Manchester City eased to a comfortable 2-0 win over poor Leicester to take the Foxes’ run of matches without scoring to a record-equalling seven games, one behind the Premier League record.
Pep Guardiola’s team rise to fourth in the race for a Champions League spot, knocking Chelsea out temporarily, while Leicester plummet deeper into trouble having lost 14 of their past 15 matches.
Manchester City defeat Leicester Match Analysis
In perhaps the most unbalanced meeting all campaign, the hosts opened the scoring within two minutes as Jack Grealish ended his 16-month goal drought in the Premier League by sweeping Savinho’s cutback inside the post after Jeremy Doku had picked up possession. Any hope Leicester could mount an effort was swiftly extinguished.
Without Erling Haaland, who was rested, Omar Marmoush worked through the centre and contributed to City’s second after Mads Hermansen essentially threw the ball at his feet and he rifled in off the crossbar.
Leicester provided little and managed not to have a single shot on target. They ended the game with an xG of 0.02 – the lowest of any top-flight team this seasonetter than Newcastle’s 0.04 in their defeat to Crystal Palace.
A night that began with City supporters arriving late in protest. This protest was amid a ticketing issues ended with numerous Foxes supporters departing early as yet another defeat, one that left them 12 points behind safety, was duly sealed.
Pep Guardiola praises ‘incredible’ Grealish
Man City manager Pep Guardiola speaking about Jack Grealish:”Jack is an incredible human being in terms of gestures. He’s incredibly generous. He scored a goal, made a good game, so it’s good. This is a guy who used to play free, between the lines he’s got the ability to control the ball and play an extra pass. I’m happy for him. It’s not easy when you don’t play regularly.
“We miss chances for the third goal but the rest was really good. Maybe we could have scored more. The experiences we’ve had this season, many times we’ve conceded a goal and then after lost many points.”
Manchester City versus Leicester City Player Ratings
Manchester City’s player ratings featured a balanced performance across the squad. Ederson, Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, and Nico all received a rating of 6, indicating a steady but unspectacular outing. O’Reilly stood out slightly with a 7, while Gundogan matched the general trend with a 6. In attack, Savinho, Grealish, and Marmoush all earned a 7, with Doku receiving a 6. Among the substitutes, McAtee was rated a 6, while Bobb, Lewis, and Reis were not given ratings.
Leicester, on the other hand, struggled, with most of their players receiving modest ratings. Hermansen had a particularly difficult game with a 4, while Thomas, Coady, Faes, and Justin all earned a 5. Kristiansen and Vardy also received a disappointing 4. Soumare, Ndidi, and Daka managed to secure a 5, while El Khannous was one of the few bright spots with a 6. Among the substitutes, Skipp made the most impact with a 7, while Okoli earned a 5. The remain subsitutes Buonanotte and Pereira received a 6 each. Ayew was unrated.
Omar Marmoush was named the Player of the Match for his standout performance.
Leicester Manager Ruud van Nistelrooy vows to keep fighting
“The form we’re in, if you start a game like this, it’s hard in the situation and that makes it extra hard. Away at City you want to have a good start but of course with the turnover in the midfield, and communication between goalkeeper and centre-back for the second goal, you’re 2-0 down. That made it very difficult for us.
“We live in reality”, Pep emphazied on City Journey this season, “We know the situation points wise. We have a responsibility to keep going and we have no other option but to do that. It’s got to do with personal pride and honour. We have to do the job as good as you can, that is my drive. That’s how I get up every morning. That demands character.
‘We’ve tried different options in different moments, different personnel, overall you can take the conclusion that we struggle to score in any system.
“The most important thing is that I stay at it and evaluate the games and be the best manager I can be with the team in an extremely difficult moment. I expect myself to be the first one to react and keep working.”
