Five Things Learned: Leicester City 0-2 Manchester City (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City pulled off a tricky 0-2 win over Leicester City in the Premier League to momentarily pause their poor run of form across competitions.

Pep Guardiola walked away with all three points in his 500th game in charge as City boss as Savinho and Erling Haaland’s goals gave the champions much-needed relief from a five-match winless streak in the Premier League.

Both teams created early chances but were denied; Haaland shot straight at Jakub Stolarczyk, while Stefan Ortega stopped Jamie Vardy from capitalising on a Josko Gvardiol mistake. On the other hand, City were slow and calculated pressing but targeted flanks through Savinho and Phil Foden to stretch Leicester’s backline.

The hosts forced City into nervy moments that led to a break in formations and casual mistakes in attempt to resist waves of attacks. The visitors were frequently tested until they managed to string together a few passes, which allowed Foden to take a long-range shot. Stolarczyk went down while blocking and parried the ball into the path of the incoming Savinho, who shot past the keeper from a tight angle to net his first goal for City.

The Brazilian assisted Erling Haaland later in the match. James McAtee, brought on as a substitute in the second-half, started it all with a quick change of direction into open space. He found Kevin De Bruyne running infield, who set Savinho in motion towards goal, scooping the ball towards a leaping Haaland, and the latter headed it into the net to seal three points.

Although full-time favoured the champions, City were largely torn open by the hosts, who could not bring any of their manoeuvres to a fruitful finish. Leicester repeatedly found themselves orchestrating dominant spells that exposed gaping holes in Guardiola’s side.

However, considering the nature of their recent losses and draws, the Blues would be happy to walk away with a scrappy win. They may have ended the year on a high, but a new year may not be enough to rid them of old troubles. Fortunately, the win also presented positives that City desperately needed at this point, giving them much-needed hope before their return.

Here are the Five Things We Learned from Manchester City’s 0-2 victory over Leicester City in the Premier League!

A narrow escape for City’s defence

Considering their record in recent games, a clean sheet was a victory on its own for the Sky Blues. It had become typical of the champions to concede from opponents’ first shot on target, which didn’t happen against Leicester, and the team did better in showing composure after defensive mistakes.

Ortega held his ground against shots, Nathan Ake made crucial clearances, Josko Gvardiol made errors while tracking back on counters, Manuel Akanji was found out of position a couple of times before he settled and made good blocks, and Rico Lewis did everything that was asked of him – a routine display from the lot.

However, the biggest reason Manchester City escaped with a clean sheet was Jamie Vardy, who appeared aloof from his usual goal-scoring prowess. On any other day, Vardy could have easily found the net at least thrice when facing the resistance mentioned above.

He also had incredible service from his teammates, who could easily pierce through City’s defensive line more times than the champions would’ve liked. It would be unfair to state that the team was lucky not to concede, but the clean sheet was not more than a welcome distraction from the persisting problems in defence that require long-term addressing.

Pep Guardiola gets honest about his champions

City’s defence has suffered dramatically because of injury-related inconsistency. Nathan Ake, who is evidently playing through discomfort, had to make way for Kyle Walker in the second half. With Ruben Dias out until at least mid-January and John Stones battling recurring injuries, Guardiola has no option but to rely on a limping Ake.

Thankfully, the City boss admitted needing help in “some positions” wherein he named his defence, citing injuries to centre-backs. Guardiola also suggested the same for holding midfield, announcing the champions’ intent to bring in new legs in the transfer window.

For now, he has options in Ilkay Gundogan, who has grown better playing in the position, and Mateo Kovacic, who looked promising. The Croatian moved the ball ahead with admirable pace against Leicester. However, his contribution to defensive duties requires polishing, as City faces the near-impossible task of replacing an injured Rodri.

Erling Haaland issues a gentle reminder

The City striker’s recent struggles in front of the goal are no news. His missed penalty against Everton marked the fourth appearance for the Norwegian without a goal. For all his ability, Erling Haaland appeared slightly wasteful in the first half. However, he was poised to use a different weapon this time.

Whether it was his curved pass to Savinho during the build-up or dodging the Foxes to create his own chance, Haaland embodied the less-desired but often highly admired plays by stalwart strikers.

It showed that Guardiola has an option to explore and stabilise for situations when Haaland is left with no service in the box. More importantly, it was a clear message that he could do more than just wait for passes and redirect them towards the goal.

The City forward found the net late in the game to extend City’s lead. The entire team celebrated the end of his goalless streak, hoping this would work wonders for the record-breaking star’s confidence.

Hopefully, the goal against Leicester is the turnaround that Erling Haaland needed. Still, his dribbling should undoubtedly be included in the manager’s tactical plans ahead of the second half of the season.

James McAtee stuns the Foxes

Pep Guardiola’s limited use of James McAtee united the City faithful in its criticism, and many believed the Academy star deserved a chance to showcase his potential on the pitch.

They were proven correct when McAtee replaced Phil Foden in the second half, and his sharp skills made an instant impression. He was deceptively composed when marking his man and tracked back effectively to close all gaps when Leicester was on the counter.

His sharp turns allowed McAtee to create space for City as he evaded his defenders to prevent his side from being held in their half by the Foxes. The youngster spotted a brief opening in space and spun around to play the ball towards Kevin De Bruyne, who had spotted Savinho’s run on the left. The latter received the ball and crossed it towards a pacing Haaland, who headed it past Jakub Stolarczyk.

Those aware of McAtee’s Academy exploits have always believed him to impact a game positively. His involvement in the second goal for City – the exploiting of space and swift ball progression – was the evidence anyone needed. He made a strong claim for the starting spot with his performance against Leicester, and how he is rewarded remains to be seen.

The Savinho show

City indeed showed improvements in their win against Leicester, but it was Savinho who ran the show. The Brazilian has been a bright attacking prospect for the Sky Blues over the last couple of months.

However, a lack of flair in his final third meant Savinho had taken 27 shots with no goals to show in the Premier League. But then came the 28th, and he tried once more. The City forward pounced on the ball parried away by Stolarczyk after blocking Phil Foden’s long-range effort.

Savinho, charging from the left, reached the ball and lashed it past the Leicester goalkeeper to score his first goal for the Sky Blues. An emotional celebration followed for the Brazilian, who would end the game with an assist.

Not all his performances have been faultless – maybe none of them were – but he showed the spirit to fight when one of the best sides in the world struggled to create and was rewarded for his persistence in the final outing of the year. This result could play an instrumental role in pushing him towards recognising and exploiting his strengths in the second half of the season.