On the early morning of December 30th, Beijing time, the 19th round of the Premier League kicked off, with Leicester City hosting Manchester City at home.
Both teams have been in poor form recently. After losing away to Liverpool, the last season's English Championship champion has only won 1 game with 2 draws and 7 losses in the last 10 league games. Due to Wolves' rebound, Leicester City has fallen into the relegation zone.
The situation for last season's Premier League champions Manchester City seems even worse. After drawing at home with Everton, Manchester City has only won 1 game in their last 13 matches in all competitions. In their last 9 league games, they have 1 win, 2 draws, and 6 losses. In their last 8 away games, they have 1 draw and 7 losses, which is too bleak.
On the latest leaderboard, the defending champions with a total value of 1.25 billion can only rank 7th, and there is even a possibility that they will fall out of the top ten after a few rounds.
After the opening, the Blue Moon took control of the game. In the 8th minute, the pudding connection reappeared, and De Bruyne's shot was blocked by the goalkeeper with his foot.
However, the loopholes in Manchester City's defense are still quite large. Vardy formed a one-on-one and was tripped by Ortga in the penalty area. Fortunately, Vardy was offside first, and Manchester City escaped the red dot package.
Even as the English Championship champions, they could continue to get chances against Manchester City. In the 19th minute, Gvardiol's header back pass was comparable to an assist, but Vardy's shot from a small angle was bravely saved by Ortga.
In the 21st minute, Manchester City finally took the lead. Foden's long-range shot was saved, but the goalkeeper did not save it far enough, and Savigno quickly followed up to break the deadlock.
Not only Savigno, Haaland's state in this game is also obviously improving. In the 35th minute, Kovacic intercepted the ball and passed it, Haaland broke through the dragon's lair continuously, but unfortunately the final shot was just a little off.
In the first half, Manchester City temporarily led 1-0. After the start of the second half, Leicester City's offensive threat became greater and greater, and Manchester City's defense was in a state of panic.
In the 62nd minute, Leicester City's free kick was hung into the penalty area, and the Manchester City players could not get the drop point at all. Fortunately, Akanji completed the goal-line clearance to keep the goal intact.
Six minutes later, Mavididi's cross had an extremely accurate landing point, and the ball just flew over Aké's head. Vardy made a run, but missed the opportunity.
Throughout the second half, Leicester City was the dominant side, but wasted many opportunities. In the 74th minute, Savigno crossed, and Haaland leapt high to head the ball into the net.
It is worth noting that this is Haaland's 33rd away goal, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo's 32 goals, and Haaland achieved this with 71 fewer away games played.
In the end, the defending champions with a total value of 1.25 billion, Manchester City, narrowly defeated Leicester City 2-0 away from home. Under the condition of playing first, they temporarily rose to fifth place in the leaderboard.
It is worth noting that with these 3 points, Manchester City finally ended their four-game winless streak in the league, and it was also their second win in the last 14 matches in all competitions. In addition, Manchester City also achieved their first away victory in the last two months in all competitions (previously 1 draw and 7 losses).