Manchester Metropolis moved ever nearer to a 3rd Premier League title in 4 seasons as a uncommon aim from Benjamin Mendy and Gabriel Jesus’s strike earned a 2-0 win at third-placed Leicester on Saturday. Pep Guardiola’s males now maintain a commanding 17-point lead on the prime of the desk, albeit Manchester United can lower into that hole with two video games in hand. Nevertheless, it seems a matter of when, not if, Metropolis will reclaim the standing of English champions after shedding their crown to Liverpool final season.
Metropolis are even aiming to go one higher than their home treble of Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup two years in the past by successful a primary ever quadruple in English soccer historical past.
That may imply successful the Champions League for the primary time and Guardiola confirmed that competitors stays the precedence along with his staff choice forward of Borussia Dortmund’s journey to the Etihad for the primary leg of their quarter-final tie on Tuesday.
John Stones, Joao Cancelo, Ilkay Gundogan and Raheem Sterling had been among the many star names left on the bench after their exertions on worldwide responsibility over the previous 10 days.
But, the guests had been nonetheless dominant towards a Leicester facet that had misplaced simply twice of their earlier 16 Premier League video games.
Sergio Aguero was given a uncommon begin up entrance simply days after the Argentine introduced his wonderful 10-year keep in Manchester will come to a detailed on the finish of the season.
Nevertheless, his presence denied Metropolis an early opener when Fernandinho’s long-range strike arrowed into the underside nook just for the aim to be disallowed as Aguero was standing in an offside place in entrance of Kasper Schmeichel.
Leicester are one in every of solely three groups to beat Metropolis within the league this season, having romped to a 5-2 victory on the Etihad in September.
Jamie Vardy scored a hat-trick that day and thought he had added to his wonderful document towards Metropolis in first-half stoppage time when he rounded Ederson to fit into an empty web, solely to even be denied by the offside flag.
Metropolis’s dominance of possession and persistence was lastly rewarded simply earlier than the hour mark from an unlikely supply.
Riyad Mahrez stung the palms of his former teammate Schmeichel, however from the rebound, the ball fell on the toes of Mendy on the again submit, who lower onto his weaker proper foot and scored simply his second aim in 4 seasons as a Metropolis participant.
Guardiola may then afford the luxurious of introducing Sterling as Leicester needed to open up and chase an equaliser.
And the England worldwide created the killer second aim as he was launched in behind by an excellent go from Kevin De Bruyne earlier than squaring for Jesus to attain on his twenty fourth birthday.
Promoted
Because of Chelsea’s shock 5-2 thrashing by West Brom earlier on Saturday, Leicester nonetheless get pleasure from a five-point cushion over the Blues and seven-point benefit over fifth-placed West Ham within the race for a top-four end and Champions League soccer subsequent season.
However Brendan Rodgers’s males will likely be wanting over their shoulders anxiously over the subsequent few days because the Hammers, Tottenham, Liverpool and Everton all have the prospect to shut in on the highest 4.
