Leicester City moved a step closer to their dream Barclays Premier League title after walloping Manchester City 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
The foxes moved six points above closest title rivals, City, and produced an incredible performance to knock-off the Citizens in front of their home fans.
Riyad Mahrez scored either side of Robert Huth’s brace before Sergio Aguero grabbed a consolation for City late in the game.
Here are five talking points from the game
- Foxes, more than just Mahrez and Vardy
Leicester City’s unbelievable run this season has been attributed to the brilliance of two players – Jamie Vardy and Mahrez. The pair has scored an impressive 32 goals between them in the league.
Against City, the Foxes got two goals from an unlikely source – defender Robert Huth. Also the beautiful inputs from the likes of Ngolo Kante, Marc Albrighton and Daniel Drinkwater in Claudio Ranieri’s team cannot be ignored.
- No longer fairytale for Ranieri
Leicester’s win against City meant they ended a 12-year win-less streak at the Etihad. The victory also highlights the Foxes progress under Ranieri and established a six-point lead at the summit of the league.
Ranieri’s team could now be considered genuine title contenders – to better their runner-up finish in the 1928/29 season.
“We will fight for the title and see what we can do,” Ranieri said after the famous win.
“We didn’t expect to win 3-1 so we will keep dreaming and see what can happen.”
3 City’s horrific defending
Vincent Kompany could be close to making a long awaited return from injury, but City showed once again how vulnerable they could be without their skipper.
Vardy and Mahrez were a constant threat with their pace while Nicolas Otamendi and Martin Demichelis looked anonymous at the back. Huth scored twice from set-pieces while Mahrez was left unmarked for his goal.
- Milestone for Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez continues to thrill fans of the BPL each week with his beautiful skills, sleek feet and wonderful goals. Against City, the Algerian produced another top-notch performance and crowned it with a superb finish.
Mahrez, ended a seven-game drought in style, benefiting from a wonderful counter attacking move to score his 14th of the season. With 10 assists, he became the first player in England to hit double figures of goals and assists this season.
- The Yaya Toure conundrum
Toure, the driving force of Manchester City’s midfield in recent seasons, still has many admirers and he is still capable of turning games, but evidence continues to build suggesting he could be on the decline.
He certainly does not command games in the way he used to and was taken off as Manuel Pellegrini’s side needed to chase the game. A younger replacement will be needed sooner or later.
