LEICESTER CITY 0 MANCHESTER CITY 0
Match Report by Paul Weston
City fans came into the ground in a good mood after partaking in free beer donated by the owners- a nice touch- for the fantastic support we have given our team in 2015. Mind you it has not been difficult to support this team because, after years of disappointment, we now have a team which plays entertaining football, is close to top of the league and which has gathered support from neutrals all over the country.
It was a bit of a surprise that Drinkwater Vardy and Mahrez were all supposedly fit and played. I doubt whether Vardy was fully fit but he is so critical to the team shape and style of play.
Okazaki was on the subs bench and Inler was selected for a 3-5-1 formation to neutralise the multi- millionaire midfield of Man City. David Silva, in particular I can recall, had terrorised us in the past.
There was some concern whether City could recover from a rare defeat and lethargic performance at Liverpool and respond to the fantastic atmosphere as usual at the KP stadium. Had the bubble burst as some pundits said was inevitable?
Man City had, as expected, lots of possession in the early stages. Schmeichel sayed well from Sterling and de Bruyne. Mahrez responded with a shot well saved after he had danced through the defence.
City seemed to be playing too deep and Vardy was isolated up front. Play was broken up too easily by the Man City defence. Inler throughout was too slow, pushed off the ball too easily and misplaced his passes too often.
Fortunately both Kante and Drinkwater compensated. Kante in particular was absolutely everywhere, often winning tackles against Man City players (for example Toure) twice his size!
City were offered a golden chance for the lead when, after a mistake in central defence, Vardy was through but blasted hastily over the bar. It is hard to be critical after such a wonderful goal scoring run but he should have scored.
The referee, whose decisions were inconsistent throughout the match, gradually became more irritating and he left the field to boos from the crowd for a poor performance. City, however, had played well against a strong team and we felt there was more to come in the second half.
Although Man City initially started the second half well City gradually improved the passing and movement, joining up midfield and attack much better and with pace.
Ranieri sensed that a win was possible and brought on Ulloa in place of Inler, and to give more support to Vardy. Just before then Aguero had dived outrageously to try and win a penalty against Inler. Fortunately the referee, for once gave the correct decision!
Kante had a shot which whistled past the post and Fuchs forced a good save from Hart from a free kick. At the other end Aguero flicked over a cross and there were countless blocks and tackles from what is gradually becoming a much stronger City defensive unit with no weak links. We even can defend from crosses and corners now!
Later King came on for Drinkwater who had played well, especially after recovery from his hamstring injury. De Laet replaced Albrighton at the end.
The match ended as a 0-0 draw with both teams still trying to get the elusive goal but also wary of mistakes. The City players had given their all and the point was well deserved.
And so we have secured four points from Everton away, Liverpool away and Man City at home and are equal top of the table. Most City fans would settle for that! 2016 promises to be a thrilling time for Foxes fans. A Happy New Year to you all!
Leicester: Schmeichel, Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs, Mahrez, Drinkwater (King 80), Inler (Ulloa 67), Kante, Albrighton (De Laet 90 +2:04), Vardy. Subs not used: Okazaki, Dyer, Wasilewski, Schwarzer
Man City: Hart, Sagna, Otamendi, Mangala, Kolarov, Toure, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Silva (Jesus Navas 74), Sterling (Iheanacho 89), Aguero (Bony 64). Subs not used: Zabaleta, Caballero, Demichelis, Horsfield
Attendance: 32,072 Referee: Craig Pawson
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation