December 26, (THEWILL) – In a thrilling 6-3 victory over Leicester in the English Premier League Boxing Day lineup, Manchester City held off an amazing second-half comeback by the visitors inspired by Kelechi Iheanacho.
City were merciless from the start, scoring after four minutes when Fernandinho found Kevin De Bruyne with a beautiful clipped ball. The Belgian made no mistakes, masterfully controlling the ball before patiently waiting for the right moment to slam a left-footed strike into the bottom corner.
Leicester threatened on the counter-attack, coming near through a James Maddison free-kick, but Pep Guardiola’s side had already increased their lead from the penalty spot.
Referee Chris Kavanagh did not need to consult the pitchside monitor after Aymeric Laporte went down in the penalty box under the attentions of Youri Tielemans following a corner.
Riyad Mahrez stepped forward to hit the top corner with the following spot-kick.
After only 20 minutes, the hosts had seemingly put the game out of reach. Guardiola’s charges worked the ball efficiently down the right flank, and when Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel palmed Joao Cancelo’s fizzing cross over the six yard box tamely into the path of Ilkay Gundogan, he made no mistake from point-blank range.
Leicester were in disarray especially at the back, and City added a fourth goal just four minutes later to add salt to the Foxes’ wounds. Again, it was Tielemans who was to blame when he pulled down Raheem Sterling inside the penalty area with a sloppy challenge, before the England striker collected the ball and converted the penalty himself.
Sterling volleyed at goal after a beautiful move including Oleksandr Zinchenko and Bernardo Silva in the 34th minute, but Schmeichel was equal to the winger’s effort that time.
After the break, Mahrez threatened with a shot, but Leicester responded with a counter-attack goal nine minutes after the restart.
As Leicester moved the ball forward, Aymeric Laporte slid in defence allowing Iheanacho to free James Maddison towards goal and the Englishman calmly tucked his effort beyond Ederson.
It was not only a consolation for the Foxes, as Ademola Lookman added a second not long after. With an exquisitely timed through pass, Iheanacho turned provider once more, and the winger made no mistake one-on-one against the City goalie.
Then, Leicester scored their third goal of the half, bringing forth memories of Newcastle’s legendary second-half comeback against Arsenal, in one of the most remarkable matches of the 2010/2011 seasons.
On Saturday, Ederson only managed to push Maddison’s rasping drive against the crossbar before Iheanacho swooped in to bundle the ball over the line to bring the scoreline to 4-3.
Guardiola’s side, however, put out Leicester’s dreams very quickly. From Mahrez’s corner, Laporte rose highest at the back post and blasted his header into the far corner, giving the Etihad audience a breath of relief.
Sterling then put the game beyond doubt four minutes from time, putting the finishing touches on Ruben Dias’ header from a corner from six yards out, much to the relief of the City crowd.
City’s next Premier League match is on the road at Brentford on Wednesday. Next up for Leicester is a match at their King Power Stadium where they will host Liverpool on Tuesday and try to avoid another hammering.
About the Author
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.
