'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In a closely contested fight, Manchester City had the last laugh as they beat Leicester 1-0 away from home through a Bernardo Silva goal in the second half. City are now second only to Manchester United in the Premier League points table at the moment, with nine points from their first four games played.
Trending
The first few exchanges of the game were totally dominated by the two defenses, specifically the Leicester duo of Caglar Soyuncu and Jannik Vestergaard. Adding Kasper Schmeichel to the equation, it seemed like Leicester were cruising to at least a point in the game.
But Manchester City's persistence paid off as they kept on attacking the hosts' goal with every opportunity coming towards them.
The visitors finally broke the deadlock through Bernardo Silva when a Joao Cancelo shot was blocked by Caglar Soyuncu but fell to the Portuguese starlet's feet, who coolly finished from close range.
It was far from over though as the Foxes stuck to their game plan of breaking on the counter. They were almost rewarded for it, with Jamie Vardy and Ademola Lookman coming close for the home side, just for the City defense to keep them at bay.
Guardiola's men put up a focused display all the way till the 93rd minute and earned their third clean sheet in a row after a grueling run of fixtures to start this season. Without much ado, let's dive into the five important talking points from the game.
#1 Persistence earns three points for Manchester City
After Manchester City's loss to Chelsea in the Champions League final, there seems to be a clear-cut guide on how to play Guardiola's men. Leicester perfectly coupled their disciplined defending with a combination of high-pressing and quick passing to frustrate the Citizens up until the hour mark.
But the reigning champions of the land were expectedly ready for such a show and never showed a moment of restlessness as they kept on attacking Kasper Schmeichel's goal. They finally reaped the rewards when Bernardo Silva opened the scoring after just an hour of play.
It was also a personal victory for the Portuguese playmaker as he was repeatedly played offside and shut down by his Leicester counterparts in the first half. One might argue that Manchester City's goal came with a lot of luck attached to it, but it was a bonus point for Silva to be in the right place at the right time to earn three massive points for Guardiola.
#2 Kasper Schmeichel's heroics restrict Manchester City's tally to just one goal
There is no doubt Kasper Schmeichel is the real strength of the King Power Stadium every time the Danish stopper steps onto the pitch. It was a routine day at the office for Schmeichel as he made some match-defining saves to keep the scoreline less humbling for the Foxes.
Manchester City attempted 25 shots in the game, eight of which were on target and seven of those were met by the enormous figure of Schmeichel in goal as he continued to be the difference between the two sides time in and time out.
Including Silva's goal, Manchester City accumulated an xG (Expected Goal) tally of 2.76, but Schmeichel had one of his best days to deny more than a goal going in.
Not only just from a defensive point of view, the Dane's distribution to the high-flying full-backs and the pacey front three was also commendable as he completed the most successful long balls in the game (12). Schmeichel was also seen instructing his centre-backs quite often, denying City space from the middle.
#3 Substitutes kill Rodgers' near-perfect tactics
Leicester stuck to Brendan Rodgers' instructions and played their way through the City midfield, leaving Rodri and Gundogan for dead multiple times during their counter-attacks. It was the perfect setup to decode Guardiola's tactics and the Foxes implemented the plan very well throughout the game.
But the Irish coach dug his own grave with his substitutions as Manchester City scored a minute after Vestergaard was taken off for Jonny Evans.
Though the goal came from a long shot being blocked and then converted by Bernardo Silva, there was a clear positioning miscommunication between Soyuncu and Evans moments before the goal.
Evans cemented the Leicester defense after the goal and Leicester's further substitutions worked out very well. However, it took a moment for City to pounce upon the unsettled pair of Soyuncu and Evans after the established Dane, Vestergaard, had left the pitch following a disciplined display.
#4 Best midfield battle of the Premier League so far
Bernardo Silva's lone goal, Kasper Schmeichel's heroics and some resolute defending by the Leicester defenders, totally took the spotlight away from one of the best midfield battles of this Premier League campaign so far.
Both sides played two pivots in the form of Youri Tielemans-Wilfred Ndidi and Ilkay Gundogan-Rodri respectively, and though it was a silent show by these four stars, it definitely had a huge impact on the game.
Tielemans was instrumental in progressing the ball whenever Leicester had the ball and countered, whereas Ndidi was the fifth defender in front of the back-line, absolutely eliminating the threat from the central areas of the pitch.
Gundogan and Rodri played the exact same roles as their counterparts, which made this one of the most mouthwatering clashes of some of Europe's most precise-passing midfielders.
Statistically, Gundogan was the best player on the pitch. He made four key passes in the game which led to shots on target, won three of his five duels contested and even blocked four shots, which was very unlike the German's usual game.
In a game which was literally running on fine margins throughout, this midfield battle kept it tactically sound.
#5 Impenetrable City make it three clean sheets in a row
The title-holders certainly had a difficult start to life this season as they were handed a tough schedule to start with.
Apart from the Canaries from Norwich, Pep Guardiola had to prepare his men for three important games against Spurs, Arsenal and Leicester in the space of the first four game-weeks. But the champions have met their expectations and how.
During that overwhelming run of fixtures, City have had three clean sheets, 11 goals scored and just one conceded. This is the first time they have kept three consecutive clean sheets since February 2021, thanks to the magic of the dynamic duo at the heart of the City defense.
They now sit second to main rivals Manchester United, but have a massive goal difference of 10 goals to their name. With Chelsea and Liverpool upcoming in the next three game-weeks, Manchester City will need every ounce of their star studded squad depth from here on in to stay near the top of the Premier League table.
