Manchester City 6-3 Leicester City
Manchester City went six points clear at the top of the Premier League after hitting Leicester for six in an all-action encounter.
With Liverpool’s clash against Leeds called off and Chelsea playing away to Aston Villa this was a chance for Pep Guardiola’s side to take a firm grip in the title race and, boy, did they deliver. Four goals within the opening 25 minutes simply blew the Foxes away as Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan and Raheem Sterling all breached the Leicester defence.
But Brendan Rodgers’ team has plenty of creative muscle and they amazingly pulled three back through James Maddison, Ademola Lookman and Kelechi Iheanacho before Aymeric Laporte settled any Mancunian nerves and Sterling’s second made it six.
The fighting Foxes finished the game in tenth but might drop out of the top half when the rest of the weekend’s matches are completed.
Highlights of the game
According to their ever shortening Premier League 2021 betting odds Manchester City’s incredible depth of squad will probably see them through to a fourth title in five years. Liverpool and Chelsea will hope to be able to do something to stop them, but the way they set about the Foxes on Boxing Day, the Sky Blues have the eye of the tiger and it is their title to lose.
The hosts came out of the blocks at lightening speed and were ahead on five minutes. Fernandinho chipped a ball into the danger area which Jan Vestergaard unbelievably left to De Bruyne and the Belgian curled his effort into the corner for 1-0. One became two eight minutes later after rough-house defending from Leicester gave the hosts a spot kick. Youri Tielemens wrestled Aymeric Laporte to the floor and, once the referee had consulted the VAR monitor, the inevitable penalty was given. Mahrez smashed his shot into the top corner leaving Kasper Schmeichel clutching at air.
Leicester have some fine players and Brendan Rodgers will be pleased that one of his most gifted is back on song; and James Maddison came within a whisker of scoring a cracker when he unleashed a shot which Ederson tipped onto the crossbar, to protect City’s two goal lead. But any dreams the Foxes had of a comeback took a hefty blow when their keeper made an uncharacteristic mistake. The Sky Blues moved the ball swiftly down the right and the in-form Joao Cancelo squared across the six yard box, but Schmeichel simply palmed the ball into the path of Gundogan who gratefully tapped the ball home.
And then Tielemens had another brain freeze when Sterling skipped past him. The Belgian star simply hung his leg out, Sterling went down and the ref pointed to the spot for a second time in quarter of an hour. The England man won the penalty so he took the spot kick and converted brilliantly.
Game over? Not according to the Foxes.
The visitors had shown attacking intent throughout the first half, though they were picked off by their ruthless opponents. But they did get some reward early in the second half when Maddison pulled one back, starting and finishing a swift counter attack. And before the hour mark they bagged another with a second counter attack, this time Kelechi Iheanacho teed up Ademola Lookman and he smashed the ball into the net.
The Foxes fans chanted ‘We’re gonna win 5-4’ and they erupted again when Maddison’s shot was once again tipped onto the crossbar but this time Iheanacho poked the rebound home.
But the Sky Blues eased their fans’ nerves when Laporte planted his header home from a Mahrez corner and Sterling made it six, side-footing home from a corner.
What a game!
Key statistics
The Sky Blues have now registered nine league wins in a row after this Christmas treat of a game. Leicester played their part in the festive fun as the hosts narrowly won the shot counts by 17 to 14 and nine to eight on target.
Raheem Sterling has now scored in four consecutive league games.
What’s next?
Tomorrow is a big day for my SBOTOP colleague, James, as his team, Manchester United, travel to the North East to take on struggling Newcastle United. A win will keep the Red Devils nicely in the top four hunt, while Newcastle need a result to ensure the extra games they have played have not all gone to waste. The wealthy Magpies are currently three points from safety and have played more games than the teams they are trying to chase down.
Leicester’s Premier League 2021 results have been patchy to say the least and their tough run of fixtures continues when they meet Liverpool, for the second time in a week, this time at the KingPower Stadium in a league clash on Tuesday 28th. Jurgen Klopp’s side have had a chance to rest and recuperate over Christmas after their Boxing Day clash with Leeds United was postponed. The Sky Blues have two days to prepare before they travel south to take on Thomas Frank’s Brentford. The Bees have enjoyed a brilliant first half of the campaign and have given themselves a good chance of a second season in the top flight.
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