Manchester City picked up a fourth win in their last five matches to jump back to the top of the Premier League table with a gritty 1-0 victory away to Leicester City.
After a frustrating night in Dortmund in the Champions League during the week, being held to a 0-0 draw inside of a fiery Signal Iduna Park, the Premier League champions will have been keen on getting back to winning ways and continue their push towards a third consecutive league title.
With no Erling Haaland in the side due to injury, Pep Guardiola’s side struggled to break down a resolute Leicester backline.
The Foxes sat deep and tried to frustrate their Mancunian counterparts for the majority of the proceedings.
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As a result, the first half was a frustrating one for the Blues, as the chances came few and far between.
Luckily for the traveling Manchester City fans however, Kevin De Bruyne provided a piece of immense quality to break the deadlock within five minutes into the second half.
His free-kick from 25 yards out smacked the inside of the post and beat Danny Ward to snatch a lead.
While most would have expected the early second half strike to force the Foxes out of their shells to reclaim parity, the home side remained sheepish and allowed Manchester City to control the tempo as the clock ticked up towards 90.
While they did manage to create a flurry of half-chances in an effort to pull themselves level in the dying minutes, Brendan Rodgers' men were well marshalled by the City rearguard.
Most importantly, Ederson was rarely troubled in the City goal.
Next up for the Blues is another date with Sevilla in the Champions League.
But having already cemented qualification from Group G, City will likely have their sights set towards next weekend’s clash with Fulham in the Premier League.
While they will finish the day as league leaders, second place Arsenal do have a game in hand on the Blues.
Mikel Arteta's men could leapfrog them back into the driver's seat by the end of the weekend.
Regardless, Pep Guardiola and his side will be delighted to get their name back in the win column in a tough road fixture.
Topics: Leicester City, Manchester City, Premier League, Football
Adam Booker