Leicester 0-1 Man City: Player ratings as dominant Citizens battle to victory

Manchester City made their class count on Saturday as they battled to a well-earned 1-0 win over Leicester City.

The game got off to a red-hot start, with both Gabriel Jesus and Harvey Barnes coming close to opening the scoring within a few minutes. It was City who dominated possession, but Leicester made it clear early on that they would be a threat on the counter.

City spent the rest of the first half knocking on the door and could have found the back of the net on a number of occasions, only for some astonishing blocks from the Leicester back line to keep things level at the break.

The Foxes came out firing after the interval. Barnes headed against the crossbar just two minutes in and Jamie Vardy had the ball in the back of the net soon after, only to see his strike ruled out for offside.

City made their breakthrough shortly after the hour mark as Bernardo Silva fired home from close range following some fortunate deflections in the box.

Brendan Rodgers introduced Kelechi Iheanacho and Ademola Lookman late on and the duo combined to try and drag Leicester back into things. The former was involved in everything positive, while the latter had a handful of excellent half-chances, but neither could do enough to snatch a point away from City.

LEICESTER PLAYER RATINGS

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Kasper Schmeichel (GK) - 7/10 - Set the tone with a big save on Jesus early on and continued to frustrate City. Did not deserve to be beaten.

Timothy Castagne (RB) - 6/10 - Had an understandably tricky time dealing with the Grealish-Silva link up but did manage to keep himself afloat. Got forward well when he had the chance.

Caglar Soyuncu (CB) - 6/10 - Really should have done better with City's opener. Had far more time to consider his block than his response suggested. Generally not that bad otherwise.

Jannik Vestergaard (CB) - 7/10 - Made some outstanding blocks to keep Leicester alive and played a significant role at the other end of the field, winning headers and kick-starting counters with some brilliant passing. Subbed off on the hour mark and Leicester conceded immediately after.

Ryan Bertrand (LB) - 5/10 - Got a little fortunate on his Premier League debut for Leicester. Guilty of coming inside too often and gifting Jesus an ocean of space at the back. Calmed himself down after the break.

2. Midfielders

Youri Tielemans (DM) - 7/10 - Had to do a lot of defending and was absolutely vital to absorbing pressure. Hoovered up possession well but was outstanding with his footwork, short passing and composure in the face of City's intense press. So effective.

Wilfred Ndidi (DM) - 7/10 - Happily dropped into centre-back to give Leicester a stubborn back five. Neutralised City's right wing incredibly well.

Marc Albrighton (RM) - 6/10 - Had to spend most of his time defending and helping Castagne out but did well. Kept Leicester moving forward with some clever touches.

James Maddison (AM) - 6/10 - Unsurprisingly struggled without the ball. Found it hard to get into the game but managed some tidy passes to keep City on their toes.

Harvey Barnes (LM) - 6/10 - Barnes didn't actually do too much but got himself into some outstanding positions in the box. Could have scored early in both halves but just couldn't get things to drop his way.

3. Forward

Jamie Vardy (ST) - 6/10 - Has enjoyed playing City in the past, and while he didn't get that kind of luck here, he worked incredibly hard and did his best while feeding off scraps.

4. Substitutes

Jonny Evans - 6/10

Kelechi Iheanacho - 7/10

Ademola Lookman - 6/10

MAN CITY PLAYER RATINGS

5. Goalkeeper & defenders

Ederson (GK) - 6/10 - Made a great save on Barnes early on and had a relatively quiet afternoon until he was needed to subdue Lookman late on. Stayed alert for Leicester's counters and never really looked like conceding.

Kyle Walker (RB) - 6/10 - Divided fans with his performance. Made some excellent recovery runs but guilty of errors which required recovery in the first place.

Ruben Dias (CB) - 6/10 - Enjoyed his battle with Vardy and largely kept the Leicester striker at arm's length throughout.

Aymeric Laporte (CB) - 6/10 - Mixed some fantastic defending with some really questionable decisions. Fortunate not to pick up three or four yellow cards.

Joao Cancelo (LB) - 7/10 - Teamed up with Grealish and Silva to form a dangerous left wing and was predictably involved in City's opener.

6. Midfielders

Rodri (DM) - 6/10 - Rodri struggled in the midfield against Tielemans and Ndidi but found himself doing a lot of defending out wide instead. Very decent.

Ilkay Gundogan (CM) - 7/10 - So subtly brilliant. Helped City deal with Leicester's press and kept the side moving forward with real quality. Does his job so well.

Bernardo Silva (CM) - 8/10 - Got the luck he deserved with his goal and celebrated it like a man who really loves the club. Clearly loved playing alongside Grealish.

7. Forwards

Gabriel Jesus (RW) - 5/10 - Got himself in some dangerous positions in the first half but disappeared after the break. City's attack was going down the left wing for a reason.

Ferran Torres (ST) - 5/10 - Clearly still a work in progress when it comes to the central role. Really struggled against Vestergaard and Soyuncu early on and was withdrawn on the hour mark.

Jack Grealish (LW) - 8/10 - Involved in almost everything good from City. Got behind Castagne with ease and set up a good few chances for his team-mates. His link-up with Silva is one to keep an eye on.

8. Substitutes

Raheem Sterling - 6/10

Fernandinho - N/A