December 29, (THEWILL) – Manchester City returned to winning form with a 2-0 victory at Leicester City on Sunday, marking Pep Guardiola’s 500th match in charge with three vital points. The champions had previously experienced a challenging period, having won just once in their previous 13 matches.
Brazilian forward, Savinho, opened the scoring after 21 minutes, capitalising on a rebound from Phil Foden’s long-range effort. Erling Haaland extended the lead with a powerful header in the 74th minute, ending his four-match goalless run and recording his 19th goal of the curreĺnt season.
The victory positions City in fifth place, though they remain 11 points behind English Premier League leaders, Liverpool, who still have two games in hand. For Leicester City, the defeat continues their difficult period under Ruud van Nistelrooy, marking their fourth consecutive loss and leaving them in the relegation zone.
Kevin De Bruyne returned to the starting lineup, replacing Jeremy Doku in Guardiola’s sole change from the Boxing Day draw against Everton. The Belgian midfielder showed his influence immediately, creating an early opportunity for Haaland, whose effort was saved by Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk.
Leicester City generated several promising opportunities throughout the match. James Justin struck the post with a header in the first half and later missed a significant chance when his close-range attempt was cleared off the line by Manuel Akanji. Jamie Vardy also missed a notable opportunity, sending his shot over the crossbar from Stephy Mavididi’s cross.
Despite not reaching their typical performance standards, Manchester City’s victory provides important momentum as they aim to reduce the gap to the league leaders. The result ends their run of eight away matches without a victory, offering renewed optimism for their tottering campaign.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
