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It was a combination of joy and horror for the Citizens as Pep Guardiola's men travelled away to King Power Stadium to elongate their winning streak to 10 games in the Premier League this season.
But, John Stones was forced to limp off the field due to a hamstring injury and the Manchester City manager confirmed that the Englishman will miss at least 1 month of action.
However, Vincent Kompany made his comeback against the Foxes on Saturday, while Nicholas Otamendi is expected to be restored in the squad against Huddersfield Town following his suspension.
When it comes to the fitness of both Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala, they are no less than rusty, and the recent injury to John Stones might just force Pep Guardiola to splash some money in the January transfer window to keep this staggering momentum going.
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In this piece, we look at top 5 centre-backs Pep Guardiola should target in the January transfer window:
#5 Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid)
Jose Gimenez will be out of a contract next summer, as a result of which, the Urugyuan defender will be available for no more than £20 million in the January transfer window. Gimenez is behind Diego Godin, Stefan Savic and Lucas Hernandez in the pecking order and would naturally seek more game time.
Should an attractive offer from Manchester City arrive for the 22-year-old, Gimenez will seriously consider it, despite wanting to extend his stay at Wanda Metropolitano.
The former Danubio centre-back moved to Atletico Madrid in 2013. Since then, Gimenez has made 85 appearances for Diego Simeone's side, scoring 5 times in the process.
Convincing Gimenez to move to the Spanish capital was not a tough task, as he was following in the footsteps of Diego Godin, who was his idol, and national hero Diego Forlan.
Many teams including Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal are reportedly set to battle it out for Gimenez's signature, but Pep will try sneaking in to land this young defender who has proved his mettle in recent times.
#4 Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli)
The Napoli defender is an obtrude to the attackers who try to go past him. Koulibaly has improved significantly over the last 3 seasons in Italy, making him as one of the most accomplished defenders in Serie A at the moment. These type of adept defenders at the elite level rarely come by these days.
The formidable Senegalese centre-back is a brick wall in defence for both his club and country. The centre-back is comfortable with the ball and has pace to stop opponents, which would suit Pep's philosophy at the Etihad Stadium.
The former Genk defender was a transfer target for Chelsea, but the Naples board decided against selling Kalidou to the Londoners. The French-born Senegalese international started his senior career at FC Metz and played for them 44 times before moving to Genk where he spent two years and made 82 appearances for the Belgium club.
He also took the field 22 times for Senegal. Maurizio Sarri likes to build attacks from the back and clearly sees Kalidou as a pivotal member of that squad. He has made 15 appearances this season, scoring 2 goals and providing 1 assist in the process.
At only 26, Koulibaly can get only get better and better. Again, the ball playing centre-half will not be available for cheap as Napoli will seek a minimum of £60 million. However, it could very well be worth it.
#3 Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao)
Aymeric Laporte met Pep Guardiola during the summer of 2016, but the Frenchman turned down a move to Manchester by signing a contract at the Basque club which runs until 2020. Manchester City moved on and signed John Stones from Everton for £50 million instead, to strengthen the backline at Etihad.
Often linked with Barcelona, Laporte has established himself as one of the leading centre-backs in La Liga with his perspicacious defensive ability and has represented Athletic Bilbao over 200 times, since making his debut back in 2012. The French defender spent one year away from the Spanish team at Basconia, making 33 appearances for them.
Concentration, ability to bully opponents, and choice of when to intercept are the three basic elements of modern day defending and Aymeric Laporte possesses all those abilities, coupled with attacking abilities.
The Former Basconia defender is comfortable with the ball and likes to start fluid attacks from the back. Physically imposing, the 23-year-old likes to compete in the air and is a threat from aerial set pieces.
It is highly unlikely that Athletic Bilbao will sell their starlet at this point in time, but a £70 million bid from the Blue side of Manchester might just interest both the player and the club.
#2 Stefan de Vrij (Lazio)
Another defender from Serie A makes our list. De Vrij's spell at Lazio has been nothing short of spectacular upon his move from Feyenoord in 2013. Stefan is a product of Feyenoord's youth academy, and played for the senior team from 2013, making 143 appearances.
De Vrij has been a regular for Netherlands and has represented the Dutch at Under16, Under17, Under19, Under20 and Under21 levels and has also represented the senior team 31 times.
The Citizens could move ahead of the market with the Lazio star set to become a free agent in the summer, but the Dutch international wants to sign a new contract in Rome. However, the chances of De Vrij getting a new contract at Lazio is looking increasingly slim.
The former Feyenoord man is strong in the air and comfortable with the ball which makes him one of the most complete defenders in the Italian top flight football. A suitable offer from an accomplished team might tempt Stefan De Vrij to shift base.
Pep's relentless run to push for the title may just depend on injuries and going for De Vrij makes complete sense as he might just prove to be a solution for the Spanish manager, and appears to be an excellent target.
Many clubs including Liverpool and Manchester United are interested in luring the 26-year-old, but it will be interesting to see where De Vrij ends up.
#1 Virgil van Dijk (Southampton)
There is no need for any introduction needed for Virgil Van Dijk who is currently one of the hottest prospect available at the moment. The 26-year-old looks set to bid farewell to his teammates in January, after the comments from Southampton manager Mauricio Pelligrino indicating that the defender could be on his way out from St.Mary's.
Virgil Van Dijk is still a target for Liverpool, despite the latter being accused of allegedly tapping up the Dutch defender. But, the Saints could frustrate Liverpool by doing business with Manchester City, who are also very keen on securing his services.
But, Liverpool are still firm favourites to secure Van Dijk's services, as he too, is reportedly keen on moving to Anfield.
The towering Dutch defender is a product of Groningen's academy and later joined his national compatriot Ronald Koeman at Southampton in 2015 before having a three-year stint at Celtic. Van Dijk was the set-piece taker for Celtic and that is probably another reason why top heavyweights are after him.
Pep Guardiola was looking for defensive reinforcements even before John Stones' injury, as the Citizens are looking to stake it out in all competitions this season.
£70 million could feel like a rather steep asking price, but given the current inflation of players in the modern transfer windows, Pep should match Southampton's demands if the Citizens really want the Southampton defender.
