Leicester vs. Manchester City: Score, Grades and Reaction from Premier League

Manchester City kept up the pressure on league leaders Chelsea as a Frank Lampard goal saw Manuel Pellegrini’s side pick up a 1-0 win and vital three points at bottom club Leicester City.

The champions were made to work hard for their victory, but after the veteran midfielder—reportedly set to extend his stay at the Etihad Stadium on loan from New York City, per BBC Sport—scored in the 40th minute, there was only ever going to be one winner here.

The goal moves the 36-year-old alongside Thierry Henry in the all-time leading scorers list in the Premier League, as noted here by the City Twitter account:

Unfortunately for City this victory came at a cost, as returning skipper Vincent Kompany limped off with what looked like a reoccurrence of his hamstring injury.

Ahead of the game, BBC Radio Five Live provided us with an indication of how difficult an afternoon this could be for the home side:

Nigel Pearson’s men were handed a timely boost before the game had even begun, though. With Sergio Aguero sidelined through injury, Edin Dzeko was picked to lead the line against the Foxes, but he was struck down by a problem in the warm-up and it was left to 18-year-old Jose Pozo to spearhead the City attack.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Pellegrini was able to welcome back captain Kompany and midfield maestro David Silva into the fold, but the flurry of changes seemed to sap City of any early rhythm. Indeed, it was the home side who started the brighter of the two, carving out a couple of early half chances.

The visitors were struggling to live with the hosts’ pressure in midfield, and it wasn’t long before the Foxes conjured a genuine opening. Jamie Vardy looked to have gotten down the side of the City defence and was primed to pull the trigger, but Eliaquim Mangala was on hand to nullify the forward’s effort. 

City Watch hailed the early exploits of the French defender, who has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League since his big money move from Porto:

"

Already two crucial defensive contributions by Mangala, the latest to put Vardy off just enough to shoot wide when in space.

— City Watch (@City_Watch) December 13, 2014"

As Leicester’s intensity tailed off, City started to move through the gears, and Yaya Toure, as he so often does, suddenly came alive with a rasping strike. Ben Hamer—filling in for the stricken Kasper Schmeichel—was on hand to make a sharp save to keep Leicester in the game, but with the champions’ pressure mounting, it wasn’t too long before they were ahead.

Samir Nasri danced into the Foxes penalty area and his delicate pass found Lampard—somewhat typically— in a perfect position to steer the ball home from close range. As noted here by WhoScored.com, the former Chelsea man has preserved his clinical edge despite his advancing years:

From a Leicester perspective, as noted here by ESPN’s Iain Macintosh, the veteran midfielder had far too much space in such a dangerous area of the field:

"

Lampard finds a 6x6 foot zone of space in the middle of the Leicester penalty area. That’s just silly. You don’t come back from that.

— Iain Macintosh (@iainmacintosh) December 13, 2014"

At half time, the home side likely felt a little disappointed to have been behind, but just as in recent weeks, Leicester weren't clinical enough in the final third. And with their energy clearly sapped from the effort that was put in during their effervescent opening spell, City passed them off the park for long spells of the second half without really threatening Hamer's goal.

Macintosh summed up the pattern of play pretty succinctly:

Nonetheless, the champions were very comfortable, but things took an unfortunate turn with 15 minutes remaining as their skipper went down in pain. With Aguero already looking likely to miss the festive period with his fitness problems, the Belgian's potential omission will be another major blow for the Etihad club.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

While Toure remained a threat, Kompany's departure seemed to galvanise Leicester, and with the clock ticking down they began to re-establish their standing in the game. But Martin Demichelis slotted into the heart of the back four and helped the champions see out the remaining minutes.

City remain three points behind league leaders Chelsea, but with a favourable spell of fixtures on the horizon—their next four games are against Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion, Burnley and Sunderland—there is a great chance for Pellegrini's men to accrue some vital momentum. 

Here's how WhoScored.com rated the players:

Leicester Player	Rating	Manchester City Player	Rating
Starting XI		Starting XI
Ben Hamer	6.9	Joe Hart	6.4
Danny Simpson	6.7	Bacary Sagna	7.6
Wes Morgan	7.4	Vincent Kompany	7.3
Marcin Wasilewski	7.2	Eliaquim Mangala	7.0
Paul Konchesky	6.4	Gael Clichy	7.4
Riyad Mahrez	7.3	Frank Lampard	6.8
Esteban Cambiasso	6.6	Yaya Toure	7.2
Danny Drinkwater	6.9	Fernando	7.4
Andy King	6.5	David Silva	6.6
Jamie Vardy	6.3	Samir Nasri	7.2
Jeffrey Schlupp	6.3	Jose Pozo	6.2
Substitutes		Substitutes
Leonardo Ulloa (for Schlupp, 64')	6.0	James Milner (for Lampard, 60')	6.3
Nick Powell (for Vardy, 73')	6.0	Jesus Navas (for Pozo, 74')	6.2
Anthony Knockaert (for Drinkwater 79')	6.4	Martin Demichelis (for Kompany, 77')	6.4

Reaction

Pellegrini gave an update on the condition of both Dzeko and Kompany after the game. He also admitted that he hopes Lampard can extend his stay with the club, per Mike Keegan of BBC Sport: