The Brazilian international, Gabriel Jesus saved the blushes for Manchester City as they secured the last gasp winner against Brendan Rodgers’s side to consolidate their second position in the Premier League table. However, Manchester City is 22 points behind the runaway leaders, Liverpool, in the Premier League.
In the starting minutes of the game, Leicester was on top of the blue side of Manchester where the likes of Jamie Vardy and a bunch of midfielders ran riot through Manchester City defense. Jamie Vardy went very close to score the opener when he went one-on-one against the shot-stopper but found the ball hitting the post. Also, Leicester City’s appeal for a penalty was rejected by the officials after they claimed handball by midfield maestro Kevin de Bruyne.
Apart from those initial threats, Leicester City was kept at bay and the Pep Guardiola managed side dominated the midfield. Manchester City had the majority of the possession and Leicester were looking to break on the counter. However, it couldn’t happen as they were held rigidly by the side.
In the second half, Manchester City had the chance to score through a penalty. VAR confirmed the handball by Dennis Praet in the Leicester City box who was found blocking the ball through a raised elbow. However, Sergio Aguero couldn’t find the back of the net as Kasper Scheimel saved the shot. The penalty was the fourth consecutive miss from Manchester City but Pep Guardiola was optimistic about converting the next one which is against Real Madrid in the Champions League knock out stage.
A superb three points on the road! 🙌
🦊 0-1 🔵 #LEIMCI#ManCity pic.twitter.com/cA4gMVLa8C
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 22, 2020
However, in the last gasp, Manchester City sealed the winner when Algerian made a fine run and crossed the ball into the 18-yard box where Gabriel Jesus slotted it past the goalkeeper. Moreover, City was made to wait for the celebrations to trigger as the goal was checked for offside.
Managers and Players words about the game:
Brendan Rodgers, Leicester City manager, lamented about the offside:
“We’re disappointed we didn’t get a penalty; it’s so clear,”
“I felt it was the reason VAR was brought in. It was going towards the goal, the corner, and Kevin De Bruyne stops it. He’s lifted his arms up. If you look at the reaction of the other players in the wall, their hands were down. It’s handball.”
Also, he said regarding the strategy behind his substitution of Helechi:
“Iheanacho felt a bit groggy at half-time, and I always listen to the medical staff on that,” Rodgers said. “They felt it would be hard for him to continue at the level.”
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City manager, optimistic about the next game:
“The preparation after 12 days off was good, we have played two good games, and it’s good to prepare for Madrid with these good opponents. We are playing the kings of the competition, we will see, we will try to enjoy it and do our game.”
Talking about the game, Algerian international Riyad Mahrez, whose assist helped Manchester City to take all the three points, said:
“We just focus on our game,”
“We let the club do the things, we are very confident of the situation and we will see.”
