Manchester City hadn’t beaten Leicester City since the 2014-15 season, so it was a relief when the Citizens grabbed the three points from the Foxes with a 2-1 win at the Etihad.
It was a very strange game that City dominated entirely in the first half, followed by a final period in which Leicester could have gotten a draw, only for Riyad Mahrez to slip and have a goal denied for a two-kick penalty, one of the weirdest moments in football.
Let's take a deep look at City's performance against Leicester.
Defense
Willy Caballero didn’t have much to do in goal. Although Leicester got 4 shots on target, none of them went in other than Shinji Okazaki’s lone goal. Most of the Foxes’ attempts came from Marc Albrighton, as two of his three shots were on target.
Once again, the defensive duo of Nicolas Otamendi and Vincent Kompany was very good for the entire 90 minutes, and it's always puzzled me why Pep Guardiola would start a guy like Aleksandar Kolarov at center0back instead of Otamendi. The Argentine made three tackles and won three aerial duels, while Kompany made three tackles and won four aerial duels.
Gaël Clichy’s season (and career, for that matter) is deteriorating quickly, and Saturday was just another example. He didn’t even make a single tackle during the entire match and committed a terrible penalty on Mahrez. Hopefully City will follow the rumors and sign really good full-backs to replace guys like Clichy, Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna.
Fernandinho had another disappointing performance at right-back. He looks very uncomfortable in a wide position instead of midfield. While he didn’t have a statistically bad game, his temper got the better of him once again.
The Brazilian could’ve possibly picked up his fourth red card of the season when he elbowed Marc Albrighton in the second half, and he was lucky that the referee didn’t see it. Whether or not it was intentional, Dinho needs to have much better discipline in the future.
Midfield
Give it up to Yaya Touré. On his 34th birthday, the Ivorian midfielder looked like vintage Yaya, taking care of the defensive duties midfield by himself and still able to succeed going forward. He completed two key passes and made four tackles, and his vision and passing ability are still world-class despite his age.
Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling both had off days, though. De Bruyne is coming off a fantastic performance last week against Crystal Palace, and he couldn't replicate that game against Leicester. Sterling did score against Palace, but his poor form in recent weeks was clear once again.
On the other hand, David Silva and Leroy Sané both put in stellar performances. Silva scored City’s opening goal with a solid finish, and he also made an impressive five key passes. Sané got the assist to Silva's goal and won the penalty scored by Gabriel Jesus, while destroying Danny Simpson in the process.
Attack
Gabriel Jesus was the lone striker for City in the majority of the game, but he didn’t look nearly as explosive as usual. Despite having an off day, he still scored City’s second goal when he stepped up to take the penalty in the 36th minute and hit the back of the net.
Sergio Agüero was subbed on late in the match, which is a good sign for all City supporters. Many believed that his groin injury could have forced him to miss the rest of the season, but it now appears that City will have the Argentine in the squad for their final week of the season.
City finish the year with two matches against West Bromwich Albion and Watford, respectively. If they're able to earn four points, the Citizens will have a guaranteed spot in next year’s Champions League.