Leicester vs Man City LIVE: Result and reaction as Haaland ends goal drought in vital City win
Leicester 0-2 Man City: Savinho and Haaland find the net as Pep Guardiola’s side are forced to work hard but notch just a second victory in 14 games
Manchester City ended their five-game winless run as Pep Guardiola celebrated victory in his 500th game in charge with a 2-0 success at Leicester City.
Savinho’s first-half goal and an Erling Haaland header after the break earned a much-needed three points for the faltering champions at the King Power Stadium.
It was just their second Premier League victory since the end of October, but the frailties of the last two months – where they lost nine of their previous 13 matches – were still on show.
Leicester provided a stern test and might feel they could have got something out of the match as Facundo Buonanotte hit the post and Jamie Vardy missed a key chance at 1-0 down. The Foxes have now lost four in a row and their bounce under new boss Ruud van Nistelrooy was restricted to two games as they remain in the relegation zone.
Relive all the action from the King Power Stadium in our live blog below:
Leicester 0-0 Man City, 2 mins
Foden out on the right with De Bruyne through the centre just behind Haaland for Cirt in the early going. I’m sure that will be fluid across the course of 90 minutes though
Savinho drives in from the left, straight at the Leicester defence but quickly runs out of ideas and a heavy touch takes it out for a goal-kick
KICK-OFF! Leicester 0-0 Man City
And we’re off at the King Power. Both teams wearing blue... Different shades at least, I suppose
Leicester v Man City
The teams are out on the pitch and kick-off is imminent in Leicester. Can the Foxes spring a shock or will Man City finally end their horror run by winning just a second match in their last 14?
Leicester v Man City
Only a few minutes until kick-off now. Here’s a reminder of the teams today.
Leicester XI: Stolarczyk; Justin, Coady, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Winks, Soumare; Buonanotte, El Khannouss, Mavididi; Vardy
Man City XI: Ortega; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Kovacic, Bernardo; Savinho, De Bruyne, Foden; Haaland
Manchester City’s hearing looms over football in 2025 – and the ramifications will be seismic
A bit of pre-match reading here for you - our chief football writer Miguel Delaney has examined the charges against Man City and the impact that could have on football in 2025.
Man City’s hearing looms over football – and the ramifications will be seismic
As well as the Premier League’s case against Manchester City, Miguel Delaney details the issues hurting a sport bursting at the seams, with surprises on the pitch expected
Manchester City’s vulnerabilities during tough spell
Manchester City have conceded 26 goals in all competitions since the start of November, the second most in Europe’s top five leagues behind Heidenheim’s 28.
Pep Guardiola’s side have also dropped 12 points from winning positions, which is already two more than the whole of last season.
Leicester vs Man City
The estimable Richard Jolly is our man on the ground at the King Power today - here’s his pre-match thoughts.
Pep Guardiola's latest search for a solution has taken him back to Kevin de Bruyne, who starts after two games on the bench. Jamie Vardy, scorer of two hat-tricks against City in the Guardiola years, is fit to return for Leicester, who are without the injured (and excellent) Mads Hermansen in goal. Guardiola brings up 500 games in charge of City, something few expected when he arrived, but in the worst run of form in his reign.
Manchester City’s record against promoted sides
Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 20 Premier League matches against promoted sides, winning 19 and drawing one.
This season, they’ve beaten Ipswich and Southampton at home. However, that 1-0 victory over the Saints came just before their horror run.
Ruud van Nistelrooy said Leicester still have to be perfect to beat Manchester City despite Pep Guardiola’s struggles.
The Foxes were beaten 3-1 by Liverpool on Boxing Day and a third defeat in a row saw Van Nistelrooy’s side drop into the relegation zone.
“Everybody knows, when you look at the team and how they played (against Everton), I know the quality of that squad and manager so I am focusing on that and the quality we will face,” Van Nistelrooy said.
“We have to prepare for a great performance in our side. Being where we are we need to be spot on in all parts of football to get a result.
“For us all the games we are playing are massive. We know a certain amount of points are necessary and every second of every game is important.
“It is something which needs constant improvement and pressure to perform and get results. It is from game to game, we evaluate the game and make a gameplan to get a result against City.”
Kevin De Bruyne starts for Man City
Kevin De Bruyne has scored or assisted in just one game for Manchester City since the start of September. That was in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest earlier this month, which is City’s only win in their last 13 games.
He was an unused substitute in the defeat at Aston Villa and got 16 minutes off the bench in the 1-1 draw against Everton on Boxing Day.
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