Manchester City 1-3 Leicester City: 5 Talking Points

Happy manager: Claudio Ranieri looks delighted with his side’s performance against Manchester CityIn what was very much a title decider, Leicester City dispatched off the hosts Manchester City in a convincing manner. The final scoreline of 1-3 just about gives out the perfect picture of what transpired during the course of the game. Leicester were ahead from the very beginning with Robert Huth scoring as early as the third minute.The rest of the first half was more or less uneventful as City kept the major amount of possession but were unable to make anything out of it. Three minutes into the second half and Mahrez had doubled the lead with a sensational goal, dancing around the City defense like a ballerina. A helpless City squad could only watch as Robert Huth sealed the game with yet another goal from a set piece.Aguero did get a consolation goal late in the game but there wasn’t enough time left for Machester City to make anything out of it.Here are the major talking points from the game.

#1 Huth - The unlikely hero

Given the scoreline, one would expect either Vardy or Mahhrez to have scored the majority of the goals. While Mahrez did play a part, the team from Manchester was undone by none other than Robert Huth.

The German Centre back was undoubtedly the hero of the day for the Foxes. He scored twice, once in each half and was the architect of the emphatic victory which sent Leicester five points clear at the top of the league table.

It was a perfect man of the match performance from the German giant. Not only did he score the winning goals, he was also rock solid in defense for the Foxes. One of Claudio Ranieri’s favorite players, he has been having a dream season as a defender.

Robert Huth's game by numbers vs. Man City:100% aerial duels won (4/4)100% tackles won (3/3)9 clearances2 goals pic.twitter.com/7OhbD7BphL
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 6, 2016

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#2 Dream run for Mahrez

What a sensational season this has been for Riyad Mahrez! The duo of Mahrez and Vardy is probably one of the best the League has seen in the last few years. Both have been getting either a goal or an assist in almost every game now. While Vardy might have scored more goals, it has been Mahrez who has been pulling the strings in the midfield. He definitely has been one of the most important players for the title contenders.

This match was no different as Mahrez swept past the hapless City defense to score his 14th Premier league goal of the season in quite a sensational manner. The goal was nothing less than miraculous. He put up his talent right up on the pedestal for the world to witness when he went around the City defense as if they were just a bunch of kids.

The 24-year-old Algerian also has 10 assists to his name this season. With this and the countless great performances he has put in, he is surely one of the top contenders to grab the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.

#3 City\'s title hopes running low

Pellegrini — City need to be a lot more consistent if they want to win the Premier League

Manchester City might have been the absolute favorites to take the Premier League title for the most part of the season, but this doesn’t seem the case anymore. Having lost today’s home game to rivals Leicester, Manchester City are now six points behind the leaders. This gap could have been of zero points had city managed to win this game somehow.

With the huge gap and only thirteen more games to go and also considering Leicester’s ongoing form, City’s title hopes can be considered to be all but over. The only way they end up winning is if Leicester slips up twice while City maintains a perfect record, a situation which seems very unlikely.

A couple of drawn games from last month that could have been won easily are surely coming back to haunt them now. A comeback is also going to be tough because the team from Manchester also have the League Cup Final and their Champions League clashes to focus upon.

#4 Leicester defense a force to reckon with

wes morgan — Morgan and Co have been superb right throughout this season

Sir Alex Ferguson rightly said, “Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles”. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez might have been hogging all the limelight, but the contribution of the defenders hasn’t been any less. It was in fact the defensive lineup that won the game, and possibly the league for Leicester today.

Not only did he score two goals, Robert Huth was brilliant in defence as well. Him and Morgan were unfailing at the back, relentlessly stopping Manchester City from posing any actual threat to the goal. Aguero and the boys tried hard, really hard but couldn’t really get past the solid Leicester defense line. They were unable to score even after having kept the major part of the possession and that too in the Leicester half.

Leicester’s rock solid defense might just lead them to Premier League glory this season.

#5 Leicester favorites to take the title

Will there be a fairytale ending for Leicester City this season?

Having won this ‘six pointer’ in a pretty convincing and definitive manner, there is no doubt as to which team is the favorite to take the league title. No one would have predicted this scenario as a possible reality when the season began. With only 17 points at the same time last year, Leicester surely have turned around their fortune in one single year.

With five points clear at the top, it is going to take a lot to bring them down. The rise of Leicester has been more than a remarkable story, nothing less than a fairy tale in itself. Only promoted to the Premier League prior to the last season, this team was actually struggling to get out of the relegation zone around this time last year.

Claudio Ranieri has built an absolutely marvelous squad with perfect chemistry that has been tearing apart the Premier League, as was evident in today’s game. All they need to do is avoid any slip us and we might actually get to witness one of the greatest Premier League stories in many years.

Edited by Staff Editor