Man.City return to winning ways with Leicester triumph

Manchester City provided Pep Guardiola some relief with a 2-0 victory at Leicester to secure just a second win in 14 games for the crisis-hit English champions on Sunday.

Savinho and Erling Haaland struck either side of half-time as City ended a run of eight away games without a win.

The performance was still far from the standards that Guardiola’s side have set in winning an unprecedented four consecutive English top-flight titles.

But the effusive celebrations of Haaland’s header 16 minutes from time showed that three points was all that mattered for the visitors to at least temporarily halt their remarkable slump.

Victory lifts City up to fifth but they are still 11 points behind leaders Liverpool, who have two games in hand.

Defeat leaves Leicester still rooted in the bottom three.

Guardiola made just one change from the 1-1 Boxing Day draw against Everton as Kevin De Bruyne replaced his Belgian international colleague Jeremy Doku.

De Bruyne’s fitness struggles have played a part in City’s slump and he immediately showed what Guardiola’s men have been missing for most of the season.

Rico Lewis picked out De Bruyne, who cushioned a cross into the path of Haaland but his low effort was well saved by Leicester’s stand-in goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk.

Leicester have now lost their last four games after a bright start to Ruud van Nistelrooy’s reign.

The Foxes were left to rue not taking their chances to inflict more misery on a City side still showing a clear lack of confidence.

Any time the home side crossed into City territory in the first half they appeared a major threat.

Jamie Vardy would surely have won a penalty had he not strayed offside before being brought down by Stefan Ortega, while James Justin’s header hit the post after a goalmouth scramble.

City, though, got the crucial opening goal on 21 minutes.

Stolarczyk should have done better than to parry Phil Foden’s long-range effort into the path of Savinho, who swept the rebound into the roof of the net for his first City goal.

Chances continued to come and go for Leicester early in the second half.

Justin should have levelled but his mishit finish from close range allowed Manuel Akanji to clear off the line.

Vardy then had the biggest chance to level when he prodded over Stephy Mavididi’s brilliant in-swinging cross.

However, they were hit by a City sucker punch to end the defending champions’ miserable run on the road. Savinho was the creator this time as his cross perfectly picked out Haaland, who powered home his 19th of the season ending his four-game goal drought.

Forest rise to 2nd with Everton win: Goals from Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White gave Nottingham Forest a 2-0 win over Everton to move up to the heady heights of second in the EPL after another superb performance away from home.

The win gives Forest, who battled relegation for much of last season, 37 points after 19 games. They are five behind leaders Liverpool ahead of West Ham United match.

Forest are one ahead of third-placed Arsenal, who are not in action again until New Year’s Day, and two ahead of Chelsea, who can overtake them if they beat Ipswich Town on Monday.

Everton got off to a bright start as Iliman Ndiaye created the game’s first chance, slicing through the heart of the Forest defence before firing a shot high over the bar in the sixth minute.

That positive opening came to an abrupt end when the visitors took the lead in the 15th minute as Chris Wood nodded a long ball to Anthony Elanga on the counter-attack.

Agencies

Premier League results on Sunday:

Leicester 0 Manchester City 2 (Savinho 21, Haaland 74)

Crystal Palace 2 (Chalobah 31, Eze 52) Southampton 1 (Dibling 14)

Everton 0 Nottingham Forest 2 (Wood 15, Gibbs-White 61)

Fulham 2 (Jimenez 40, Wilson 72) Bournemouth 2 (Evanilson 51, Ouattara 89)

Tottenham 2 (Bentancur 12, Johnson 45+3) Wolves 2 (Hwang 7, Strand Larsen 87)