Leicester 0-2 Manchester City Player Ratings as Savinho and Haaland end City’s year on a positive note

As the clock winds down to the end of the year, Manchester City were visitors to Leicester, in what certainly made for an interesting battle considering the form both sides were in coming into the game. 

For the most part, City started off well and managed to open the scoring when Savinho opened his account, latching on to Phil Foden’s long-range effort. However, as the tale goes, City once again found themselves in trouble as Leicester started to mount the pressure and would have equalized easily had they been a fraction more clinical in front of the goal. The second half saw City capitalize on their chances with Haaland adding a second and despite Leicester’s best tries, they could not trouble City too much. 

All in all, the game was an entertaining watch with City finally winning a game and breaking their poor run of form. As for Leicester, there will be some big questions regarding their ability to put away chances. 

Leicester Player Ratings vs Man City

Goalkeeper

Jakub Stolarczyk: 6/10- Had a rather poor game, especially considering the first goal where he could have taken a much safer option rather than palming it into Savinho’s path. Could not have done much to prevent the second goal though.

Defenders

Victor Kristiansen: 7/10- Played really well for large parts of the game. Ventured far up the pitch and had some presence in terms of attacking. Was handily outdone for the second City goal though.

Conor Coady: 6.5/10- Slightly relaxed and unable to sniff out or react to danger. Should have positioned himself better for the second goal and also avoided putting his midfielders in precarious positions. 

Jannik Vestergaard: 6.5/10- Sluggish and too slow to get in position or react at times on the pitch. Was nowhere near the scene for the second goal when he ideally should have been the one contesting. 

James Justin: 6.5/10- Did well to get up and down the flank in the first half and managed to keep Savinho at bay for large parts. Lacked his usual precision with the crosses he made.  

Midfielders 

Harry Winks: 6.5/10- Showed good calmness in possession and did not always take the safe option, despite the opposition. Was key in keeping the ball and rotating possession for his team. 

Boubakary Soumare: 7/10- Solid in the heart of midfield, but was occasionally guilty of being either too hasty or backing himself a little more than he should in tricky positions, especially near his own box.

Bilal El Khannouss: 7.5/10- Absolutely superb at times in the midfield with his positional awareness and swift footwork. Did well to create the chances he did and offered a lot for the Leicester attack.

Attackers 

Facundo Buonanotte 6.5/10- Linked up well with the likes of Coleman and Mangala at times, finding himself up against Gvardiol and floating in a good ball from time to time. Needed to be a little more dangerous and show intent in his gameplay. 

Stephy Mavididi: 7.5/10- Showed great energy and drive, often wanting to get on the ball. Popped up in a number of different positions and helped to keep the ball moving in the final third. Had a few good crosses too. 

Jamie Vardy: 6.5/10- Slightly poor today, all things considered. Got a few unbelievable chances to score, but could not put his chances away, which was rather uncharacteristic of him. 

Substitutes

Hamza Chowdhury: N/A

Caleb Okoli: N/A

Patson Daka: N/A

Will Alves: N/A

Manager

Ruud Van Nistelrooy: 7/10- Was brave with his team selection and all things considered, it should have paid off as well. Suffered with his side failing to put away easy chances and at times being callous with their defending. 

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Man City Player Ratings vs Everton 

Goalkeeper

Stefan Ortega: 7/10- Solid for the most part, and had a lot to do today considering Leicester’s waves of attacks. Was a worrying sight at times, when he hardly moved to react to some efforts on goal.

Defenders

Joško Gvardiol: 7/10- Much more secure today, barring the rare mistake. Did equally well when played at fullback and at center-half, contesting well for aerial duels. 

Nathan Ake: 7/10- Strong defensively and in marking the Leicester strikers. Played as well as he could on the night but seems to be having consistent injury problems.

Manuel Akanji: 7/10- Best defender on the pitch and crucial in helping City keep a clean sheet and the Leicester attackers at bay on the night. 

Rico Lewis: 6.5/10- A good performance on the night from the youngster and on either side of defense. Supplemented the midfield well and was up to the task of dealing with some aerial threats as well. 

Midfielders

Mateo Kovačić: 6.5/10- Sat much deeper in midfield, dictating the play and was crucial in breaking up play at times and progressing the ball from defense to attack. 

Bernardo Silva: 7/10- Played in a number of different positions and was a little uncomfortable at times but grew into the game well and contributed to the team in all aspects. 

Kevin De Bruyne: 6.5/10- An important factor in the City midfield especially as the game went on. Facilitated some great moves and found his teammates in good positions time and again, even winning the ball higher up the pitch.

Attackers

Phil Foden: 6/10-Struggled to really get involved today. Had a few bright moments coming in-field and fired a great strike which was turned away into the path of Savinho for the goal. Was quite nonexistent in the second half. 

Savinho: 7.5/10- Did well to latch on to Foden’s long-range effort and wasted no time to get to it. Put in a sumptuous invitation for Haaland to put away in the second half for the second goal as well.

Erling Haaland: 7.5/10- Showed a lot more today in terms of being able to dribble and create chances for himself and others. Took his chance in the second half well which was a delightful cross, dispatched expertly in the far corner. 

Substitutes

James McAtee: N/A

Kyle Walker: N/A

Manager

Pep Guardiola: 7/10- Was a little more creative with the way he picked his side and a little more bold, considering the circumstances. All in all will be happy to see the rut of form end and can focus on starting the new year on a high.

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