Leicester City 0-1 Manchester City: 5 Hits and Flops as De Bruyne scores an exquisite free-kick and Ederson denies Tielemans' volley | Premier League 2022-23

Manchester City dug deep to grind out a 1-0 win over a resurgent Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday, October 29.

City arrived at the King Power Stadium having defeated Brighton 3-1 in their last league game. Erling Haaland scored a brace in that game but faltered in their goalless draw against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League. He also picked up a knock and missed out on this game.

Pep Guardiola brought Julian Alvarez into the lineup as he looked to give the Argentine forward a run in the starting XI.

🔵 TEAM NEWS 🔵

XI | Ederson, Stones, Akanji, Laporte, Cancelo, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Gundogan (C), Bernardo, Alvarez, Grealish

SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Dias, Ake, Gomez, Mahrez, Foden, Lewis, Wilson-Esbrand

#ManCity | @HaysWorldwide https://t.co/gYJUIL7Y9V

Manchester City played some lovely football as they dominated possession in the first half. Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne made lively starts to the game and were involved in several of City's passing moves. Manuel Akanji and Aymeric Laporte maintained a high line as the visitors kept the ball in Leicester City's half.

Leicester City were completely subdued as they were ineffective going forward. They attempted just one shot on target, an easy one for Ederson to save. Manchester City, on the other hand, attempted 10 shots, of which four were on target and saved well by Danny Ward. Despite the chances created by both teams, the score remained 0-0 going into half-time.

HALF-TIME | Goalless at the break 🔒

🦊 0-0 🐝 #ManCity | @NESCAFE https://t.co/giBLORw3TJ

Manchester City made a dream start to the second half as they scored just four minutes after the resumption. They were awarded a free-kick and Kevin De Bruyne stepped up and smashed the ball into the top corner from around 30 yards out. Leicester nearly found the perfect response as Youri Tielemans saw his long-range effort turned onto the crossbar by Ederson.

Leicester did well to maintain pressure and carve out openings as they tested Ederson in the second period. However, they failed to beat him as Manchester City held onto their one-goal lead to secure the win.

With that said, let's take a look at the five hits and flops from the game.

#5. Hit - Ederson (Manchester City)

Ederson enjoyed a slow start to the game as City dominated possession and kept the ball in the opponent's half for the majority of the time. He was called into action just once in the first period as he made a comfortable save.

His best contribution came in the second half, shortly after his side had taken the lead. Ederson made a brilliant reflex save to turn Youri Tielemans' shot onto the crossbar to preserve City's lead. He made four saves in the second period to earn his clean sheet.

#4. Flop - Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)

Alvarez looked out of sorts as Leicester played an innovative tactic to nullify his threat. They played a narrow line, forcing City to play the ball in from wide areas. The diminutive Argentine suffered a mismatch against the hosts' tall center backs as he was unable to win any of his four duels. He was also unable to attempt a single shot on goal in a disappointing outing.

#3. Hit - Danny Ward (Leicester City)

Ward had a great game and was only beaten by a world-class free-kick by Kevin De Bruyne. He soaked up early pressure from City as he made three crucial saves in the first half. He also made another save in the second period in a good performance overall.

#2. Flop - Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)

Age is clearly catching up to the man who once left defenses in the Premier League in tatters with his electrifying pace.

Vardy had a poor game as he only had five touches in the first half. He added just nine more touches in 26 minutes in the second period and was replaced by Kelechi Iheanacho.

With limited touches, Vardy was unable to register a shot on goal and even failed to win any of his four duels. He was also dispossessed seven times.

#1. Hit - Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

De Bruyne proved to be the difference between the two sides as he scored a stunning free-kick in the 49th minute to give Manchester City the lead. His goal eventually proved to be the match-winner.

You can watch the goal below:

Unreal free-kick goal from Kevin De Bruyne! 🔥 #LEIMCI

https://t.co/3EaoubdEfe