De Bruyne’s terrific free-kick gives Manchester City edge against Leicester

Manchester City may have been without Erling Haaland but Pep Guardiola’s side are so awash with talent that it just meant another of their stars came to the fore. The pass-o-meter was heavily in the visitors’ favour but in the end Kevin De Bruyne’s majestic second-half free-kick proved the difference as the champions clinched victory and moved top of the pile.

Guardiola spent much of the three minutes of second-half stoppage time crouched on the edge of his technical area as if about to thunder from the starting blocks. City had a brief fright when John Stones’s headed clearance cannoned off Rúben Dias and just wide of Ederson’s goal but the visitors swept upfield on the counter from the resulting corner. De Bruyne raced down the right flank and sent a teasing ball across the six-yard box that just eluded Ilkay Gündogan.

Leicester had to work overtime in their 4-5-1 shape to merely make into the City half and when they did it was a cause for celebration. Midway through the first half Youri Tielemans, again wearing the Leicester captain’s armband in the absence of the injured Jonny Evans, fizzed a pass into Jamie Vardy . The striker was soon hounded and shifted the ball to Harvey Barnes, whose shot was parried by Ederson. James Maddison ambled over towards the corner flag to take the subsequent set piece, determined to enjoy the rare scope for a breather.

Danny Ward made smart stops to deny Bernardo Silva and Julián Álvarez in a one-sided first half, but three minutes into the second period Leicester’s resistance was broken. Nampalys Mendy replaced Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall at half-time and his first contribution was a cheap foul on Jack Grealish 25 yards from goal. What happened next was nothing short of sublime.

De Bruyne