FULL TIME: Manchester City 1-3 Leicester City
And that’s that! Leicester enjoyed a little luck, they had the better of the refereeing decisions, and yet they were easily the best side anyway. Thoroughly deserved victors. That’s revenge for the 1969 FA Cup final, but perhaps more importantly, a win that puts them six points clear at the top of the Premier League table. This has been a serious statement of intent from a side who are now 7-4 favourites to win their first-ever English league title. Can anybody stop them? Arsenal, your turn next. Read Paul Wilson’s report from the Etihad Stadium:
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90 min +4: Space for Kolarov in the Leicester area on the right. His shot is deflected wide right for a corner. From which, Demichelis flashes a header wide left. Leicester finally looking a bit shaky, but it’s all come far too late for Manchester City.
90 min +3: For a second it looks like Vardy will be tearing clear down the left, but the Fuchs clearance he was chasing rolled out of play.
90 min +2: Fernandinho dribbles into the box from the right, and floats a cross to the far post. Sterling can’t meet it, though if that had been floating in, Schmeichel wouldn’t have been able to stop the fluke. It wasn’t far away, the ball flashing inches wide of the left-hand post.
90 min +1: Fernandinho has a belt from 25 yards. It’s 25 yards over the crossbar.
90 min: There will be four added minutes.
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89 min: Leicester suddenly betray a few nerves! Simpson plays a weak backpass down the left, and Aguero is clear in the area! But Schmeichel is out quickly to narrow the angle, and Aguero is panicked into slamming a wild shot into the side netting. This isn’t over quite yet.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-3 Leicester City (Aguero 87)
A corner out on the right. Celina takes. It’s half cleared. Celina gets the ball back, and curls a cross of extreme perfection onto Aguero’s head, six yards out. Aguero flashes a brilliant header into the left-hand side of the goal, Schmeichel with no chance. Augero was a yard offside, but the goal stands. That levels up the penalty non-decision, then.
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86 min: Dyer comes on for Albrighton.
85 min: Vardy wins a corner down the right with yet another busy bustle. From the set piece, Drinkwater takes a shot from 25 yards. It goes out for a throw on the left. Ah well, nothing’s ever perfect.
84 min: The Leicester fans are in full Party Mode. And why not? Their unfancied team have been the bosses of Manchester City today. Can anybody stop them? “I would argue that Leicester’s football is more attractive than Arsenal’s,” writes Ruth Purdue, who can speak for me, too. “It’s just the devastating directness and speed. Cue people writing in.” Fortunately, there’s not enough time left for me to publish.
82 min: Ulloa comes on for Okazaki, whose energy has been vital to Leicester’s efforts today.
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80 min: It’s all Leicester. Albrighton slips a low pass into the Manchester City box from the right. Vardy lashes a first-time shot into the side netting. So close to the fourth. This is some performance by Leicester. “What you did in your youth is your business, Scott,” writes Justin Kavanagh, “but seriously, this is not an acid flashback, right?” Lysergic City.
77 min: Bersant Celina, 19, comes on to make his Premier League debut for Manchester City. Silva makes way. Meanwhile Leicester swap Mahrez for recent signing Demarai Gray.
75 min: Aguero is trying to kick-start Manchester City into action, but it’s a futile effort. He dribbles down the left but can’t get a shot away. Then he picks up possession again, and has a dig from 25 yards, but it’s straight at Schmeichel.
73 min: Leicester are rampant. Mahrez, out on the right, creams a Hollywood pass left for Albrighton, who would be free on goal had Zabaleta not eyebrowed out for a corner. From the set piece, Fuchs whips low and hard from the left, Vardy nearly glancing a header into the bottom right. He doesn’t get enough purchase on the ball, though, and it flies out on the right. It’s chance after chance, though. City haven’t benefited from the referee’s decisions today, but they’ve also been little short of shambolic at the back.
72 min: A free kick for Leicester in the centre circle. Drinkwater tries to take it quickly, knocking the ball straight at Fernando, who was a yard away, stubborn as you like. Fernando goes in the book. “It’s like Leicester have just found the setting to play the entire season in easy mode,” opines Jeremy Dresner.
70 min: Leicester are relentless, a case study in positivity. Okazaki bombs down the left and is illegally checked by Zabaleta, just outside the area. Zabaleta is yellow-carded. A free kick in a dangerous position, though this one’s wasted. Hart hacks his clearance straight out of play on the right, which illustrates Manchester City’s collective state of mind right now. Befuddlement.
68 min: It should be four. Drinkwater rakes a long pass down the inside-right channel, and Vardy is free on goal. Hart comes off his line in a very determined manner, and starjumps to smother. A wonder save.
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66 min: Fernandinho has a speculative whack from distance but it’s easily blocked. Then Sterling finds some space on the left, but his deep cross is way too high for Aguero to latch onto. As the ball sails harmlessly into the stand behind the goal, Aguero falls over in the slapstick style and skitters hysterically across the damp turf. That just about sums up Manchester City’s day.
65 min: More space for Albrighton down the left. He hooks the ball into the area, where Okazaki nearly meets the ball on the penalty spot. He can’t control. Manchester City are all over the shop at the back.
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62 min: It’s worth saying that Manchester City have had no luck whatsoever today. Replays show that the corner preceding that third goal shouldn’t have been awarded: the ball came off Okazaki’s knee. And of course there’s that penalty non-decision in the first half. But Leicester are still worth their lead. This is a proper statement of intent from a team everyone will have to take very seriously now.
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GOAL! Manchester City 0-3 Leicester City (Huth 60)
The corner’s hit deep. Huth rises, 12 yards out, level with the right-hand post, and sends a bullet header across Hart and into the top right! A suggestion that he might have had his hands on the shoulders of Demichelis, but the Manchester City man was so passive there. Huth gets his second of the day, and this is a title challenge all right. A stylish one at that.
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59 min: Zabaleta clumsily clatters Albrighton down the left. Manchester City only half clear the free kick that’s whipped into the box. Vardy spins round Zabaleta at speed and breaks into the box down the inside-left channel. His low fizzer nearly finds Okazaki at the near post. It’s bundled out for a corner. From which ...
57 min: Manchester City press Leicester back a little. Sterling twists around down the inside-left channel, but with options in the middle chooses to shoot from a restricted angle, and the danger is gone. “0-2. Can you reassure us that you’re not making this up?” begs Michael Cosgove. Would I lie to you? This is on.
54 min: Zabaleta works hard down the right to earn a corner off Drinkwater. The set piece is whipped towards the near post, where Fernando heads down from six yards. It’s got goal written all over it, but Schmeichel drops down to turn the ball away from danger, a wonderful reaction save. The Leicester fans make some more predictions using the medium of song. Are they gonna win it? There’s a fair chance now, isn’t there.
52 min: A double change by Manchester City, who are in collective shock right now. Toure and Delph are unceremoniously hooked, with Fernando and Iheanacho coming on.
50 min: Manchester City try to respond - a corner’s won down the right - but Fernandinho’s header goalwards is weak. Leicester go up the other end, through Mahrez down the left. The resulting cross nearly finds Okazaki, sliding in six yards out, but Hart gathers just in time.
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GOAL! Manchester City 0-2 Leicester City (Mahrez 48)
This is a stunner! Kante wins the ball in the midfield, rides a couple of challenges down the left, and shuttles the ball forward for Mahrez, who drops a shoulder, takes a stride towards the left-hand side of the D, steps over the ball, and absolutely lashes a shot into the top left. Unstoppable! This really is on now. This is a bona fide title bid!
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47 min: A bright, end-to-end start to the half. First up, Simpson is booked for a fairly agricultural lunge on Sterling as the winger makes off at speed down the left. Then Leicester go up the other end through Albrighton, who reaches the byline down the left, but can’t find Vardy with his cutback. No matter though, becuase ...
And we're off again!
Manchester City get the ball rolling for the second half. There was a celebration of the Chinese New Year during half time, by the way. For the record, it’s the Year of the Fox Monkey in 2016.
Half-time entertainment: Leicester City at various points during the 1970s. Featuring Frank O’Farrell, a young Peter Shilton, Jock Wallace’s infamous sand mountain, and a pretty clever Yeovil Town reference courtesy of a knackered Dennis Rofe.
HALF TIME: Manchester City 0-1 Leicester City
The visitors were brilliant in attack for 20 minutes, and staunch in defence for the next 25. Manchester City should have had a penalty kick, though, and did enough in the closing stages of that half to suggest Leicester will have a lot of work to do in the second. “We’re gonna win the league,” chant the travelling Foxes. And their team is indeed a step closer to it. Just another 27 halves of football to go.
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45 min: Delph and Silva combine to shuttle the ball down the left for Sterling, who cuts back for Kolarov. The full back’s shot, from the left of the D, is deflected out for a corner. Schmeichel powerfully punches the set piece clear, but Aguero comes back at Leicester down the right, zips into the box, and fires a low cross through the six-yard box. Schmeichel, who had come across to narrow the angle, is out of the picture, but there’s nobody in sky blue to run the ball home. Kolarov tries to keep the attack going on the left, but only succeeds in running the ball out of play for a goal kick. Leicester breathe again. Again.
43 min: A bad couple of minutes for Fernandinho, who clashes heads with Kante in the midfield. Totally accidental. He needs a couple of minutes’ worth of treatment, but it looks as though he’ll be good to continue.
41 min: Silva turns on the jets and earns a corner down the left. Kante should head it clear easily enough, but sends a strange header to the left-hand side of the box. Fernandinho latches onto the ball and looks to burst down the channel, with a view to hooking one back from the byline, but he’s knocked to the ground by Albrighton. That’s shoulder to shoulder, says the referee. Once again, no penalty. That’s a more clear-cut decision, though. City can still feel aggrieved about that earlier shout, though.
39 min: Manchester City have all the possession right now, but they’re doing very little with it. Leicester are happy to sit back, soak it up, and try to spring Vardy away on the break. It’s a poser for the hosts all right.
37 min: Morgan is booked for repeated fouling. The latest transgression is a whack through the back of Aguero. This will be a free kick for Manchester City, just to the left of the Leicester box. A dangerous position, but Silva’s delivery is appalling, and the visitors clear with ease.
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35 min: Leicester have been quiet in attack of late, but here comes Albrighton down the left. He curls a high one into the area, and it’s not far off dropping on the head of Vardy, ten yards out in a central position. But there’s just a little too much air on the cross, and it’s claimed by Hart. The stadium fell silent in anticipation for a split second there, though.
32 min: A bit of space for Aguero to the right of the Leicester box. He gets a stride on Fuchs, knocks the ball into the area, and unleashes a low pearler goalwards. Schmeichel is right behind it, and claims well. Manchester City just can’t get the breakthrough. Meanwhile there’s a lovely banner being waved around by their fans: Manuel Pellegrini - This Charming Man. The man in question is currently shifting around very uneasily, contemplating life’s complexities in the smooth Nissan-sponsored leather of the dugout seat. It’s gruesome that someone so handsome should care.
29 min: Silva busies himself down the inside-left channel, turns and slips the ball to Sterling, who chips forward for Toure. The big man bursts into the box. The angle’s tight, though, and falling backwards, he blasts over the bar. City took the best part of 20 minutes to get going, but they’re on top right now.
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27 min: Sterling diddles down the left and curls a gorgeous cross into the middle. Aguero prepares to head home from six yards, but suddenly Huth gets a little flick header on the ball, and the chance is denied. What a defensive intervention! It’s all going Leicester’s way right now.
26 min: City are beginning to pin Leicester back and probe for the first time in the match. Leicester are holding their shape though. And they’re not half bad on the break, so this is the perfect set-up for some breezy entertainment.
23 min: Zabaleta tries to cut into the Leicester area from the right. As he connects with the ball, he’s upended by Fuchs. He wants a penalty, but he’s only getting the free kick. That’s a brave decision, because it looked as though the foul was committed on the line. Only just on it, but on it nevertheless. In which case, it should have been a free attempt from 12 yards. But it’s just a free kick. Kolarov whips a dangerous one into the mixer. Huth eyebrows out for a corner, from which nothing occurs. Leicester got away with one there.
21 min: Vardy taks on Otamendi down the left wing. He wins the footrace and fires low into the Manchester City box. Okazaki is an inch away from sliding in and toe-poking home. This is a whirlwind performance by the visitors so far.
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19 min: A little space for Albrighton down the left. His curling cross into the area gets a big deflection, and nearly allows Vardy to break clear of the Manchester City back line. But Hart reads the bounce well, and comes out to claim. Leicester are relentless.
18 min: Wes Morgan has just turned into Franz Beckenbauer, sashaying down the left wing, deep in Manchester City territory. The move breaks down, but still. What a season the big man is having.
15 min: Kolarov wins a corner for Manchester City down the left. The set piece is a complete waste of time. Leicester clear with ease. But the hosts are soon coming back at the visitors, Silva dribbling into the box from the left, a burst of rococo beauty. He attempts to curl one across Schmeichel and into the bottom right. It’s deflected wide by a Leicester boot. Manchester City don’t get the corner, though.
13 min: Leicester are playing like champions right now. Manchester City are struggling. A ball bounces into the home box down the right. Vardy is oh-so-close to getting control of it and having a shot from the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. But Kolarov bundles clear.
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12 min: This is magnificently entertaining. Leicester break upfield and carve out another half-chance, Mahrez slipping the ball down the left channel and releasing Drinkwater into the area. He’s got an opportunity to shoot, albeit at a very tight angle. Hart smothers, pushing the ball round the post for a corner. Huth, on the penalty spot, very nearly connects with the set piece, but City manage to smuggle the ball clear.
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10 min: Zabaleta persists down the right wing, rides a few tackles, and wins a corner. Silva curls it into the six-yard box. Demichelis is winding back his neck to power a header home, but Huth intercepts just in time and clears.
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8 min: Leicester very nearly go two up. A ball hoicked down the inside-left channel by Albrighton. It’s dropping over Vardy’s shoulder as the striker enters the box. He brings it down with one touch, then attempts to poke past Hart. But the keeper saves with his chest. The rebound falls to Okazaki, to the left of the D, but his first-time shot is blocked by Otamendi. A lot of Manchester City hearts in mouths there.
6 min: Silva twists and turns down the inside-right channel, before slipping a ball forward into the box for Sterling. Schmeichel is quick off his line to smother, arriving on the scene in perfect time. Meanwhile Drinkwater has accidentally trodden on Aguero’s foot. The striker’s limping around a little, though no great drama as of yet. He looks good to continue.
5 min: Manchester City have been stunned by that. Kante goes on a Power Wander down the inside-right channel. The home side are light at the back, and are fortunate that the Leicester midfielder slips over on the greasy turf. Leicester City, though! I think we’re guaranteed quite a match now, one way or the other.
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GOAL! Manchester City 0-1 Leicester City (Huth 3)
What a start! And this is as simple as it gets. Mahrez whips low towards the near post. On the right-hand corner of the six-yard box, Huth comes in and bundles home! Easy as that! A big deflection off a desperate Demichelis there, Huth’s shot heading left, then breaking violently to the right, leaving Hart stranded. But Huth’s claiming it. He scored the winner at Spurs, and now this! The fairytale continues.
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2 min: It’s a lively start by Leicester. Albrighton finds a bit of space by the left-hand corner flag, and whips a ball into the box. Hart is forced to punch clear in panic. Mahrez comes again down the other wing, and is upended by Kolarov just before he reaches the box by the byline. A free kick coming up in a dangerous position.
And we're off!
Leicester get the ball rolling, and hoof it out of play down the left wing, losing possession but gaining territory, rugby-union style. Well, the Six Nations does start today.
The teams are out! Right here, right now. Manchester City are in their sky-blue shirts, forcing Leicester into second-choice black. Quite an atmosphere: first versus second, and the rain is falling in the biblical style. No pre-match words from Claudio Ranieri, by the way: the visitors got his full attention in the dressing room. We’ll be off in a minute.
It’s raining heavily in Manchester - that’s official Guardian BREAKING NEWS - but Manuel Pellegrini’s mood is sunny. “This is a really important game. Leicester is a very good team, they are playing very well. Fortunately we are involved in the fight for the title, so today should be a very good game. Leicester win a lot of points away from home, they are very dangerous. They defend very well with eight or nine players behind the ball, have fast players on counter attacks, and two or three of their players are putting in amazing performances.”
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There are four changes to the Manchester City team which started at Sunderland the other day. Fabian Delph and Raheem Sterling come in for Jesus Navas and Kelechi Iheanacho, while the on-trend full-back switcheroo (see also: Tottenham Hotspur) has Pablo Zabaleta and Aleksandar Kolarov coming in for Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy.
Leicester go with the XI men who saw off Liverpool midweek. If it ain’t broke, etc.
The teams
Manchester City: Hart, Zabaleta, Otamendi, Demichelis, Kolarov, Fernandinho, Delph, Silva, Toure, Sterling, Aguero.
Subs: Sagna, Fernando, Caballero, Clichy, Celina, Iheanacho, Aleix Garcia.
Leicester City: Schmeichel, Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs, Mahrez, Drinkwater, Kante, Albrighton, Okazaki, Vardy.
Subs: King, Gray, Ulloa, Dyer, Wasilewski, Chilwell, Schwarzer.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).
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Good morning!
After 24 games of last season’s Premier League, Manchester City sat in second spot. Manuel Pellegrini’s side are in the same position today. Not much to write about there.
Leicester City, though. A year ago to the day, the Foxes were rock bottom, 20th out of 20. They’d not win another game until April, when a late Andy King goal secured a 2-1 victory over West Ham. Since when ... well, you know the story, but still ... they’ve only lost three league games. To Chelsea, at the tail end of last season, and Arsenal and Liverpool this time round. That’s title-winning form, isn’t it.
And sure enough, after 24 games of this season’s Premier League, Leicester have catapulted themselves from bottom to top. So here we are, first versus second. I wonder what price you’d have got for this fixture being first versus second at the start of the season? I wonder what price you’d have got for this outcome in the summer of 2008, when Leicester were relegated to the third tier for the first time in their history, and City owner Thaksin Shinawatra had his assets frozen? Hmm.
Table-topping Leicester have won three of their last four league games. And should have won the other one, at Aston Villa. Naughty Riyad Mahrez, with his insouciant penalty-taking style. Manchester City haven’t been quite so impressive in the league of late: they had to battle like crazy to hold on for a win at Sunderland on Tuesday night, and were equally fortunate to escape with a point away at West Ham in their previous fixture. City are nevertheless favourites this afternoon, though Leicester recently won at Spurs, so good luck calling this one. It should be a cracker. It’s first versus second. It’s on!
Kick off: 12.45pm GMT.
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