Leicester 0-1 Manchester City: What Were The Main Talking Points As Pep Guardiola’s Side Leapfrog Arsenal To Top Spot?

Knowing that they had the chance to briefly climb to the top of the Premier League table, Manchester City pounced on that opportunity as they claimed a 1-0 victory away at Leicester on Saturday lunchtime.

While the defending Premier League champions might not have been at their clinical best here, Pep Guardiola’s superstars were dragged over the finish line thanks to Kevin De Bruyne’s stunning second-half free-kick.

Leapfrogging Arsenal ahead of the Gunners’ showdown against Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon, the Sky Blues also brought an end to Leicester’s eye-catching October boost.

Managing to claim maximum points without their new attacking icon among their squad here, we have taken a look at the main talking points from Saturday’s battle at the King Power.

City show they can do a job without Haaland

Taken off at half-time during Man City’s 0-0 stalemate away at Borussia Dortmund while on Champions League duties earlier in the week, it was Erling Haaland who stole most of the pre-game headlines here.

While Guardiola might have been hopeful that the Norweigan superstar would be able to shake off a minor knock on Saturday lunchtime, Haaland was forced to watch his new teammates from back in Manchester.

However, while the Premier League’s leading goalscorer might have missed out at the King Power, Guardiola would have been glad to see that his side are not solely reliant on their summer arrival.

Making the move from Dortmund during the summer transfer window after City activated the 22-year-old’s £51.5million release clause, Haaland has only continued on a remarkable record-breaking run in England’s top-flight.

Already notching a staggering 17 Premier League strikes since arriving at the Etihad, there is no doubt that City will be desperate to get their MVP back sooner rather than later.

De Bruyne proves to be the difference maker

While Haaland might have only continued to steal all of the headlines during his rampant start to the 2022/23 campaign, it was De Bruyne who underlined his value by dragging City over the finish line here.

Claiming a third-place finish during this month’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, the Belgium talisman appears to be hitting top gear at a crucial time.

Bagging his second Premier League strike of the season last weekend as City picked up a 3-1 victory at home against Brighton, the one-time Chelsea starlet produced a real moment of class on Saturday lunchtime.

Whipping his second-half free-kick past a helpless Danny Ward just four minutes after returning from the interval, De Bruyne will undoubtedly be crucial if Guardiola’s side are to claim a fifth domestic crown in the space of six years.

The lynchpin of City’s attack in Haaland’s absence and firing his side back to the top of the table, Guardiola was quick to praise De Bruyne’s Man of the Match display here.

Positives in defeat for Leicester

While Leicester might have opened the 2022/23 campaign in the midst of a real Premier League nightmare, the Foxes had managed to find a much-needed boost when returning from September’s international break.

Heading into Saturday’s showdown at the King Power coming off the back of a thumping 4-0 romp away at Wolves last weekend, Brenan Rodgers’ side had also found a route out of the bottom-three.

However, while the one-time Liverpool boss might have seen his side suffer a close-fought 1-0 loss against the English heavyweights here, Leicester should take some positives away.

With Youri Tielemans rattling Ederson’s crossbar and Harvey Barnes also going close, Rodgers could be feeling that his men deserved to leave with something to show for their troubles.

Nevertheless, still holding just a one-point buffer from slipping back into the drop zone, Rodgers’ side will be desperate to find an immediate boost when they travel to Everton next weekend.

Match Report:

Leicester: Ward, Amartey, Faes, Soyuncu, Castagne, Dewsbury-Hall, Tielemans, Justin, Maddison, Vardy, Barnes

Subs: Mendy, Iheanacho, Daka

Manchester City: Ederson, Stones, Akanji, Laporte, Cancelo, Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne, Silva, Alvarez, Grealish

Subs: Dias, Foden

Goals: De Bruyne (49′)

Yellow Cards: N/A

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Robert Jones