Leicester City 0 - 1 Manchester City

Leicester 0 - 1 Man City

Frank Lampard 40



A week ago the sight of talismanic striker Sergio Agüero limping tearfully off the Etihad Stadium pitch prompted some to suggest Manchester City’s season was about to implode, though they went on to beat Everton 1-0. Seven days on the champions have opened a new £200m academy and training complex, qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, and completed a fifth successive victory in the Premier League. As responses to a setback go, not so dusty.

Such is the difference between these clubs in terms of depth of quality in their respective first team squads, the outcome of this game appeared certain from the moment the team sheets confirmed City manager Manuel Pellegrini had brought in the likes of David Silva, Frank Lampard and Yaya Touré, none of whom played any part in the success in Rome, while of the back-line which started in midweek, only Eliaquim Mangala retained his place. A late change saw Edin Dzeko replaced by José Ángel Pozo up front.

Leicester, having lost goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to a broken metatarsal, had the bearded Ben Hamer making only his second Premier League start. The hosts’ manager, Nigel Pearson, pleased supporters by including Riyad Mahrez and the quick, skilful Algerian winger was an influence as the home team made the early running. In fact, they did more than that. In the 12th minute they should have taken the lead when Jamie Vardy’s pace down the middle saw him run away from first Vincent Kompany and then Mangala. The young French defender did well to get back and get a foot in to deflect Vardy’s subsequent shot wide of the goal, but the Leicester striker should have got his shot away earlier.

Ten minutes later, with the visitors yet to fashion an attempt on goal, Esteban Cambiasso curled a 30 yard free-kick a foot wide, with Joe Hart desperately scrambling. The two men exchanged grins, though whether Hart would have been smiling if the ball had crept inside his left-hand post is doubtful.

It was half an hour before Hamer was actually called into serious action, punching away a Silva corner and then easily catching Pozo’s side-footed volley. The save from Touré low to his left a few minutes later that followed City’s best passing move of the half was of a much higher quality, and had to be.

Having stepped up a gear – from second to third – the visitors continued to cause problems. Samir Nasri, neat and creative, found space on the left courtesy of Lampard, and having teased and turned Wes Morgan, pulled the ball across goal for Lampard, whose run into the box had not been picked up, to turn past Hamer from close range. It was the former Chelsea midfielder’s 175th Premier Leaguegoal, drawing him level with Thierry Henry in fourth position in the competition’s goal-scoring charts. And of course, football didn’t really exist previously.

Nasri almost worked the same trick with a cleverly delayed pass for Silva 10 minutes into the second half. For once the Spaniard’s control, usually instant, failed him, but with only the willing but limited Vardy up front, it was not so much hard as almost impossible to see Leicester finding a way back into the game. Pearson clearly felt the same, replacing Jeffrey Schlupp with Leonardo Ulloa and going two up front shortly after Pellegrini had sent on James Milner for Lampard.

It made little difference. Pozo, terribly lightweight in comparison to Agüero, Dzeko or Stevan Jovetic, was replaced by Jesús Navas, with Silva going up front, but Pellegrini must have been dismayed to see Kompany pull up clutching his suspect right hamstring. The captain had to come off.

Up to that point the match had been drifting to a close, but suddenly the visitors began to look nervous. Hart was booked for time-wasting, Silva was seen defending near his own byline, and Pearson played a final card in the form of another tricky winger, Anthony Knockaert.

For all their effort, however, Leicester could not create another chance. City, on the break, saw Nasri test Hamer, but this was a case of doing enough.

Guardian