Premier League: Kevin De Bruyne leads Manchester City to 1-0 win over Leicester City in Erling Haaland’s absence

Manchester City pulled off a 1-0 win over Leicester City amid striker Erling Haaland’s absence due to an ankle issue. Coach Pep Guardiola left Haaland out of the squad for Saturday's Premier League game.
 
The defending champions were left frustrated in the first half in the absence of their star striker and were unable to break the deadlock. It was midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliance in the early minutes of the second half that gave City the lead. De Bruyne converted a freekick won by Jack Grealish and put it past Leicester goalkeeper Danny Ward.

Manchester City started with young striker Julian Alvarez in place of injured Haaland but lacked the edge in the first half. After De Bruyne gave City the lead, Leicester attempted to equalise and came close with a superb volley from Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans which the City goalkeeper Ederson was able to keep out with a finger-tip save. Leicester had City on the backfoot for a while late in the game but were unable to grab an equaliser. 

The result puts Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table and one point above Arsenal who will play Nottingham Forest on Sunday as they look to reclaim the top spot. With the defeat, Leicester City remain 17th in the Premier League.

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