Premier League
Mar 4, 2015 7.45pm
2
0
HT : 1 0
FT
  • David Silva 45' goal
  • James Milner 88' goal
  • yellowcard Paul Konchesky 36'

Live Commentary: Manchester City 2-0 Leicester City - as it happened

Manchester City 2-0 Leicester City - as it happened

Goals at the end of each half from David Silva and James Milner helped Manchester City to a flattering 2-0 win over Leicester City at Eastlands.

The Spaniard tapped the hosts ahead on 45 minutes in a crushing blow for Leicester, who defended admirably throughout the first half.

The champions continued to toil in the final third after the break but found an all-important second through Milner in the dying stages.

Below, relive the action with our live text commentary.

9.37pmThat's all we've got time for, but there's analysis and ratings on the horizon so don't venture too far. Unless you're tired, in which case fair enough. Until next time...

9.36pmWell, that's it. Leicester fought bravely, and probably should've had a couple of penalties, but they didn't have the rub of the green tonight and Man City labour to a 2-0 win.

9.35pmFull time: Man City 2-0 Leicester

90 minThree minutes added on:

90 minStick a fork in it, folks. It's a brilliant delivery from Yaya Toure and James Milner gets in ahead of Wes Morgan to tap home from close range. Good finish.

89 minGoal!!!!!! Man City 2-0 Leicester (James Milner)

86 minShot!!!!!!!!! There's an official match ball outside the Etihad if anybody wants it. I know this because Frank Lampard has just put it there with a shocking shot.

83 minMan City sub: Final move for the hosts as Edin Dzeko comes in for Aguero, who has looked nowhere near his best this evening.

80 minMan City sub: Big bad Frank Lampard is on for the last 10 minutes, replacing Silva. Silva has been excellent throughout, but Lampard might just be the player who makes this game safe.

77 minChance! Brilliant from Yaya Toure as the big Ivorian uses all his power to burst through on goal, but he opts for power instead of precision and ends up firing over the bar. Disappointing finish.

74 minOff the post!!!!!!!! Man City are living very dangerously as Riyad Mahrez, who has been rather anonymous, strikes the post with a left-footed volley that had Joe Hart stranded. They've been unlucky.

71 minMan City sub: James Milner comes on for Wilfried Bony, whose full debut has passed him by. He's had chances but he's missed them all. Poor performance.

69 minSave! Yet another stunning save from Schwarzer as he tips Toure's curling effort past the post. Seriously, the 42-year-old must age like a fine wine. What a performance so far.

67 minExcellent attacking move by Leicester which finishes with David Nugent missing an open goal from about four yards out - but thankfully for him he was offside. What a shocking finish though.

64 minI could watch Kolarov cross footballs all day. He's just brilliant at delivering a teasing ball, isn't he! He's just fizzed in a wonderful cross there that Schwarzer had to beat away. Superb.

60 minShot! Well Vardy might've scored here. He flashes a half volley well wide of Joe Hart's goal with an opportunity that he should've got on target at the very least. Disappointing finish.

57 minReally poor this from Matty James. He's running at Mangala, who is stood on the edge of the hosts' box, and he's got Vardy busting a gut on his right, and he does pick the pass but it's too weak as Mangala steps in to collect possession. Really poor.

55 minDouble Leicester sub: Jamie Vardy and David Nugent replace Paul Konchesky and Andrej Kramaric and it looks like it's 4-4-2 now. Pearson is matching it up.

54 minSave!!!! Fantastic save from Schwarzer as he uses every inch of his massive frame to palm away Aguero's header. Brilliant.

51 minClose! Regardless if it's a penalty or not, Kramaric comes so close to finding the net as his free-kick deflects into the side netting. The Leicester fans initially celebrate, before the City fans got their own back by mocking them. #banter

50 minBit of controversy here as Leicester win a free kick right on the edge of the box, but it looks like it was in the box. Difficult call and I think Bobby Madely has got this one wrong.

48 minChance!!! Should be 2-0. Simple as that. It's Silva again as he races on to a neat ball from Navas before pulling back to the unmarked Bony, who scuffs his shot well wide of the mark. That's two good chances that he has missed.

45 minRestart: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're back at Eastlands. Leicester, playing from left to right in this half, get us underway. They trail 1-0 but they can take so much heart from that first-half showing.

8.33pmHalf time: Man City 1-0 Leicester

45 + 1 minThis is so, so cruel on Leicester, whose hard work in this half has been underdone mere seconds before the half-time whistle. It's David Silva, who finds himself on the end of Kolarov's teasing ball, which Leicester failed to deal with and Silva tucked it home at the second attempt. Harsh.

45 minGoal!!!!!!!!!!!! Man City 1-0 Leicester (David Silva)

43 minChance!!!!!!! We've seen the first clear-cut chance. David Silva plays an exquisite scoop ball over Leicester's back four to find Bony, whose chest-and-volley glides well wide of the target. £25m? He should've scored then.

41 minFour minutes remaining and dare I say Man City don't really look like scoring. They've had one or two half chances, but nothing concrete.

38 minLeicester booking: Paul Konchesky goes into the book for a wild challenge on Jesus Navas I think it was. Good decision by Bobby Madely there.

35 minChances!!! Pellegrini's side just turning the screw now I think as the champions threaten. Mark Schwarzer pulls off a few saves to keep out Bony and Navas, while Toure's shot was blocked from Kolarov's cut-back.

32 minWe're over half-an-hour deep here and, well, Man City are NOT the better team. Fair play to Leicester because they've been brilliant in this first 32 minutes. We said Leicester would have to play well to leave with a result, but that also applies to Man City, who are growing rather frustrated.

28 minI feel a little silly for suggesting that this is a routine win earlier because, on early evidence, Leicester have been excellent. They've defended really well and they've looked dangerous on the counter. Really good from them so far.

24 minSave!!! First big save of the game, and it's from Joe Hart! Matty James plays a fantastic ball past Demichelis into the feet of Kramaric, who tries to go around Hart but the England goalkeeper palms it away. Brilliant from Hart, and brilliant from Leicester.

22 minPenalty appeal! The corner comes to nothing initially, but the ball drops to Jeff Schlupp who goes to ground under a challenge by Wilfried Bony, but referee Bobby Madely immediately rejects the appeal. Leicester had a case there.

21 minFew promising signs from a Leicester perspective as they prepare to whip a free kick into the box. It's Matty James, and his delivery is headed out for a corner by Bony....

18 minWe should credit Leicester on their defensive display thus far because, despite the Sky Blues' dominance, they've had little to no clear-cut chances as of yet. It's a case of 'break us down' and the hosts are struggling to do that so far.

14 minPellegrini's side boasting 82% possession so far, which should paint an accurate picture. It's one-way traffic, with Leicester playing on the counter-attack at the minute. Best of luck to them because the game has certainly started the way we thought as the hosts dominate.

11 minLeicester might need to keep a closer check on David Silva because he's getting lots of space at the minute. He's just tried to play in Bony but Huth is around to cover well. Still, if the little Spaniard is getting this much space then it's a little ominous.

8 minShot!!! Decent strike by big Yaya Toure, but it was never going to beat Schwarzer from about 25 yards. The hosts well on top but the visiting fans are enjoying themselves, singing "I'm Leicester till I die".

7 minExcellent work by Jesus Navas there. The Spanish winger runs on to Bacary Sagna's excellent ball, before cutting inside and firing a shot at goal but Mark Schwarzer saves with his feet. However, there was a handball by Navas in the build up so the whistle had already gone. I didn't see the infringement myself.

4 minOff the line! The hosts go close, and it's Wilfried Bony on his full debut, as the Ivorian heads a David Silva corner at goal but Esteban Cambiasso is on hand to clear.

3 minIt's all Man City so far as you might imagine, and left-back Aleksandar Kolarov looks to fizz in one of those beautiful balls of his but it's knocked out for a corner, which ultimately comes to nothing. Not much atmosphere here at the moment, and plenty of empty seats. Par for the course for a Wednesday night really, isn't it.

1 minKICKOFF! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're off at Eastlands, my friends. Man City, playing from left to right, get us underway. Let's go.

7.41pmTwo days later Sunderland rolled into town probably half expecting a thumping, but the Black Cats came within seconds of holding the champions to another 2-2 draw, only for James Milner to pounce in the dying stages! So Leicester have that going for them, but they've also got the distinction of being unbeaten in their last four league visits to Man City so, you know, anything could happen tonight. Five minutes to go!

7.39pmCast your mind back to December 28 and Burnley, like Leicester, would've travelled to Eastlands fearing the worst. Yet, as the clock ticked toward 5pm, Sean Dyche's side had secured a hard-earned 2-2 draw!

7.37pmHowever, we should point out that a) Leicester haven't played in 10 days, which means they should be that bit fresher than City, who played on Sunday and b) Pellegrini's side haven't looked anywhere near their best when it comes to dispatching relegation candidates in recent months.

7.34pmPrediction: Right, we're about 10 minutes from kickoff, which means that it's time to get a prediction completely wrong! And I'm on 3-0 to Man City here tonight, my friends. Aguero, Bony and Yaya Toure on the scoresheet. The hosts will struggle at times against Leicester's back four, but they'll ultimately find a way through and it should be relatively comfortable.

7.31pmThey missed the chance to move within two points of leaders Chelsea - who have played a game less - by losing at Liverpool on Sunday in a defeat which cast their title bid in doubt. If they draw, for example, and Chelsea win, then the Blues would have a seven-point cushion WITH a game in hand. Absolutely no margin for error.

7.28pmWe've already looked at Leicester but let's put the microscope on Manchester City now and Pellegrini's side can ill-afford any more slip-ups if they are to defend their Premier League title.

7.25pmThe Foxes' club-record £9m signing has looked well worth the investment since his January move from FC Rejka and has already scored twice - including in last month's defeat at Arsenal. If Leicester do take anything away from this game, the 23-year-old will play a part in that.

7.23pmWhat about Leicester? Leonardo Ulloa is their top goalscorer this season with seven goals - five of which were scored in August, which kinda sums up their woes - but I have liked the look of Andrej Kramaric recently.

7.21pmWho can the hosts look to for a bit of inspiration tonight then? Well they've got more danger men than Al Qaeda, but it has to be Aguero, doesn't it? He's got 24 goals in all competitions this season and four in his last five so you fear for Leicester's back four tonight. Bony actually scored both in Swansea's 2-0 win over the Foxes earlier in the season, so he certainly knows how to get at this back four.

7.17pmOn to Leicester now and Nigel Pearson names an unchanged side from the team that drew 2-2 at Everton 10 days ago. Kramaric spearheads the attack, with Jeff Schlupp, Matty James, Esteban Cambiasso and Riyad Mahrez in midfield. Behind them you'll find a five-man defence as Danny Simpson and Paul Konchesky line up at full back, with Robert Huth, Wes Morgan and Matthew Upson forming a robust centre-back trio in front of Mark Schwarzer.

7.13pmIt's FIVE changes in total from their 2-1 defeat at Anfield. Pablo Zabaleta and Vincent Kompany drop to the bench for Bacary Sagna and Martin Demichelis. Two changes in midfield also as Jesus Navas and Fernando come in for Samir Nasri and Fernandinho, while Bony partners in-form Sergio Aguero up top.

7.10pmOkay so let's start with the hosts and I can tell you that Manuel Pellegrini gives Wilfried Bony his full debut! The Ivorian has made a few substitute appearances since his £25m switch from Swansea in January, but he's on from the start this time.

7.06pmLeicester subs: Hamer, Drinkwater, Vardy, King, Ulloa, Wasilewski, Nugent

7.05pmMan City subs: Caballero, Clichy, Zabaleta, Kompany, Milner, Lampard, Dzeko

7.04pmLeicester XI: Schwarzer, Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Upson, Konchesky, Mahrez, Cambiasso, James, Schlupp, Kramarić

7.02pmMan City XI: Hart, Sagna, Demichelis, Mangala, Kolarov, Yaya Toure, Fernando, Navas, Bony, Aguero, Silva

6.58pmAnywho, we'll look at Man City a little later because, like a zombie feasting on Rosie O'Donnell, there's loads to chew on there as well, but let's get down and dirty with a bit of team news first. I'll have this very soon.

6.55pmDid the good times last? I think we know they didn't. Fast forward six months and Leicester are bottom of the Premier League and look destined for a return to the Championship. In fact, it is not inconceivable that they could be as many as SEVEN points adrift of safety if other results go against them tonight, at which point we can probably start writing their top-flight eulogy.

6.53pmNewly-promoted Leicester made this Premier League lark look like a stroll in the park early on; beating Manchester United 5-3 and drawing with both Everton and Arsenal. "What's all the fuss about," Pearson said. He didn't actually say that, but he might have, and it would've been a valid assessment because, as we said, they were making it look easy.

6.51pmThe Foxes travel to Eastlands with just one victory in their last five league outings - and only four wins all season long! Yep, it hasn't quite being the fairytale return to the Premier League that it once looked for Nigel Pearson's side unfortunately. Simply put - if they were real foxes they'd be the ones you see on motorways!

6.49pmIt isn't quite David vs. Goliath, because City aren't actually playing all that well at the moment, but it's still David vs. Roy Keane or Duncan Ferguson or somebody of this ilk. The reason behind this perceived mismatch is because, well, Leicester have just not been very good this season.

6.47pmGood evening ladies and gentlemen and you're very welcome to our live text coverage of Manchester City's emphatic win over Leicester. Are we getting ahead of ourselves? Okay let's try again. Hello and welcome to our live text coverage of what promises to be a VERY evenly-fought game at the Etihad as Premier League champions Manchester City host bottom-of-the-table Leicester. We're obviously being a bit cheeky here, but let's not beat around the bush folks: the visitors will have to play very, very well to leave with anything.
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