Hat-trick hero fires Leicester to long overdue win
Premier League – 10th December 2016: Leicester City 4, Manchester City 2.
The party’s back on for Jamie Vardy. The England striker finally rediscovered his scoring touch with a superb hat-trick against Manchester City at a frenzied King Power Stadium. What a win for Leicester City – much needed, much celebrated – and much to discuss about their beaten opponents.
Few would have picked this game as the one in which Leicester finally clicked, winning for the first time in the Premier League for six matches. Manchester City came to town, and left empty-handed.
Chastening for Pep Guardiola, champagne for Claudio Ranieri. This was reminiscent of Leicester’s Premier League title-winning form – pacy, slick, and deadly in front of goal. They were 4-0 up before City cobbled together anything worth writing about, and two late consolations from Aleksandar Kolarov and Nolito were almost irrelevant. Leicester simply dominated.
Riyad Mahrez, like Vardy, looked his old 2015/6 self. Combining well with Islam Slimani, he created Leicester’s first goal which Vardy finished superbly, rifling past Claudio Bravo, with only 2 minutes played. By five minutes it was 2-0, Andy King hitting a neat, side-footer from just outside the penalty area. However, it was neither in the top corner nor just below the bar. To this observer, this was poor goalkeeping, and Bravo should have done better. He’s not helped by his comparative lack of height and reach, either. At six feet, he’s several inches shorter than many of the top keepers in the Premier League, and it’s hard to envisage King’s shot beating de Gea, Courtois or Cech, etc.
The third goal was outstanding. Christian Fuchs’ long pass found Mahrez, whose half-volleyed touch into Vardy’s path was brilliant. Vardy rounded Bravo with ease and slotted home. John Stones gifted Vardy’s third and Leicester’s fourth, with a back pass he won’t want to see again. However there was still much to do for Vardy, who went past Bravo and slotted in from a very acute angle, goal-line technology confirming a superbly taken hat-trick for the England striker.
When Kolarov’s free-kick went in on 82 minutes, Guardiola’s face said it all – not much to celebrate, but much to ponder. Nolito’s neat finish on 90 minutes didn’t change his expression either. Two defeats in succession and six goals conceded – that will hurt. City’s formation looked vulnerable all game, Guardiola’s back three not helped at all by Kolarov’s positioning throughout the game – consistently caught playing upfield, far higher than his defensive colleagues. That made life much harder for Stones and Bacary Sagna.
City have kept only two clean sheets in the Premier League so far, and possession stats of 78% to 22% in their favour from this game will probably not lighten Guardiola’s mood, until his defence tightens up dramatically. At the other end of the pitch, the news isn’t much better – he still has another three games to wait before he can select the suspended Sergio Aguero.
This is Guardiola’s first real test since he arrived at City, and it will be fascinating to see how he responds. More changes? More tinkering? Who knows. But they could do with a Premier League win urgently, and until that happens one wonders about the effect on their self-belief. City appear to have lost their swagger – they need it back, and fast.
But for Leicester, a great performance and a great result. Something tangible for Ranieri to build on. He will be very encouraged by the performances of Vardy and Mahrez, and with goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel likely to return from injury before Christmas, things are definitely looking brighter. Corner turned?
By Chris Tribe
10th December 2016
Copyright © 2016 Chris Tribe. All Rights Reserved.
Photo credit: © Pioeb/Wikimedia Commons
Next game: Bournemouth (H) – Premier league – Tuesday 13th December, 7.45pm
Chris Tribe Sportswriting 