Kevin De Bruyne and Ederson Moraes shined as Manchester City eked out a 1-0 win over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
Manchester City dominated the proceedings from the get-go and looked to break the deadlock quickly. But chances came few and far between for the visitors, with Danny Ward mostly making a few regulation stops. Leicester City interestingly engineered the best opening of the first half as Harvey Barnes tested Ederson Moraes.
But the Brazilian goalkeeper was sharp inside the Manchester City box to deny the Englishman. Both sides went into half-time just as they had approached the kick-off whistle. But Manchester City sprang to life after the break and grabbed the lead in the 49th minute. Jack Grealish had won the ball just outside the Leicester box, and Kevin De Bruyne stepped up to take the set piece.
The Belgian international, who ran the show for Manchester City, made no error in bending the free-kick into the goal. But Leicester nearly pulled back on level terms with a world-class strike by Youri Tielemans. However, Ederson was again sharp between the sticks to deny the Leicester skipper.
Manchester City largely remained comfortable in the final half hour, relaying the ball without testing Ward much. And while Leicester threatened a little, the Premier League champions were untroubled in the dying embers. The result takes Manchester City to the top of the table ahead of Arsenal’s game against Nottingham Forest on Sunday. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Pep Guardiola’s men
FULL-TIME | 3️⃣ points and a clean sheet on the road! 🙌
🦊 0-1 🐝 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/5qqXPRCfRm
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 29, 2022
Ederson Moraes: 8/10
Ederson was the standout performer in a sluggish Manchester City side. The Brazilian goalkeeper was alert between the sticks and made several sharp saves. And the one to deny Youri Tielemans in the second half takes the cake. Interestingly, Ederson made more stops than his opposite number despite Manchester City’s dominance.
John Stones: 6/10
Stones, starting as a right-back, held his own for the most part but faced a few nervy moments against Harvey Barnes. Otherwise, he was solid and helped build play from the back with a 93 per cent passing rate. But Stones nearly forced Ruben Dias to score a ludicrous own goal late on when his attempted clearance ricocheted off the Portuguese defender.
Manuel Akanji: 7/10
Akanji enjoyed the easiest outing of his Manchester City stint thus far. While Leicester City did put Ederson under pressure, the Swiss defender was solid and kept a lid on Jamie Vardy. He also retained an incredible 99 per cent passing rate while opening play with accurate long passes.
Aymeric Laporte: 6/10
Laporte was slightly wasteful, compared to Akanji. But considering the Spanish international took up advanced positions in the final third, he managed a decent 90 per cent passing rate. However, he gave away a chance late on, which pegs his rating slightly.
Joao Cancelo: 6.5/10
Cancelo almost exclusively spent the entire game in the Leicester City half. With Manchester City firmly in control, the Portuguese international looked to create overloads in the final third. But he struggled to carve the openings, with his efforts also going off target. He has seen better days.
Kevin De Bruyne: 8/10
Kevin De Bruyne has scored more Premier League goals from outside of the box than any other player since the start of the 2017/18 season.
Here the are. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/GjK6oEWeYJ
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) October 29, 2022
De Bruyne ran the show for Manchester City, pulling the strings from various positions across the pitch. The Belgian playmaker managed a game-high three key passes and deserved an assist from his outing. But De Bruyne still made his mark with the sumptuous free-kick that sealed the three points.
Rodri: 7/10
Rodri sat at the base of the Manchester City midfield and was comfortable throughout the game. He provided a solid base for the visitors and even looked to chance his feet with some shots. The Spaniard came also close to scoring in the first half. Rodri also helped the champions remain untroubled at the back when Leicester City threatened late in the match.
Ilkay Gundogan: 6/10
Gundogan played the support act for Manchester City on Saturday, with De Bruyne running the show. The German international still managed to create a couple of chances while misplacing only three of his attempted passes. He nearly came close to scoring late on after he and De Bruyne produced lung-busting runs on a counter-attack.
Bernardo Silva: 7/10
Silva was the right-winger for Manchester City as Guardiola looked for more creativity in the final third. The Portuguese international seemed one of the best bets for the Citizens to score in the first half. But Danny Ward denied his rasping effort. Silva faded as the game progressed and mainly looked to pass the ball around.
Julian Alvarez: 5/10
No player contested more duels in the first of Leicester vs. Man City than Julián Álvarez:
◉ 4 contested
◎ 0 wonNo change out of the centre-backs so far. 🪙 pic.twitter.com/xtSwiBncjJ
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 29, 2022
Alvarez, the player to watch in our preview, had the opportunity of a lifetime to make his mark for Manchester City. But the Argentine international squandered his chance, albeit not due to his fault. The 22-year-old barely saw the ball coming his way, with Wout Faes containing him smartly.
Jack Grealish: 7/10
Grealish started the game slowly and lost possession cheaply on a few occasions. But the English international slowly grew into the proceedings and linked up well with his teammates. Grealish also won the free-kick that De Bruyne converted for the match-winner.
SUBSTITUTES
Ruben Dias: N/A
Dias was a solid customer at the back and completed nearly all his attempted passes. But he almost scored a comical own goal through no fault of his. All is well that ends well.
Phil Foden: N/A
Foden replaced Alvarez in the 77th minute and barely saw the ball falling his way. The Englishman thus could not manage a shot in the game’s dying embers.
