confused. They were angry. They were restless. They started pointing fingers. Some blamed Gvardiol. Some blamed the referee. But the loudest criticisms were directed at Matheus Nunes, and the internet was filled with comments almost instantly. Supporters tweeted things like: Nunes should be ashamed of himself. Nunes is the reason Leeds are back. Nunes is a liability at right-back. Nunes does something good then makes three mistakes. The frustration was sharp. It cut deep. And because fans talk with emotion, not always logic, the criticism continued even after City eventually won the match.

The scoreline ended 3-2 in favour of Manchester City because Phil Foden saved the day again with a late winner, but the performance felt embarrassing, painful, and worrying. People were happy about the three points, but nobody could ignore the suffering, the panic, the collapse of control, and the individual errors. City should not have struggled against a relegation-threatened team. City should not have thrown away a comfortable lead. City should not have been begging for a miracle in stoppage time. But it happened. And that is why the fans reacted like this.

Some fans defended Nunes, saying he has been good recently and deserves patience. But the majority did not want patience. The majority wanted accountability. They wanted someone to blame for the stress they experienced in the second half. And Nunes became the target. People even asked Pep Guardiola on social media to take him off early because they believed his lack of confidence was becoming dangerous. Fans said his head was gone. They said he was losing concentration. They said he was not mentally present. In football, when a player begins to panic, everything falls apart quickly, and that is exactly what the fans believe happened today.

Nunes wasn’t the only one who suffered emotionally. You could see Pep Guardiola on the touchline screaming, shouting, and gesturing because he knew the match was getting out of control. He knew his team was playing with fear. He knew the mental stability was fading. And when City finally scored the late winner, he didn’t celebrate loudly in joy. He celebrated in relief. The kind of relief you feel when you escape danger rather than dominate an opponent. The kind of relief you feel when survival matters more than style.

Football doesn’t care about previous victories. Fans don’t care about past performances. Every match resets everything, especially when a team is fighting for the Premier League title. One mistake can become a big story. One bad performance can overshadow 10 good performances. And unfortunately, that is what happened to Matheus Nunes today. The same people who praised him two weeks ago were calling for him to be benched today. That is the emotional rollercoaster of elite football.

After the final whistle, many fans were still arguing online. Some said Nunes just needs guidance and confidence because he has talent. Others said he doesn’t deserve to start because he is too risky. Some even suggested selling him in January. The criticism got intense because the expectation at Manchester City is extremely high. The standard is perfection. There is no space for mistakes when the team is chasing another Premier League title. And with Arsenal keeping pressure at the top of the table, fans are not ready to tolerate moments of weakness.

What made the story even more dramatic is that both Nunes and Gvardiol contributed positively in the first half. They looked like heroes earlier, then looked like liabilities later. That emotional switch is what shocked everyone. People don’t understand how players can go from powerful to fragile so quickly. But that is what pressure does. That is what nerves do. That is what football does.

Some Manchester City fans will move on quickly, but some will not forget. The match left an emotional scar because it created fear that bigger problems might come later, especially in difficult fixtures. Foden saved the night, but fans know that one player cannot always rescue the team. If the defensive mistakes continue, if the panic continues, if the loss of focus continues, City’s title dream could be damaged. That is why people are reacting with strong emotions. They love their club deeply and fear anything that threatens success.

In the dressing room after the match, Pep Guardiola will surely talk to the players. He will remind them that winning is not always enough. Performances matter. Mental strength matters. And errors like today cannot be repeated. He will protect Nunes in public because that is his style. But in private, he will challenge him to improve. He will challenge Gvardiol too. Because Pep knows these problems must be fixed now before they become bigger.

For Nunes, today will hurt. He will feel the weight of the criticism. He will hear the noise. He will remember the errors. The football world is not gentle. But champions are built in moments like this. He will either rise and become stronger or get swallowed by pressure. Time will tell. But tonight, the fans expressed their honest feelings, and the message was loud: they were furious, they were disappointed, and they believed Nunes nearly destroyed the match.

In the end, Manchester City won 3-2. The fans went home with three points but heavy hearts. Happiness mixed with anger. Relief mixed with fear. Victory mixed with embarrassment. And the name that echoed in every discussion was Matheus Nunes, a player who experienced both praise and heavy criticism in the same match. Football is emotional. Football is unpredictable. And nights like this remind everyone why millions love the game and fear the game at the same time. Manchester City survived. But nobody will forget how close things came to disaster. And nobody will forget the man at the centre of the chao