Savinho and Erling Haaland scored the goals as Manchester City got back to winning ways in the Premier League with a 2-0 victory at Leicester City.
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In Pep Guardiola’s 500th match in charge of the club, City stuttered and staggered for much of Sunday’s contest, but ultimately got over the line at the King Power Stadium as Haaland ended a run of four matches across all competitions without a goal.
Savinho arrowed in his first goal for the club in the 21st minute, before turning provider for Haaland to head in a decisive second with 16 minutes remaining, giving City only a second win in 14 matches across all competitions.
Leicester had their chances against a vulnerable-looking Man City defence, with Jamie Vardy slicing over from their best opportunity.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team stay 18th in the table, while Guardiola's men move to within four points of fourth-placed Chelsea, who face Ipswich Town on Monday.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
18 | +28 | 45 |
| 2 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
19 | +7 | 37 |
| 3 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
18 | +19 | 36 |
| 4 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
19 | +15 | 35 |
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
19 | +11 | 32 |
| 6 |
Man City
MCI
|
19 | +6 | 31 |
How the match unfolded
After Haaland had a close-range shot saved by Jakub Stolarczyk, Leicester wanted a penalty when Stefan Ortega clattered into Vardy, but the Foxes striker was offside.
But after thwarting Haaland earlier on, Stolarczyk could have done better when parrying Phil Foden’s shot. Instead, he palmed the ball out kindly for the onrushing Savinho, who lashed the loose ball into the net.
Haaland drilled just wide at the culmination of a fantastic run, and Leicester almost punished Man City for that miss when Facundo Buonanotte capitalised on slack marking to head towards goal, only to hit a post.
Manuel Akanji cleared off the line from James Justin in the 62nd minute, yet the clearest chance of the match fell to Vardy soon after, as he failed to divert a close-range volley under the bar.
City made their luck count as substitute James McAtee did well to cut inside from the right and link with Kevin De Bruyne, who switched the play out to Savinho. The Brazilian then crossed in for Haaland to head home from the visitors’ first attempt of the second half.
Man City unconvincing but get job done
Guardiola may have marked his milestone Man City match with a victory, but his team’s performance will have done little to allay fears over their form.
The away fans sarcastically chanted "City are staying up" to the tune of "Three Lions" after Savinho’s goal, but for much of this encounter, it was the relegation-battling Foxes who were on top.
Indeed, Man City finished a Premier League match with less possession than their opponents for the first time this season (46.3 per cent), while Leicester completed more passes in this match (530) than they have in any other Premier League game this season.
There were flashes of Man City excellence. Haaland embarked on an impressive run before he dragged wide midway through the first half, while the Norwegian also headed at Stolarczyk after great work from Bernardo Silva down the left flank.
Indeed, the visitors' goals came from two real moments of quality, both provided by Savinho. First, the Brazilian finished brilliantly from a tight angle to break the deadlock, before he supplied the left-footed cross from which Haaland made sure of the points.
In years gone by, a Man City opener against one of the teams struggling down at the bottom would likely have resulted in Guardiola’s team putting their foot on the pedal.
Instead, they rather laboured to a much-needed win – just their second victory in 14 matches across all competitions – though getting that triumph on the board likely mattered more for Guardiola than the nature of the performance.
Leicester left to rue missed chances
The Foxes have now lost four straight league matches, but matters might have been so different had they just been able to take their opportunities when they came.
It is no exaggeration to say Leicester looked more like the team competing at the top end of the table for much of the game, yet they just lacked the cutting edge required.
Vardy’s miss shortly before Haaland made it 2-0 will go down as the standout opportunity squandered, but the Foxes created plenty of other openings.
There was a teasing ball flashed across the face of goal by Bilal El Khannouss in the 33rd minute, before static Man City defending allowed Buonanotte a free header following a bit of pinball in the visitors’ area – the woodwork left rattled on that occasion.
Referee Michael Oliver dismissed Leicester’s penalty appeals after Buonanotte took a tumble under pressure from Nathan Ake in a promising opening shortly after the break, and Akanji had to be in the right place to scoop Justin’s attempt clear off the line soon after.
Vardy had Ortega scrambling late on with a header that clipped the crossbar, but Leicester got nothing for all their endeavour. With a tough trip to Aston Villa coming up next, Van Nistelrooy needs to find a way to change the record.
Club reports
Leicester City report | Man City report
What the managers said
Ruud van Nistelrooy: "You can look at that in two ways. There's the result, and it's not a good afternoon. But we've all seen it and how we played, both on and off the ball. The energy, spirit and work rate of the team was great. I believe there were many aspects that made it the best performance in the games I've managed.
"The biggest recipe for confidence is results, but if you don't get them and are able to deliver good performances, create chances and don't give many away, then there's space for hope in the new year."
Pep Guardiola: "Our mood is better but it is not enjoyable right now, it is just relief [to have won]. To get results you have to do something. To do it in the position we have, many good things happened today.
"It was tight in the second half, Leicester were much better. We don't have the energy to sustain 90 minutes. Hopefully the New Year can help us bounce back."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Since picking up four points in their first two Premier League matches under Ruud van Nistelrooy, Leicester have lost four games in a row, their worst run in the competition since April 2023 (also four losses in a row). As a player (with Manchester United), van Nistelrooy never experienced four consecutive defeats in the competition.
Leicester completed more passes against Man City (530) than they have in any other Premier League game this season.
Pep Guardiola is the first manager to take charge of a Premier League club for 500 matches in all competitions since David Moyes reached that landmark for Everton in January 2013.
Man City have lost just one of their last 34 Premier League matches with De Bruyne in their starting XI (W27 D6); that one defeat came against Man Utd earlier this month, though City were winning 1-0 when De Bruyne was subbed off.